New: Roberto Giobbi's Secret Twitter

[Richard Kaufman]

This from Roberto Giobbi (I've seen it and it's really great):

Hello!
Chris Wasshuber of lybrary.com and I had an unusual idea: Every day of the year you will receive one magical idea - a trick, a problem, an inspirational idea, a quote, a finessed handling etc.

This is like Secret Agenda, but in a format for Smartphones, Tablets and Desktops via Twitter. And we've found a way to beat the 140 characters limit!

I personally promise: You will love Secret Twitter. This is the kind of thing I'd love for myself - that's why I decided to do it myself.
Order before NOV 1st 2014 and you will get the months of November and December 2014 free, plus the whole of 2015, every day one Tweet, total of 426 Tweets. After OCT 1st 2014 you can still join anytime for $24 and have access to all 426 Tweets, regardless when you subscribe.

Bonus: At the end of 2015 you will receive the complete Secret Twitter as a searchable and indexed E-Book (PDF) free of charge! If you subscribe now a Tweet will cost you less than 5 Cents a day.

If you only found 10 ideas from 426 (!) it would already be worth a multiple of your investment, but I hold any bet that you'll find more, many more.

For details of what and how, see the text below and click the link to get to the lybrary.com homepage, which has some sample Tweets.
Please do not order from me, but from lybrary.com directly, thank you.

I have now posted three example tweets to the product description. If you want to see how these tweets will look like then surf to http://www.lybrary.com/secret-twitter-p-559912.html and take a look.

Remember that on November 1st the price will go up to $24 (now only $19.90). I have seen about half of the material Roberto will tweet and I can tell you that this is going to be a huge success. The $19.90 will look like an incredible bargain once we reach the end of 2015. If you are a fan of Roberto you certainly have already ordered. If you have never experienced Roberto Giobbi in his element then this is perhaps his most intriguing offering yet and a great idea to get to know Giobbi. If you love magic I guarantee you that you will love magic more after experiencing "Secret Twitter". Even if you don't have a twitter account and don't want to get one, you will get at the end of 2015 a beautiful PDF with a collection of all tweets. I think even in this case you would be very pleased with your purchase.

For all those who have already ordered "Secret Twitter" please make sure you have entered your personal twitter username into your account information in your Lybrary account. (Detailed instructions have been emailed earlier.) Download the PDF and follow the instructions inside.


http://www.lybrary.com/secret-twitter-p-559912.html

[Q. Kumber]

Sounds very worthwhile.
I don't Twit, so wonder if the messages could be sent via email?

[Chris Aguilar]

Sounds very worthwhile.
I don't Twit, so wonder if the messages could be sent via email?

Or via any other social network (FB, Google+, etc.) that doesn't have twitters annoying 140 character limit.

[Gordon Meyer]

I'm impressed with the idea of using Twitter's private message feature as a product distribution. Very clever and I haven't heard of this being done before. Neato.

Although the marketing material doesn't make it very clear, it appears to me that what you're getting is a link to a page or graphic. So a 140 character limit wouldn't apply. Not sure how they're locking down the links from non-subscribers though.

But I could be totally wrong. Just an educated case based on vague information.

[Yann SICAMOIS]

"When you sign up for Twitter, you have the option to keep your Tweets public (the default account setting) or to protect your Tweets.

Accounts with protected Tweets require manual approval of each and every person who may view that account's Tweets. "

[Richard Kaufman]

Chris, it states in the press release that they've found a way to exceed the 140 character limit, as noted above.

[Chris Aguilar]

Chris, it states in the press release that they've found a way to exceed the 140 character limit, as noted above.

Requiring people to have twitter (which I do not care for and do not use) to simply send text in the form of a graphic seems kind of strange to me. Once again, why wouldn't e-mail or any other social network (heck, it would be simplicity to send these images out to multiple sources at once) work just as well? Any of the alternatives would allow for the true sending of text rather than sending awkward "text as images".

Best of luck to Giobbi on what seems like an interesting project, but I'll pass due to the twitter requirement.

