One of the most interesting things about the internet and magic has been the discussion boards. It’s seems that there have been boards since the beginning. The longevity proves that no matter what magicians of all kinds have opinions about everything and are willing to share it.
Excluding social media platforms and Reddit, there seems to be three major players: the Magic Cafe, the Genii forum, and the Magician’s forum. Each has its own unique personality.
- The Magic Cafe is huge with apparently thousands of members and guests. Are the counts accurate? No idea. The Cafe has had its ups and downs – both literally and figuratively – over the years and its demise has been predicted many times. However like the Timex watch ads said in the past, it takes a licking and keeps on ticking.
- The Genii forum is tied closely to the magazine. Its personality has been influenced by Richard Kaufman who’s been the editor for the last twenty five years. It trends older and occasionally a bit grumpier. Since the magazine is currently going through a transition, I imagine that the forum will too.
- The Magician’s Forum is run by Portland area magician, Rudy Tinoco. It seems to have been started in response to the occasional turmoil, trolling and other nonsense on the Magic Cafe. Discussions tend to be civil and well monitored.
Like many things on the internet, there’s good and bad information on the forums. There’s wisdom and drama and often it’s hard to discern which is which. It’s best to take everything with a grain of salt and consider it input – even if the person is known to be or claims to be a professional. With discussion boards you can be anyone you want and say anything you want – within reason of course.
While I will stop by the forums periodically and have upon occasion posted, I’m not an active participant. Since we all only have 24 hours in our day and only so much time to dedicate to magic, I ask myself is reading or sharing opinions the best use of my time?
