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Why another Magic Forum?

Lisa and I have started a new venture - an Internet forum for magicians. There are, of course, several forums out there already. It is my dissatisfaction with these existing forums that prompted the development of this new forum. In the early 1990s, I was one of the people who helped Joe Stevens with the start-up of his Gemini Board. At the time, I was excited by the possibilities that the Internet held for useful, stimulating, and creative discussion. Unfortunately, this type of discourse rarely appeared; instead, topics were sidetracked by inane responses, misinformation, or personal attacks.

The ForWorkersOnly Forum is an attempt to live up to the potential that the Internet offers, bringing together magicians who are serious about improving their magic performances and who are willing to participate in lively, informative discussions. To keep out the troublemakers and the merely curious there will be a small subscription fee (but wait until you hear the deal we have for you!) and all members of the forum will post using their real names.

Here are just some of the things we have planned for the forum:

Product reviews. Since leaving my post at MAGIC magazine in 2005, I have heard from many, many magicians that they miss my reviews. (I review books for Genii, but only three times a year.) I said I would never go back to reviewing books, tricks and DVDs again, but I've changed my mind. I'll be looking at most of the products that are sluicing down the great magic product trough. What makes this feasible for me is that I won't be facing a “word count” on the forum. If “this is a piece of crap” is all a product warrants, that's all I'm going to say. You will easily recoup your forum subscription just in the money you save avoiding lousy products.

Not Oprah's Book Club. I'll pick a theory book, a trick book, and (time and energy permitting) a classic magazine and we'll tear them apart. I'll kick off and stimulate and the discussion, but I want to read your thoughts. Together we'll gain some real insights. (And, if someone on one of the other boards asks, “What are the good tricks in [name of book]?” you'll know the answer - but you won't want to tell them.

Ask a good question - Get a good answer. To me, this is where the power of the Internet comes to the fore. Bring a good question to the table, and you'll get a good answer in return. I'm the first to admit that I don't know everything, so I've invited a panel of experts (Allan Ackerman, Gordon Bean, Paul Cummins, Jason England, Brad Henderson, Joshua Jay, Stephen Minch, Jamy Ian Swiss, Paul Wilson) to chime in whenever they can help out. Lisa and I will be monitoring the discussions, to keep them on track.

Jokes, jokes, jokes. I remembered most of the good ones for That Reminds Me, but there are some good jokes I forgot. Plus, I'm always hearing good new jokes. You'll find the most recent in the Jokes section of the forum. All this and much more.

A subscription to the ForWorkersOnly Forum is $30 per year. However, for a limited time, when you join you will receive one of our downloads (up to a $20 value) for free. This makes your cost for joining only $10 per year. (This special offer will not last forever so join today!)

We look forward to your participation. I'm excited about this new project; I think it will be fun, enlightening, and educational. Click here to sign-up and start posting.


Where did all the Michael Close Products Go?

With the launch of the ForWorkersOnly Forum, we have shifted our product site to www.MichaelClose.com We have revamped and updated this site to provide you with greater ease in ordering and speedier service. Unfortunately, you will have to create a new account the first time you log in. To thank you for putting up with this inconvenience, we'd like to give you a coupon for 10% off your next order of any product from our store. Just use GC2008 coupon code on the checkout page. (Some restrictions apply to gift certificates and memberships.)