[erdnasephile]

Sadly, I must pass as well. (I have avoided social media like the plague as I've seen so many become slave to it and ruin careers because of it. I'm glad it works for millions, but I already spend enough time on the forum to take that chance! )

[Steve Bryant]

Um, you guys are on a bloody forum (frequently) and you are complaining about Twitter because it's social media?

Congrats to Roberto. This is an awesome idea.

[Evan Shuster]

I'm in. Sounds interesting enough. I have avoided twitter in the past, but this project convinced me to take the plunge. Looking forward to it...

[jjsanvert]

Is he going to tweet that a magician does not act?

[Ian Kendall]

Requiring people to have twitter (which I do not care for and do not use) to simply send text in the form of a graphic seems kind of strange to me. Once again, why wouldn't e-mail or any other social network (heck, it would be simplicity to send these images out to multiple sources at once) work just as well? Any of the alternatives would allow for the true sending of text rather than sending awkward "text as images".

Aside from the novelty aspect of Twitter, there is the perceived notion that it will, in some way, mitigate the opportunity for piracy (but we both know that's an open door). There's a difference between using a moderately locked down system, where access can be fairly well controlled from source, and emailing bulletins out to a list where control is immediately lost.

Edit for example; Conjure Nation (if it's still going) is a locked down environment. Most people cannot access the information without your say-so. However, any member could, if he wanted, copy and paste large swathes of it to send out to non members, but that requires a smidge of effort. Do you think this system is better or worse than sending the information out in an email, a bit like the EG?

[erdnasephile]

Um, you guys are on a bloody forum (frequently) and you are complaining about Twitter because it's social media?

Fair enough.

However, I fear the temptation to snap off a hasty, regrettable reply to something that bugs me on my phone may not be a great thing for me personally (YMMV, of course).

Also, thus far, my employer has not yet asked for Genii Forum access (but they do have right of access to any data or activity on my particular phone since they pay for it.)

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/bus ... s/4327739/

http://www.hrexaminer.com/how-employers ... -accounts/

I'm not a twitter hater--it's just not for me at this time.

[Chris Aguilar]

Fair points Ian, but even if I didn't dislike twitter, the whole "text as a graphic" is sufficiently awkward enough to be a deal breaker for me. I'm not convinced that wrapping text in that user unfriendly manner will provide even a modicum of privacy/security.

[Jonathan Townsend]

Presupposing someone has only one phone/webcam as basis of security (through naivete)?

Still, for those who tweet it seems a nice magic related daily amusement.

[Ian Kendall]

Fair points Ian, but even if I didn't dislike twitter, the whole "text as a graphic" is sufficiently awkward enough to be a deal breaker for me. I'm not convinced that wrapping text in that user unfriendly manner will provide even a modicum of privacy/security.

I refer to my first point, that of novelty.

I'm on the fence at the moment, but that has more to do with time and an ever increasing pile of information into which I still have to delve. However, you do seem to be cultivating a desire to rule yourself out of products because you don't like the medium

[Chris Aguilar]

However, you do seem to be cultivating a desire to rule yourself out of products because you don't like the medium

I always consider method of delivery and choice of medium (amongst other criteria) as important factors in making informed purchasing decisions.

It's no different than choosing a vendor who ships their product free, next day, etc. over those who don't. Or those who ship only fedex (a pain in the ass for me) vs. standard USPS. Or those who stream product only vs. allowing a proper download. Or those who publish their books (electronic or not) with odd layouts / formatting vs. something a little more user friendly.

I strongly prefer my textual based purchases in the form of... text, so yeah, this strange format/method of distribution is a real turn off for me.

Which is a shame, as the price is right and it looks like a fun project. This would be an easy decision to make (for me) if e-mail delivery (preferably using proper text) was offered.

I know that others may apply a different standard in terms of making purchasing decisions(i.e. perhaps someone might have a greater love of novelty than I do) and that's fine by me. I have no expectation / desire for consensus in such matters.

