Sorry if it sounds like I'm placing blame on anyone, I'm really not. And, why does Dan's name keep coming up?(lol) Dan didn't start the thread. However, with that said, I'm not accussing anyone here of being unethical. I think we all know how much magic exposure is out there, and it's not new news. I'm just wondering what was the purpose of this thread? If we all started posting every link to a video of some person exposing a trick, this forum would not be able to contain them all.

The original post asks us to view the video and then tell the person how we feel about it. What will that actually accomplish?

Please understand clarissa35f that my comments are only my personal opinion. I'm not that familiar with youtube. I must be living under a rock!(lol) I hope no one feels like I'm accusing them. If anyone does feel this way, please except my apologies.

Nah, that was not my intent at all.. I only kept using dan's name since he is the one I remembered that posted the link to the Linking Ring tutorial. I did not want to imply that you meant any harm by your post...

I was just saying that the average person that wants to find out how to do magic effects can easilly find them. There is no need to come here and hunt for links.

Whoever posts links to youtube's is not really exposing even if someone comes here looking for the simple reason that anyone that wants to find out how to do Linking rings just has to goggle.." Linking Rings Tutorial Video." In other words, anyone looking for it, will not suddenly have found the motherload on reading links here. I know that I used to see things yoiur way as well, I hate youtubers that expose. And Like you I agree,.. Telling them to stop accomplishes nothing... Most of the time.

I had a chat with a guy that had done a " Jazz Aces Tutorial" I also noticed that he had performance videos without tutorials.. which confused me..so I sent him a message, he said he only put out the tutorial, because he had see another tutorial that explained it badly... He did not want people learning it badly.

I can understand his concern, after we talked about it, he took his explanation down.

So yes, sometimes it does some good, I do admit that was rare.

My main concern here was... that I do not see that posters posting exposure Links, as a way of expressing what upsets them as in " Look at THIS Loser." is the Exposure most would imagine. Anyone wanting to learn that effect would not need to come here to see that link... they'd just have to google for it. So chances are anyone that really wanted to know how it was done, would already have seen it, or one like it. And anyone that does not want to look at it, would just ignore it.

Good point clarissa35f but...

I'm kidding, there is no but. You make a valid point. Thanks for sharing that.

It used to sometimes be said : "Those who can not do, teach." (which is not entirely true , of course).

But now it seems we have to revise it : "Those who can not do and also can not teach
post magic tutorials on YouTube instead."

The blatant exposure is bad enough , but then when these people flatter themselves that what they are
doing is a "tutorial" ... well, the mind boggles. No showmanship, no skill , no charisma is exhibited . It's exposure plain and simple.

This is not just about magic ; there are hundreds of videos on YouTube by self-anointed "experts" on any range of topics demonstrating their ignorance . I think there is something about posting these vids to YouTube and getting a lot of hits and a lot of comments that must be stroking the egos of these losers in the right way. One would think they would be mortified that their mediocre performances are posted for all to see, but apparently they really don't understand how bad they are. Truly pathetic.


I agree with what several people have mentioned: If you do choose to post a legitimate performance video of yourself doing magic on YouTube DO NOT title the video by the marketed name of the trick . For instance , do not post your "Zombie" routine , or your "Chop Cup" routine , or your "Dean Dill's Blizzard" routine, etc. called by those names. If you refer to the well-known names those effects are marketed under then you are basically inviting people to look up the exposure version on YouTube as soon as they've seen your legit performance.

Also, if you must post performance videos on YouTube take control of your own videos by enabling the preferences to only allow comments that you approve first . That way people can not post an exposure of the trick in the comments section or invite someone to private message them to receive an explanation of the trick. If you get comments from someone exposing or trying to expose then simply do not approve their comment and it will not appear in the comments section below your video.

(and folks, if you post practice sessions of yourself trying out sleights or rehearsing a trick to show your magic buddies then for crying out loud make it a PRIVATE video that can only be viewed by people who you invite to see the video. Don't expose stuff by posting half-baked , under-rehearsed versions of tricks.)

Kids (or even adults) doing incompetent performances I suspect has always been with the industry. You tube and other internet outlets just make it more widely available and I suspect its something we will have to live with.

Keep in mind though... most of the time we aren't the ones who fool our audiences. They really mostly fool themselves because they *want* to believe. Some of my strongest illusions have been totally in the minds of my spectators.

To me, making someone want to believe is the difference between a real illusionist and someone who just "does tricks."

Now the exposure thing is ALSO something we've had to deal with for a long time, I think. People who cannot or will not devote the time to really learning to perform an illusion get some cheap attention by going "look at me, I'm going to tell you a SECRET!" In the end, I don't think it has any more impact then the incompetents.

I don't think either group are doing much more then embarrassing themselves in the end.

YMMV I suppose