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IMAGINACIAN Special user In Your Thots 558 Posts |
Sometimes I wonder whether they exist at all.
Reviews are a big part of magic and mentalism eco system/industry. But seldom are they clean and bulletproof. Have they not become tools of manipulation? Mostly they are being used to boost sales volumes, imho. It may be a little amusing, but I found 6 types of reviewers, generally. Creator, Seller, Buyer, User, Fan and Pin (Pain in the neck). Of course, there will a lot of overlap in these roles, which ultimately impacts their reviews. The creator type is of course the creator of magic and mentalism effects, routines, principles etc(either original or ripped off - openly or secretly, and may be a small name or a celebrity). And every creator blindly loves all his babies - whether they are really good or bad. So when a creator reviews someone else's works, it is mostly biased by the creator's assumed high level of creativity from which high pedestal, he tends to look down upon other's works OR if the other creator is a friend, senior or demographic/strategic partner, then this creator behaves like a typical fan and sings glowing praises - and mostly for a similar favor in return. The creator type, although plays the roles of seller, buyer, user, fan, pin in varying degrees, predominantly behaves like a creator. The pure seller type is of course the magic dealer/distributor whose top priority is to sell, sell and sell products. So when a seller reviews a product he is carrying, things become a little too obvious. Reviews are manipulated in a most creative manner. But at least, in this case, there is a clarity of objective. The buyer type is one who may be just a collector or a buy-addict who MUST have the latest release, whether he actually uses it or not. Not only MUST have, but also the compulsive need to shout out his opinion to the world and let it know about his latest buy - in the hope that he will be perceived as a great n knowledgeable performer, by the world in return. These buyer types are seldom genuine performers and are mostly armchair theorists and very occasional performers that too family and friends. So these are people who are generally filling up their sock drawers. The user type is the one who actually buys to use it/perform it. This is a genuine performer whether pro or amateur. The review/feedback given by the user type is the closest to an honest and untouchable review. That's coz this user/performer has no other interest or stake in the game - either to create or sell or buy for the sake of buying/collecting. So these are the reviews I personally always look out for, generally. The fan type of reviewer is self evident. Some of the fans are reasonable but most are really fanatic and display a dog-like loyalty to their idols/celebrities. Even utter bs material put out by the idols is praised to the sky by the fans and if someone dare speak honestly, they rip him apart. The way of language may differ from fan to fan but the mentality is the same. I absolutely try avoid these reviews. And finally the pin type of reviewer is a real pain in the neck. Their sole objective is to drive the entire attention of the world onto themselves even at the cost of the product they are reviewing. Typically, they suffer from severe identity crisis. Their own kid calls the neighbour as dad. Since childhood, they have always craved for attention. To achieve their purpose, they do not mind being perceived as a nuisance - in fact they welcome it. So as expected, their reviews will be utter poop. So with so many 'reviews' out there to get you, a genuine buyer/user must exercise great caution before spending his dough and must be able to see through many veils shrouding the review - in other words learning to read between the lines and gauge the true value of any new release, before getting carried by the hype. However the magic and mentalism eco system will always run as it is running now. That cannot be changed. But a genuine user can and should learn to know what is a genuine review. It's his $$$ after all.
There is no better freedom than choice and no better choice than freedom.
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E.E. Inner circle Look mom, I have 1533 Posts |
The problem with the café is that you can not say what you really want to say, without getting yourself banned, or worst...
Just kidding about that last part. And most people here are friends with each other. You are not going to talk bad about your friend's new release, even if you think it's crap. The solution is to look for reviews somewhere else, and ask people you trust (privately) I'm not saying there are no good reviews here, there are. But most of them are biased... In other words, you can't trust: -The creator's friends. -The seller's friends. -The creator himself. -The seller himself. -People who got the release for free. -Armchair performers -Friends of the creator's friends. And the list goes on and on. The café is a great place for some things, but "honest reviews" are not one of those things.
Professional mentalist and digital artist for mystery performers. check out my work at www.facebook.com/EverElizaldeArtStudio
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Twisted Mentat Regular user Giedi Prime 147 Posts |
I fully agree with everything stated.
After several unsuccessful purchases this skill (read between the lines) is developing very fast.But even this does not protect completely from problems. Delay, hype, theft, rudeness, the pressure on buyers, idiocy, emotional manipulation -"I broke a fingernail, so I will not send you the book". Removing the bad reviews, lack of support for the victims of theft and strong support with endorsement of the thief, a complete lack of business ethics and incredibly inflated ego.So many sharks in this murky, green water. |
Mark_Chandaue Inner circle Essex UK 4187 Posts |
I do agree on the whole but the problem is that it is entirely possible to be a user/creator and friend, I do think there are honest reviews you simply have to find a reviewer that you trust and who has similar tastes to you. Sure not all reviews are reliable but you ;earn which reviews you can trust. I don't write a lot of reviews but I won't prostitute my integrity for anyone or anything. A perfect example is an effect recently released by Phill Smith. Phill is a good friend, he designed my business cards, and did the layout and artwork for my book and yet my review was no puff piece, I covered both what I liked about it and what I didn't like. If a friend released something that I really hated I simply would not review it.There are several people on the Café who's reviews I know I can trust. Likewise there are reviews that I will take with a heavy pinch of salt.
Mark |
Tom Cutts Staff Northern CA 5925 Posts |
As Mark said you must find a voice which resonates with you. It's the same advice I give to people about wine reviews. There are many different tastes in the wine world and each is valid in that each gets that person what they enjoy tasting. There are some wineries which I find their wines to be relatively undrinkable. Yet they are busy and prospering because theirs is a market of people who like crappy wine.
Magic is much the same, and here at The Café we are all brought together. Different skill sets, different interests, and different desires. Reviews are given from such differing perspectives. You must, just like Goldilocks, find the reviews which fit you juuuust riiiight. When you find that person, not only look for their reviews, but maybe even ask them privately about something you have not seen them review. They may have some solid insights for you based on their observations. And yes, apparently there is a market of people who buy crappy magic. Some who don't know any better. Some who don't need any better. And on rare occasion a few who can do really amazing things with a crappy trick. |
Alan Wheeler Inner circle Posting since 2002 with 2038 Posts |
I highly value the reviews here by real users and have always been able to get much objective, specific information to guide my purchases from those real users: size of item, quality of materials, required performing conditions, and so on. I do not think I have ever bought anything during the "hype" phase (except The Shakespeare Experiment, which was love at first sight.)
The views and comments expressed on this post may be mere speculation and are not necessarily the opinions, values, or beliefs of Alan Wheeler.
A BLENDED PATH Christian Reflections on Tarot Word Crimes Technology and Faith........Bad Religion |
Robb Inner circle 1291 Posts |
As someone about to release his first product to the mentalism world, I am curious to see how my product will be reviewed. For me, it is very useful and makes a lot of things possible or more *impossible* than they might be with other methods. But in the past, I've found I place value where others don't find it, so I won't be surprised if I get some bad reviews because the buyer doesn't find the same utility in my product as I do. I don't have a lot of friends here on the Café or know many other mentalists in general, so I don't think there will be too many reviews that are positive (if any!) just because of my relationship to the reviewer. And honestly, I wouldn't want that. I want to know someone's honest opinion whether or not my product is useful to them. So, yeah, honesty first! We all work too hard for our dough to spend it on books, DVD's or gimmicks that won't be of much use to us.
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