I'm not even certain that we're drawing the right conclusion here (i.e. that the strange "text as a graphic" format is for copy protection purposes). Perhaps Chris W. can weigh in on that.

[Brad Jeffers]

I'm just glad that Card College was put out in book form, and not as a series of tweets

[Ian Kendall]

Which is a shame, as the price is right and it looks like a fun project. This would be an easy decision to make (for me) if e-mail delivery (preferably using proper text) was offered.

You may be in luck. At the end of next year, all the posts will be compiled into a PDF that will be available to all subscribers. So, if you sign up now (for the cheap price), and then forget about it, you'll have a nice surprise present in fifteen months' time

[Richard Kaufman]

The "text as graphic" format was done to overcome the 140 word limit of a tweet.

[Ian Kendall]

Or those who stream product only vs. allowing a proper download.

I was being a tad facetious before, but I agree with you on this one. I bought a couple of things from Dani DaOrtiz' site, as well as the Bucks and Revizit, and I've not spent time on any of them because they are streaming products. In the case of Dani's, I bought something, saw a clip of it months later and had no idea that I already owned it. Still not watched it, and that was over a year ago...

[Chris Aguilar]

The "text as graphic" format was done to overcome the 140 word limit of a tweet.

Which wouldn't be necessary if e-mail/facebook/google+/direct download or other myriad distributino methods were offered that could also allow for a "message of the day" sort of thing.

[Chris Aguilar]

Which is a shame, as the price is right and it looks like a fun project. This would be an easy decision to make (for me) if e-mail delivery (preferably using proper text) was offered.

You may be in luck. At the end of next year, all the posts will be compiled into a PDF that will be available to all subscribers. So, if you sign up now (for the cheap price), and then forget about it, you'll have a nice surprise present in fifteen months' time

Yeah, I read that, but have no desire to pay for something now that I wouldn't receive for 15 months. Giobbi has a few other items out (Deck Switch book, etc.) that I'd probably prioritize over this twitter experiment.

If the .PDF is sold as a standalone item at the end of the project, I'll look forward to reading some reviews and evaluating my options at that time.

I bought a couple of things from Dani DaOrtiz' site, as well as the Bucks and Revizit, and I've not spent time on any of them because they are streaming products. In the case of Dani's, I bought something, saw a clip of it months later and had no idea that I already owned it. Still not watched it, and that was over a year ago.

I'd wager that experiences with "streaming only" product aren't that unusual. Of the few videos I've bought from vendors that allow downloads, the ability to view them on the train, during my lunch, on my big screen TV etc. has made accessing them a real pleasure. I'm pretty sure that wouldn't be the case for me with "streaming only" material.

Since my magic budget is pretty miniscule, I'm very conscious of buying only product that I can easily use without need for jumping through hoops.

[Gordon Meyer]

And let's just say thank heaves he's not using Revizzit.

I think it's a very clever approach, for not a lot of money, and he has a safety net in place for those who don't want to use Twitter, but you'll have to wait until later to get your tidbits all at once. I'm in.

[lybrary]

I do appreciate the discussion about a product Roberto and I are very excited about. The points raised are fair. Allow me a few clarifications and then some insight about the choices we made.

First, don't get hung up with the 'Twitter' requirement. You don't have to make a single tweet. We are using Twitter simply as a broadcasting channel. Essentially it is like a subscription to a digital magazine where you also have to sign up online. In our case you have to sign up with Twitter, if you do not already have a Twitter account. Many already do have one.

But even if you really don't want to touch Twitter then you will still get a nicely formatted PDF with all 400+ tweets at the end of 2015. This PDF will also be text searchable. Judging from the email feedback I already received there are at least a couple of customers who are doing just that. The primary benefit is a lower price. The price now is $19.90. On Nov 1st, when the tweets start, the price will go up to $24. While we have not decided what will happen end of 2015, it is likely that the price will go up again when we offer the PDF and potentially a printed version stand alone. (The early customers to the "Ask Roberto" (e)book will know what a great bargain they received. "Ask Roberto" started at $12. Now the price is $29.90 and the reviews are exceptionally good. I predict something similar will happen with "Secret Twitter". If you like what Roberto Giobbi writes it would be an error to delay subscription.)

