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TonyB2009 Inner circle 5006 Posts |
KC, thanks for including me among the better websites. I do my best.
Josh, your website has improved vastly since I viewed it first not so long ago. Well done. It shows (despite what some people might believe) that you are very open to advice. Hope it works for you.
Check out Tony's new thriller Dead or Alive http://www.amazon.co.uk/Alive-Varrick-Bo......n+carson
http://www.PartyMagic.ie |
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Kozzi New user 50 Posts |
Thanks for those sites,
The only constructive criticism that I'd add is to reconsider your desire to have a single-page website. I say this coming from the perspective of my day job - I'm a high school English teacher. Specifically, I've been on a committee to look into the implementation of iPads in our school and have been doing a lot of research of the impact of the internet and electronic technologies on learning. One interesting thing that I stumbled across was a piece of research that discovered our engagement with the internet has actually changed the way we 'read' texts. I'll save you all the details as I'm probably the only one here who finds it fascinating, but the conclusion would be valuable for you. First, our eyes have retrained to move in a "F" pattern whilst reading texts, especially on the internet, which means we are only hastily screening information - not reading it deeply. Consequently, I'd suggest moving away from the large blocks of text as only the most diligent (or critical!) of readers will read it in its entirety. What you've done well is presenting key phrases in bold but the formatting with the picture clumps it in together. White space is your friend when your audience is scanning. Second, the average time spent on a website page (according to the article I read) is just shy of 7 seconds. What this means is you'd probably have a better chance of people gaining more information from your site if it were categorised into hyperlinked pages to make scanning easy. Think of how online newspapers structure their content, you have a hyperlinked headline coupled with a blurb that lasts a sentence at best. If they can structure a newspaper to be that sparse then I think none of us have an excuse not to. I hope these suggestions help. Cheers, Stu |
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magicmaninsd Regular user San Diego, CA 199 Posts |
Kozzi,
You bring up an idea that I initially wanted to explore, but as you can see didn't quite turn out that way (you'll find that happens quite a bit here on the Café). I'm interested in the article you read and hoping you could post it here. As I am my own web designer I feel I have a deeper understanding of web design and internet marketing than the average Joe. The reason I have a one page site (as I pointed out to Lyle when we were PMing each other) is because the main purpose of my site is to get prospects in my funnel. As of this writing the sit has been live as a one page site for about 20 hours. There have been improvements throughout the day, but for the most part maintained it's aesthetic. Since the 20 hours I have had 4 prospects fill out my web form (which brings them into my funnel) and 2 have booked. I don't know about others here, but booking birthday party shows on a Sunday is a rarity for me. I usually book kid shows on Tuesdays through Thursdays ( I keep track of all that stuff). So 2 Sunday bookings is quite abnormal for me. So my position is confirmed that FOR ME the site works. Now sure there are changes that will continue to be made, but overall as Kozzi pointed out people don't read websites word for word. I myself do not read sites word for word as I even admitted to scanning the initial posts. Now, this is a discussion that could be very beneficial to all of us as it relates to web design. Is a one page website better that a multiple page website? I'm still kind of on the fence, but my initial reaction is yes. Simply because more time is spent on one page with no clicking around. On a multi-page site the tendancy is to click about then leave 7-10 seconds later. On my one page site you stay there for a few seconds longer to a few minutes if you watch the video and some testimonials. Just something to start a discussion about, but what do I know? |
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Kozzi New user 50 Posts |
The articles are from books I own, so I can point you to the authors but not link the articles
The two main texts that address these ideas are Nicholas Carr's 'The Shallows' and, for a much more in depth exploration of language and neurology, Maryanne Wolf's 'Proust and the Squid'. |
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TonyPorter Regular user 180 Posts |
Quote:
