How are you all doing? Just thought I would check in after an absence of a few years. I have always enjoyed the Magic Café, but like so many have been lured away by Facebook. I have concluded that Facebook is a total disaster when it comes to discussions about children's entertainment, and I wonder if others agree with me? Let us try and move things full circle, and return to the great days of The Little Darlings. What say you? I have much to offer, having been entertaining children for decades, and am still as busy as ever, with hundreds of shows every year. I am happy to answer any questions anyone may have, or enter in to general discussions about our profession. However, the main point of my post is to see whether any of you agree with me about Facebook. The place is full of egos, and any discussions about the entertainment of children seem to end up in acrimony. Let us all consider returning here for civilized debate and discussion on our art. JR

I hate to break it to you, but you made a few posts in February and March of 2017, and also a few throughout 2016. Easy to check using the search function. So you've haven't been gone as long as you thought.

- Donald

Hello Donald......Please forgive me. Old age must be setting in! You are so left brained compared to me, but I honestly thought it was several years since I posted.! Anyhow...regardless, what are your thoughts on the point I made? JR

I've participated in quite a few nice conversations on Facebook, on various people's pages and also in various magic related groups.

I participate here and there, when I'm interested in the topic. And I've even started a few discussions, too.

- Donald

Interesting Donald. You have obviously had a better experience than me with Facebook! Good luck my friend. Will you be at KAX? JR

Yes, Catherine and I are planning to return to KAX in January 2018. We were also at the 2015 and 2016 KAX.

- Donald

P.S. One time, not too long ago, I had to remove some posts from a conversation on my Facebook page. Another magician criticized my business practices (because sometimes I mentioned customer references, or when I'd book shows, or when I do shows, on Facebook), which I felt was unprofessional, rude, and disrespectful. If you have feedback like that, you take it to private message. There's no need to put down another entertainer on their own Facebook page, in front of their friends and customers.

Roger,

I'm really surprised to hear that life over at Facebook is not working out as well as everyone imagined.

I just assumed it was one big happy ex-Magic Café family having the time of their lives talking about everyone here.

Usually those individuals only check in here when they have a new product to pitch. It usually starts off with, "Hey guys,...."

Years back I remember a few magicians here leaving the Magic Café to have discussion on another magic chat room. Roger, not to offend you, but you were one of these individuals. While I used to visit that site, I actually found it a bit boring, almost to the point it was trying too hard to be liked and a carbon copy of the Magic Café.

Anyway, welcome back.

Gerry

I have my reservations about Facebook but have learned to live with it and play the game. My main complaint is that most topics are only discussed for 24 hours. After that the whole thread seemingly disappears. I know you can search for it but most people forget about it.

I like your thinking Roger and hope more people would come back to the Café, but I’m not sure it will happen.

Maybe someone should start a facebook group and limit it to 52 like-minded people.

Just as long as they don't automatically add me to the Facebook Group without asking my permission first.

- Donald

I'm not justifying it but when some people get behind what they feel is anonymity of Facebook, they forget about engaging in civilized behavior. It's something I've noticed very often on the web. I personally haven't had it happen to me here but then again, I post very little. I have found the Magic Café to be a pretty friendly place and I hope you have better experiences in the future.

Dave

BTW, I've seen magicians on Facebook put down The Magic Café, and I've seen magicians on The Magic Café put down Facebook. "I was there, but I left, and I need to tell others that I don't like that other place." So, it works both ways.

Those are the people who I tend to avoid... who always seem to have some reason to be negative / find fault.

- Donald

I agree with JR and think it's nice for someone address this and acknowledge it. I personally am so tired of everyone thinking the answer to everything is FB, lol. I do think there are far more egos and flaming on FB that ever was here. Everyone is a know it all and think their opinion needs to be heard. They want to believe all opinions are equal and experience means little or nothing.

What is even more interesting to me is that these same FB mentalities have been allowed in and now exist here on the Café. It is the cancer and #1 problem here when allowed to occur.

This is actually quite comical. I have said for years this fallout would happen and it appears more and more have been leaving FB and those that weren't banned in the process of going out-a-blazin' are now trying to come back here.

After closely studying it, participation of online Café members has been reduced to half to 1/3 of what it was just a couple of short years ago pretty much across the board. I expect we'll see an increase slowly over time.

The comical or, should I say, ironic part is that those that left the Café to start their own group (and naming it pretty much a direct rip-off of The Magic Café) only to bash the Café and several of us professional members specifically and directly. They have a supposed (laugh) private group so they can assemble a gang of other likeminded skewed perceptors to unite in their uneducated and false beliefs.

Even funnier are those doing so coming back here claiming to support and uphold the motto here when many of the problems left here when they did. They haven't changed a bit and I think it'll be interesting to see how welcome they are and how tolerated it will be.

I applaud the suggestion and as the Beach Boys say - "Wouldn't It Be Nice"!

I was on facebook a few years ago, but, when I got a new computer, I couldn't get back on. (I couldn't remember my password! Then Colton Raelund's brother managed to find a way, to get me 'reinstated'. I've now been on fb for about 2-3 months, and, I'm considering giving up on it.

There is far too much political "propaganda", posted by people whose vocabulary is too full of four letter words. I heard enough of that when I was in the Navy, 60 years ago.

I'll "give it" another month, but, I'm fairly sure that I'll be typing '30'.

Hey, guys...I do have products to pitch! Just kidding, though I am working on it. I just met David Regal today at a 1 day convention near me and showed him a utility prop I invented and he said he had never seen anything like it, and said I should market it, so maybe I will. Of course, maybe it's already been thought up, but I'll check into it more. Welcome Back Roger.

Interesting comments...and it is good to be back! JR

Hello JR!

Hello JD! JR

I personally find some of the FB pages to be refreshing and much more insightful. The ones I have joined seem to be well monitored with many members who are kind and respectful. I find the Café to be less monitored, with more ego's.

Welcome back! As for the difference between FB and the Café, I think it depends on both the Facebook group and the forum you visit. I've seen quite some big ego's here on the café recently Smile

To paraphrase the legendary gunslinger Shane:
“Any Internet discussion group—whether it’s on The Magic Café, facebook, the GENII forum or The Electronic Grymoire—is only as good or bad as the people who participate in it."

One advantage that facebook magic groups have over other forums is the ease with which photos, videos and pdf files can be posted to them.

A lot of magicians who do not post often to The Magic Café post regularly to facebook magic groups. Magicians like Robert Baxt, Charles “Chuck” Windley, Jeff McBride, Larry Wirtz and others are members of “SME Talk Magic” and also have their own personal facebook pages.