Now let me try to address the question of 'Why Twitter?' and not email or some other delivery platform. We thought about email, too. Actually, Roberto and me discussed an email based product a few years ago, and it has been in the back of my mind ever since. But somehow email didn't 'feel' right. For one, email is not inherently a broadcasting medium. It is a one-to-one communication channel. Twitter on the other hand is a broadcasting (one-to-many) channel. Of course, one can use a one-to-one channel also for broadcasting, by sending out multiple copies to different recipients, like a newsletter, but Twitter offers a much more elegant solution in my opinion. But perhaps the deciding factor in favor for Twitter was that we felt Twitter was cooler, sexier if you will than dusty old emails. I also think that since Twitter is a pull technology and Email a push technology, using Twitter would be less intrusive and more customer friendly. Customers could better mold the use to their own preferences. Getting every day an email in your inbox can for some become quite pushy and perhaps even annoying. On top you have all kind of delivery problems with email, from pesky spam filters, to routers who delay certain emails, and several other problems, to assure proper delivery of emails to each and every subscriber. You might also accidentally delete one of these emails yourself. Using Twitter eliminates all these issues.

Having said that, we don't claim to have all the answers. After all this is a completely new type of product and we will listen to what our customers and potential customers have to say. Once we have a couple of months of tweets behind us we will evaluate the feedback. Ultimately the proof will be in the number of subscriptions we sell and the type of reviews we get. If it is a success maybe we can convince Roberto to do a second year of "Secret Twitter". If it is a failure perhaps we try the "Secret Email" route or combine them. Time will tell. The early sales numbers do look very promising. So far it is the fastest selling Giobbi product at Lybrary.com.

We are innovators. We try to push the envelope. The only way to really find out if something works or not is to put it out for customers to experience. And that is what we are doing. A big thank you to all who have already ordered and who are trusting that Roberto will deliver an interesting, compelling and thought provoking product and that Lybrary.com will provide a smooth customer experience the way we have done it for 15 years. I can promise that it will be worth a lot more than the money asked. For all those who are not yet familiar with Lybrary.com or the author Roberto Giobbi I encourage you to ask around. You will find that our track record speaks for itself.

[Chris Aguilar]

@Chris.

Is there any reason you couldn't offer e-mail in addition to or in lieu of forcing people to sign up for twitter or wait 15 months for the pdf?

For someone with your stellar digital media distribution skills/experience, I would think offering such an option (with perhaps a p/w protected retrieval option on your site which is I believe is already set up for that sort of thing) might be a possibility. Especially as the initial purchase (through lybrary.com ) likely gives you access to enough user data (e-mail and so on) to automate such a process.

[lybrary]

Chris, technically it would be possible. But it would mean a lot more development, testing, and then down the road customer service and administrative overhead, which for a new product is not the smart thing to do. With new products it is better to first focus on the core offering and then later one can add features and make incremental improvements. Let's see how successful "Secret Twitter" is the way it was initially designed. I will gather the feedback, both on the content and format side, and then we will decide on further steps.

However, email is not the only option to address the 'no Twitter' situation. For example, we could decide to update the PDF after each month of tweets. This would give the non-Twitter user a much quicker access to the content and avoid a 14 month waiting period.

In any case, you can be assured that we are taking each and every customer input serious. Keep them coming. We will consider them all, even though I can't guarantee that we will be able to implement them all.

[Chris Aguilar]

However, email is not the only option to address the 'no Twitter' situation. For example, we could decide to update the PDF after each month of tweets. This would give the non-Twitter user a much quicker access to the content and avoid a 14 month waiting period.

In any case, you can be assured that we are taking each and every customer input serious. Keep them coming. We will consider them all, even though I can't guarantee that we will be able to implement them all.

Thanks for listening Chris.