On 2012-03-18 22:21, Christopher Lyle wrote: Wow, that's harsh! "Stroke your fragile ego?", really?!? Come on guys, I don't think Josh minds taking constructive criticism but I don't think anyone likes receiving borderline rude and condescending 'advice'. I've just looked at the site Josh and from what I've read above it seems that you've already made some suggested changes. The site looks great, easy to get around and professional. As a parent I would definitely give you a call. Good luck with it. Porter |
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mr shiney Loyal user 266 Posts |
Have you thought about a recommended button (facebook like ) on your website?
That way clients can see real people are recommending you I added one to my site a few weeks again then after every show if they say how good I was I ask them if they would go to my site and recommend me, I think its an extra selling point. http://www.mrshiney.co.uk |
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mr shiney Loyal user 266 Posts |
Just seen the demo video
That the only thing that's strange for me. All you hear is adults in the background was this a kids party as it come cross to me that there is more adults there than children? "nice trick by the way" |
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magicmaninsd Regular user San Diego, CA 199 Posts |
Thanks Porter. I realize the site isn't the normal birthday party type site and when something is different there is push back. But as you've pointed out I made a few changes. Also Mr. Shiny, I overlooked social media icons all together. Take a look now. The natural scrolling the user does works well the plugin I found thanks for pointing that put to me!
As for the video, I really wanted to show that I appeal to adults as well as kids so that's the video I chose. Could be the wrong video but only time will tell. I can easily shoot a new one or do a mash up. Thanks again for your suggestions guys! |
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MichaelCGM Inner circle Oklahoma City 2286 Posts |
Quote: It's looking much better now. It would be cool to see KC take down some of his "put down" phrases as well. I've always believed that one should sell what they have, not un-sell the competition with negative comments. Find what you have that is unique in your business and sell that aspect in a positive way. Show the public your best side and let them decide. I wish you all the best as you continue to tweak your site.On 2012-03-18 18:34, magicmaninsd wrote: I seem to have very polarizing critiques of the site which makes me think I'm going in the right direction. My site is written the way it is (and I've taken the advice of some and deleted some of the "put down" phrases) because my fees are double to triple my competition's. |
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Christopher Lyle Inner circle Dallas, Texas 5698 Posts |
Some more advice that wasn't included in our chat....
On your website, you call yourself San Diego's Premier Magician. Who says you are? I question the validity of this statement b/c on Google, I have found 5 other magi in your area who also claim to be San Diego's Premier Magician. Calling yourself the area's PREMIER magic act doesn't mean a hill of beans anymore b/c everyone does it. How many premier acts can one area have? I know you think it sounds good and it might even be true...maybe. But if a client is searching they the "premier" factor will be greatly diminished when they see that others say the same thing about themselves.
In Mystery,
Christopher Lyle Magician, Comic, Daredevil, and Balloon Twisting Genius For a Good Time...CLICK HERE! |
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KC Cameron Inner circle Raleigh, North Carolina 1944 Posts |
LOL -
Wow, I just did a little research, and . . . WOW! I have a few quotes of yours here . . . It seems we have a star in our midst! Josh, you sure are a busy guy, I must be wrong about everything. “Josh London is the ONLY magician in San Diego who repeatedly receives such glowing accolades for his high-quality, laughter-filled, breathtaking magic shows .â€â€¨ - https://www.google.com/search?q=san+dieg......a
 -- Check out his demo video here: http://vimeo.com/37495871 -- Hey David Farr is in San Diego isn’t he? Maybe we should call him? ~~~~~~~~~~~~ “With over 1,500 performances for companies like Sony, Lexmark, Toshiba, and at venues like House of Blues, Laugh Factory, and many, many more your next corporate event is going to be the best yet! Josh has spent a lifetime being featured at the most prestigious corporate events across the Nation and when you invite him to your event you’ll hear gasps of amazement and applause.†
 - http://josh-london.com/ “by companies like Chrysler, Digital Equipment, Bell South, Mojo Magazine, Rolling Stone Magazine, Diversa, and more.â€â€¨ - http://speakermix.com/josh-london “$2,500-$5,000â€â€¨ - http://speakermix.com/josh-london -

