talkmagic.co.uk

How about a forum for beginners who are interested in magic and have just started it. They will be only allowed into that forum until they have 10 or 20 quality posts and then can go to other forums.???

Personally I see no reason for this. I certainly don't see any valid reason for stopping people from the general areas until they have made a set number of posts.

One thing you have to realise is that just because someone hasn't posted before doesn't mean they are new to magic...

I agree with bananafish on this one!

I like the idea of having a spot for beginners but not letting us see advanced stuff just seems pointless

Actually, I don't know if it would be feasible but I like the idea of denying access to the main areas until somebody has made, at the very least, an introduction. This would stop people just coming on and asking for secrets.

For example, you could limit access to all forums except the Introductions one until somebody posted at least a good introduction and then access would be at moderator discretion.

I think that this would be quite possible and not require too much work on the part of the mods, because I don't actually see that many new dedicated users on the site. What seems to happen a lot is that people join and then don't post introductions.

At the very least, it should be possible to make an automatic system whereby the person has to make, say, 2 posts in the Introductions forum to be let into the main areas of the forum.

However, this idea would have to be entirely based on the mod--ahem, vets' opinion as I don't know if it would work.

Kati

yea that was my idea Kati...well kinda sorta but good point(s)

I don't actually think that I've posted an introduction yet

Shame on me

Nor me! In fact I doubt any of the vets have as I think we were all around in the days of The Old Forum before there were all these extra rooms and things and everyone already knew us.

a forum for beginners whould be good just to keep a sticky of essential dvds and books etcs even if it was locked, just like the beginners starting point. might save alot of questions.

edit.. I guess it could just be a sticky in support and tips?

Well, TalkMagic is essentially a beginner/hobbyist forum anyway. Agreed, there are some basic things which can be shared solely with 'beginners', but I fear that many people who would fall into the category are, unfortunately, just leechers.

By leechers, I mean, for example, a kid who's seen a trick done and wants to learn the secret. They have no intention of paying for it or learning it the way the rest of us have, and they probably have no intention of pursuing the hobby any further.

It's a shame, but I think a 'beginners' section would just attract/encourage this type of user a lot more.

By simply posting in the introduction area that you are new to Magic, it usually sets the scene and help/advice is dealt out accordingly.

This forum, as with many other magic forums, can suffer occasionally from ratio problems... with the ratio of 'Givers' seeming to be always higher than the 'Takers'.

I think a pure beginners' area is an unnecessary complication, to be honest, but hey, it's only an opinion.

I agree that it would be good to have a beginners section with a bunch of stickies - general getting started advice, kids magic, mentalism, cards, tuition, shows etc.

This will help the people with just a passing interest without it clogging up the main site. I don't think they should be restricted from the rest of the site though.

Roland

Roland wrote:I agree that it would be good to have a beginners section with a bunch of stickies - general getting started advice, kids magic, mentalism, cards, tuition, shows etc.

This will help the people with just a passing interest without it clogging up the main site. I don't think they should be restricted from the rest of the site though.

Roland

People with simply a 'passing interest' are likely to be less community-spirited, and therefore less likely to be welcome on the forum.

The information contained herein is generally reciprocal... you give some, you take some. This is a FORUM, and not purely an informational site.

I sincerely doubt that adding a specific beginners area will benefit the forum. In fact, it will almost certainly clog the whole place up.

Advice to beginners: USE THE SEARCH function of the forum

All you need to know is there, without having a separate area.

To divide TM up with a further separate area and then decide who had 'made it' beyond that point would need quite a bit of administration and monitoring so is perhaps not all that practical - especially as we all have day jobs, families, and social lives!

As mentioned above, there are hundreds/thousands of ideas, suggestions, tips and sources of further reading etc on TM to start most folks off in Magic and all members, new or otherwise, are welcome to plough through those resources as much as they like. Search away!

you^re right, but for someone who is only just stumbled onto this forum, it is quite confusing to have so many subsections. Especially since the only section that remotely looks like a starting place for beginners is actually a restricted area

I mean, what is the hurt of having a section with stickyscontaining tutorials for simple techniques such as various false shuffles and passes?

Especially since the only section that remotely looks like a starting place for beginners is actually a restricted area

Where do you get that idea from? The Restricted Areas contain nothing specifically for beginners at all.

I mean, what is the hurt of having a section with stickyscontaining tutorials for simple techniques such as various false shuffles and passes?

Because this is a Discussion Forum, not a teaching Forum, most so-called teaching forums just expose methods and that’s against TM policy. If people want to learn magic then they have to go and buy the secrets, the props, the routines etc. After all, if folks want to do card tricks, they don’t expect to be given free cards so why expect free lessons?