The potential option you mention (updates available monthly via a .pdf on your site, no Twitter needed)sounds very compelling to me. I'd actually prefer that over receiving daily updates.

If the monthly PDF option was available right now, at the $19.90 price, I'd be on board today.

Perhaps that option would appeal to others (like myself) who aren't interested in becoming a part of the twitter universe.

[Steve Bryant]

Although I understand some of the objections, such as if your device belongs to someone else and that there may be rules, I am flabbergasted by the aversion to Twitter. I loathe Facebook, but have found Twitter to be an amazingly user friendly app. That Roberto elected to distribute his daily stuff via Twitter struck me as a most charming way to do so and was a big factor in my signing up.

Even if you have no interest in Roberto's project, you should know that many famous magicians (as well as famous personalities in other fields) post on Twitter and that many post interesting items. Chad Long, for example, posts mostly comedic items. You choose whom to follow and you can turn that off whenever you like. There is no requirement for you to post anything yourself. Easy to use, easy to tailor to your own desires. It's all basically just nice.

But as Dani says, it's your life.

[Chris Aguilar]

But as Dani says, it's your life.

Thanks for giving me permission to dislike Twitter.

[mrgoat]

Although I understand some of the objections, such as if your device belongs to someone else and that there may be rules, I am flabbergasted by the aversion to Twitter.

Many, many people are developing a VERY strong aversion to it due to Twitter's lack of interest in stopping rape and death threats - google gamegate.

People are leaving in droves because of this.

[Pete McCabe]

Isn't it gamergate? With an r?

[mrgoat]

Yes. Phone typing fail.

[lybrary]

If the monthly PDF option was available right now, at the $19.90 price, I'd be on board today.

Perhaps that option would appeal to others (like myself) who aren't interested in becoming a part of the twitter universe.

We have decided to update the "Secret Twitter" PDF at least every month so that those who do not want to use Twitter have access to the tweets in a PDF on a month by month basis rather than having to wait until the end of 2015. Essentially the PDF will grow every month until at the end it will be the full PDF with all tweets and perhaps even additional material. Downloading the PDF is of course enabled for all customers regardless of if you use Twitter or not.

[PickaCard]

I was on the fence. Not anymore. Thank you for addressing some of our concerns towards social media. Updated monthly pdf is perfect for me.

[Chris Aguilar]

If the monthly PDF option was available right now, at the $19.90 price, I'd be on board today.

Perhaps that option would appeal to others (like myself) who aren't interested in becoming a part of the twitter universe.

We have decided to update the "Secret Twitter" PDF at least every month so that those who do not want to use Twitter have access to the tweets in a PDF on a month by month basis rather than having to wait until the end of 2015. Essentially the PDF will grow every month until at the end it will be the full PDF with all tweets and perhaps even additional material. Downloading the PDF is of course enabled for all customers regardless of if you use Twitter or not.

Fantastic!

I just saw your post and quickly placed my order.

Really look forward to downloading the .pdfs every month.

[lybrary]

We are so sure that "Secret Twitter" will be a total success that we have decided to offer an unprecedented money back guarantee.

If we receive your cancellation of "Secret Twitter" no later than December 31st 2014 we will issue a full refund - no questions asked. This means you can experience the first two months essentially free of charge.

So what are you waiting for? http://www.lybrary.com/secret-twitter-p-559912.html Price will go up from $19.90 to $24 on November 1st. If you don't use Twitter you can experience it via frequently updated PDFs.

[JR Russell]

I signed up...I enjoyed 'Ask Roberto' and 'Secret Agenda'...I could use a tweet that I know will be informative and thought provoking...no pets or politics!

[Richard Kaufman]

Roberto visited chez Genii recently and showed me half a dozen of these. He's very good at creating nuggets of intriguing information and it looked enjoyable. I learned something new right away!

[Steve Bryant]

The first two Secret Giobbi posts are up, and each is a charming piece of art, not to mention novel advice on practice with a deck of cards. What a pleasant way to start each day!