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Hakaput New user 65 Posts |
I am not a Member of IBM yet, but I am thinking about joining a local ring. I was wondering if simply joining a local ring grants any access to the online resources from the website or if one needs to also be an international member to get theses benefits.
I realize this is probably a silly question, but I did not see a direct answer to it on the IBM website. |
Matthew Crabtree Special user 611 Posts |
You need to be a member of the IBM to get into the website. Also most rings will not let you join the ring as a full member unless you are an IBM member
National First Vice President
The Society of American Magicians |
Hakaput New user 65 Posts |
Thank you Matthew for your response. As far as the website access that is what I assumed, but I did not know that most rings require a full membership.
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Hakaput New user 65 Posts |
My local magicians group is a combined IBM and SAM so I am wondering which of the two would be better to join. The price of both them are about the same, though with a student discount SAM is cheaper. But the price difference is not too big of a factor for me, though joining both would be too expensive for me at this moment. I am open to any opinions but I also ask specifically about the following:
How do the magazines Linking Rings and MUM compare? Does IBM or SAM have better online resources? Does IBM or SAM have more online resources? Any advice on this would be greatly appreciated. And I know this the choice between IBM and SAM is probably mostly about personal preferences. So please try give the reasons behind opinions. |
Dick Oslund Inner circle 8357 Posts |
I'll mail you a copy of the LINKING RING, so you can make an educated decision.
I've been a member of the "I Bother Magicians" since April, 1950, and the "Some Are Magicians", since August 1975. Frankly, I like the SAM better. Partly because George Schindler, the Dean, has been a friend for many years. --And, my dear friend, Father Cyprian Murray, OFM Cap. was the "Most Illustrious" (National President), I would suggest that you join the one that is most beneficial, financially! I would be pleased to sponsor you for membership in either group. O
SNEAKY, UNDERHANDED, DEVIOUS,& SURREPTITIOUS ITINERANT MOUNTEBANK
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Matthew Crabtree Special user 611 Posts |
Both groups have online groups for those too far from a Ring or Assembly. Right now the SAM does a better job with that, but I'm working on catching up. I'm doing the IBM online Ring solo. We are going to start doing a desktop lecture series soon as well as a member spotlight on the ring's Facebook page. The Linking Ring and M-U-M are not what they were but I think that M-U-M is a little better right now, but that can change. Where the IBM passes the SAM is the back issues of the magazine. With the IBM you get all of of the back issues, convention programs, and Jinx, Sphinx Hugard's Magic Monthly and a 11 other runs of periodicals. As far as the online version of the magazine goes, the M-U-M has a few more add ons, but neither one comes close to what Genii does.
Then again if you have the $120 a year you could just join both
National First Vice President
The Society of American Magicians |
Hakaput New user 65 Posts |
Matthew thank you for your insightful response. Right now I am definitely leaning towards starting with SAM. Your comments helped with this, but also SAM offers a free four month trial membership so I can see if I would really like to invest in such a community of magicians, regardless of whether I ultimately start with SAM or IBM and then probably joining both when all is said and done. As far as I have been able to tell IBM does not offer a free trial membership. Though if there is one please let me know.
Also if anyone else would like to share their opinion on SAM vs IBM, the pros and cons of each ect. I would be happy to hear them. For I will be starting out with the trial membership. Thus I still have time before I need to make a decision on which to community to join first. |
JohnnyPD New user 43 Posts |
Hakaput, you've probably already made up your mind and it's your mind, so only you can make it up. I think the choice between IBM and SAM is one of individual and personal preferences. I haven't really taken full advantage of what IBM offers via their website, but that wasn't the primary reason I joined IBM. I don't get M-U-M, so can't make an informed and unbiased assessment of the Linking Ring publication vs. M-U-M. I originally considered SAM because the local SAM group had their monthly meetings at a home/residence of one of the members/officers of that group, while IBM held their meetings in a back room of a local restaurant (banquet room). I thought the intimacy of someone's home would be the better place for such meetings, but I've since discovered that a backroom/banquet room is the PERFECT place for a meeting.
I ended up joining IBM because I met several of the local ring members at a Michael Ammar lecture (president, secretary, treasurer, and more from that group), but not one local SAM member was in attendance. If your primary reason for joining is to learn new magic, gain new skills/sleights, and grow your library of magic, then it will be those things that you'll value and seek from your membership. I can do those things and grow my skills with what I already have in my possession (got plenty of DVD's and books that I've not given a full study). I was looking to find a group of fellow magicians with whom I can fellowship and share the magic. Finding a place where I can go and fearlessly perform some new trick very badly without soiling my magic reputation. It is where I can get an honest and constructive response about my very bad performance that will help me improve from very bad to just bad-a$$ed. Staring into a mirror while you're performing/practicing doesn't lend well to your effort with a public performance. It's so much more beneficial to perform your magic as practice then it is to practice your magic as a performance (huh?). IBM may not call it a trial membership and you won't have access to their online resources, but most open their monthly meetings to anyone considering membership. Contact the local ring's president or other officer's and ask about attending and then attend at least two meetings to get a true sense of that group. Do the same with SAM and then decide.
Magic is believing in yourself. If you can do that, you can make anything happen.
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Hakaput New user 65 Posts |
JohnnyPD
Thank you for you words of wisdom. I have not yet joined either SAM or IBM, I have not really had the time. The main reason my focus has been on the benefits and resources that IBM and SAM have to offer is because where I live both are a single group as far as local meetings go. As such the push to join one verses the other depends much more heavily on what the non local group has to offer. Additionally the time when the local meeting does not often work with my schedule and I have only been able to attend once in the four months that I have known about its existence. But luckily I discovered that there is a smaller group of magicians that meets more regularly and at a time that works better for me. So I will try to join them regularly. But the decision between SAM and IBM still has yet to be made. |
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