- Now I think having 2 gigs a week from such prestigious firms is doing pretty good (you do charge 2-5K according to one site, and that sounds right for prestigious firms . . .). Let’s see. 2 gigs a week times 50 weeks a year is 100 gigs a year. at 2k (lower price end to be safe) each, that is 200,000 a year for the last 15 years. Not bad Josh! ~~~~~~~~~~~~ “By the age of 16 he performed his first corporate magic show for Sony. Now Josh performs almost exclusively for San Diego audiences at comedy clubs, charity events, private events, and children’s birthday parties.†- http://www.prlog.org/10835799-san-diegos......ers.html 

 -- Woops, what about the 1500 prestigious corporate events? Well, maybe not “almost exclusively†*G* 

--- Doing corporate magic for Sony at 16? Wow! ~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Since Josh London is so busy (with a performing schedule of over 40 shows a month) he wants to offer 3 free shows to people who really deserve it. “Times are tough right now for everyone and I want to give back to 3 winners who really deserve a high-quality magic show to show my support.†Josh London†
-http://www.prlog.org/10835799-san-diegos-premier-magician-offers-free-magic-shows-to-3-drawing-winners.html

 -- Giving away 3 free shows because you are a good guy, not because you need publicity ‘cause you do 40/week - now THAT is nice! ---Lets see 40 magic shows a month x 12 months is 480 shows a year. Now multiply that by your claim of $450 each (your price), that is $216,000 a year Wow, great work Josh! Is that on top of what you make as the world traveling magician?. Does the IRS know? *L* ~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Clients often hire Josh for the atmosphere. With Josh's exceptional sleight-of-hand magic with cards and coins your guests will literally be enthralled for hours. There is no need for a table or any special lighting, so Strolling Magic is perfect for any venue in the world! On top of that, recently, Josh was asked to perform at The Magic Castle in Hollywood, CA, a very, very exclusive society for magicians. You need to be very good to perform at the Castle and Josh had the honor of being asked to perform there. Most magicians never get that opportunity to experience that.†- http://www.magicalhypnotist.com/articles......p
 -- Guess you do Fortune 500 CLOSE UP too! --You have been asked to perform at the Magic Castle and turned it down? Well, good for you! ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Josh London combines an electric style of fast-paced comedy, impossible magic, and breathtaking mind reading into one performance.†- http://joshlondonmagic.com/bio -- Guess you are a mentalist - and wow - electric style! ~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Josh London is Southern California’s Premier Educational Entertainer for Elementary School Students for Assemblies and Fundraising Programs†
-http://joshlondonprograms.com/ --What can I say, a jack of all trades . . . ~~~~~~~~~~~~ “It would be in your best interest to book Josh right now for his Strolling Magic, before the likes of Lexmark, Toshiba, Sony, or some other big Fortune 500 Company does.â€â€¨ - http://magicalhypnotist.com/blog/23/strolling-magic/ -- By all means, book him now! Josh, I am not sure if you are making 200+K or 400+K a year, but that is certainly better than me! |
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magicmaninsd Regular user San Diego, CA 199 Posts |
Hahahaha what a waste of time KC.
Out here in San Diego we do our math a bit different than you guys in the middle. I'm 28, have been doing corporate shows since I was 16 (admittedly not so many as I do now) but average about 150 per year. So an average of 150 corporate shows per year for 12 years gives you 1,800. Maybe I should up my numbers I suppose. Now I am older, have a wife and thinking about a family, so staying local and not travelling is in my future. Also, did you see the dates some of that stuff was published? Over 5 years ago some stuff, the last link even included a website that I don't even own anymore hahahahhahaa Oh man, what a giant waste of time. I would have expected this kind of behavior in the Tricky Business section, but really here? Wow. I'm going to take the high road here. Don't get me wrong I'll come back to see what you respond with, but I don't think I'll be responding anymore. It's a shame, because I was really interested in making my site better and people like you come here and spew venom for no real reason. Josh P.S. Thanks for doing some seo work for me, now I can go to those sites and update my website links and probably up my seo rankings |
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magicmaninsd Regular user San Diego, CA 199 Posts |
Is like to pint out one more thing. I came here hoping to get some advice from more seasoned pros in the kids market than me. I only began to get defensive once kc started in on the rude and harsh comments of which there was no need for.
Josh |
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KC Cameron Inner circle Raleigh, North Carolina 1944 Posts |
Josh,
I do see you have let your mentalism site go, as well as your hypnotism site. Your stage site is nearly blank, I guess it is coming down too? 150 corporate shows a year? Your agent must be amazing! 150 shows year from 16-28. That is something to be proud about. at 2K each I see you are doing quite well (300K/yr)! It is nice to see someone this busy and making this much money making their own web site. I personally thought it was because it was cheaper. That is why I do it. How are working 40 birthday parties into that? I see just LAST YEAR a key point you were advertising (hey you underlined it on your site) was being AFFORDABLE. Nice to see you are now charging 2-3 times what everyone else is charging! http://web.archive.org/web/2011020804342......gic.com/ “Last and most importantly, do they offer a 100% MONEY BACK GUARANTEE for total customer satisfaction?†http://web.archive.org/web/2011020804342......gic.com/ 

-- Why did you take this off your site? I find it to be a big selling point too! I gave some gold advice, not my problem if you can't take it. I admit, The last post wasn't to help you at all . . . after your snarky comments. I was just letting everyone know all your "claims". You sure seemed proud of that video in your tweets. and I can't find any others ( I looked!). I guess you believe it is a good representation. Glad you got a laugh out of my last post! I did too. Remember, the internet forgets nothing! Why not just come clean? If you answer this I will be happy to list a lot more that shows your grasp of reality. As for the SEO work, Yes, I am pretty good at it. Your welcome! Trust me you are sitting on a gold mine and don't even realize it. I really do wish I had your luck. Really. You did a nice job listing yourself everywhere. I need to do more self-promotion too. A weak area of mine I am working on. Oh, BTW thanks for pointing out that spelling error! I am fixing it now. Anything else? I know I have a few blank links. |
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Dynamike Eternal Order FullTimer 24148 Posts |
By most of your pictures you are thinking too much like a magician. You might know you are going to do a good effect, but the viewers have no idea what you are about to do just because an item is in your hand. Focus on more photos that have action and good laughter by the audience. I am not being rude so get those tears out of your eyes.
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magicmaninsd Regular user San Diego, CA 199 Posts |
Haha no harm done Dynamike! I understand what you mean though. I'll try to be more proactive in taking photos during my shows.
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MichaelCGM Inner circle Oklahoma City 2286 Posts |
Quote: Ahhhh, the code of the Café... Magicians bashing Magicians. What a fine example you gentlemen are setting.On 2012-03-19 21:45, KC Cameron wrote: If you answer this I will be happy to list a lot more that shows your grasp of reality. |
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