So, you’ve discovered the games and perhaps, I hope, enjoyed them. Did you enjoy them enough to share them? I have created this site with the goals of teaching and promoting the games of tarot in the English speaking world – but a one man show cannot realistically achieve this. I’ll need some help. If you are interested in taking up the challenge with me, then read on and remember to visit the forums for the Promote Tarot section.

Before I proceed further, I would like to stress something about this site and what we are and are not promoting. The ONLY agenda this site has, is to teach and promote the games of tarot. While I make no secret of being a sceptic and while I recognize that many tarot players are also sceptics, it is not the business of this site to engage in that debate. As much as is possible, I want this site to be neutral ground at which sceptics and readers alike can put aside their differences and enjoy these games.

There are a number of ways that these games can be promoted and some of the best ways are the easiest.

First of all, introduce your family and friends to the games. Try not to start with the more complex ones – gauge their entry point on their experience and interest. The French game is actually a very good starting point for most people – it isn’t the easiest but it is still quite a fast one to learn and yet has the depth to continue to be interesting to the best of players. It is after all, the second most popular card game in France!

Take every opportunity to tell people about the games (though not to those you’ve already told or, like me, you’ll become a bore!). Don’t be afraid to chip into a conversation about card games or tarot reading with your new knowledge – and, of course, be ready and able to give the web address.

If you can, why not play publically, over a coffee perhaps. Some of the more unusual French suited packs may draw attention but if you use the Italian trumps, then you may well provoke questions and an opportunity.

One of the best places to spread ideas and information is the internet. However, although the internet offers exciting possibilities, we should be cautious – we don’t want to become, however unintentionally, a small army of spammers. We must always be mindful and respect the property and space of others – whatever their views about the cards. Remember that, if you take up the cause of promoting tarot games with this site, you become an ambassador to it and how you act and post will reflect upon all of us.

I will be providing a small range of banner and signature art for you to use in this project. If you are of an artistic nature, you might want to head over to the forums, should you wish to contribute any images.

 

E-mail:

This is an easy one. You can create signatures that will be added to the bottom of all the e-mail that you send. This can consist of a simple message, an image, and a link to us here.

 

Forums:

Potentially these are an excellent opportunity but we should be cautious and respectful of the rules of individual forums. Many allow you to attach signatures to the bottom of all your posts, these can often consist of a small image with links or a message. Many forums have rules and restrictions regarding these in order to prevent unwanted spam. A common rule is that commercial sites cannot be promoted there – it is important to note that any merchandise that may be made available from here (such as the print on demand book) will only be offered at a not-for-profit price. This site will never see a cut of anything – it is non-commercial! If in doubt, check with one of the forum moderators, explaining what it is all about and then respect their decision, whatever it may be.

Some forums have a fairly relaxed attitude to posting links and have off-topic sections that you could use to tell people about your new found interest. However, don’t join forums only to post about this site or it will be seen as spam. Only use forums where you are or intend to be an active member.

I will be supplying a couple of signature banners that should be within most size restrictions and for the time being, I’m happy to host them here – but we’ll have to monitor the impact they have on bandwidth. Just copy and paste the BBcode next to the banner you like and paste it into the banner option in your forum’s profile. Obviously, don’t add them to your profile on the Tarocchino forums as you will be preaching to the converted and wasting bandwidth.

I’ll post an update on the availability of banners on the forums.

 

Blogs:

These are another excellent means of reaching people. If you google tarot, you will be surprised at just how often you see blogs flagged up. If you have a blog, do post to it every now and then about tarot games, remembering to include a range of words and terms for search engines and, of course, to link to Tarocchino.

You can also post replies to relevant blogs and articles that you find when surfing. Do make sure that what you reply to is relevant to tarot and that your reply is relevant to it – don’t just post a link or, again, we’ll be seen as spammers. Also, please try and be polite, no matter how strongly you may object to an opinion – disagreeing doesn’t mean being rude. Sadly, I’ve seen rudeness all too often from fellow sceptics and it does no one any favours.

 

Social Networking Sites:

These sites, such as MySpace and Face Book have enormous potential for us. I have to be honest with you, I just couldn’t get into them myself. However, I am aware that they are very popular, can create large networks, and allow a lot of content to be posted. If you want to write about tarot games there, that’s great – but even a linked banner could be enough to make a difference.

 

Yahoo Answers:

This is a new find for me. Basically, it is a kind of forum for people to ask questions and for others to share the knowledge in response. After a given period, there is a chance for people to vote for the best answer to a question, which is then given more prominent display. The search engine seemed a little unpredictable to me but you can find questions on tarot and card games, and in giving answers, you can also post relevant links.

Those sceptics among us (and I am one) might want to tread with some care. It is all too easy to offend someone when disagreeing with them but a carefully worded answer can avoid this while still expressing the opinion and at no cost of integrity.

The real opportunities are those questions that ask about history of cards, and those looking for new games to play.

 

Web Pages:

If you do have your own web-page, then, if you’ve space and inclination, I would be very grateful of a link – perhaps using one of the banners that will be available here. Of course, if you can spare a page to talk about your interest in the games and personal experience of them, then so much the better.

 

Merchandise:

This is potentially a controversial one. There are sites, such as CafePress, that allow you offer merchandise printed with your own designs. The important thing for us is that these can be set at a not-for-profit price, keeping the cost low and this site non-commercial. The importance of this last point is three-fold. Firstly, I cannot ask people to help in promoting this site, using their time and resources, if it is to make me a profit – real or just perceived (this site costs money to maintain). Secondly, it could harm the integrity of this site, both real and perceived, if people thought that it was about making money first and an honest passion for the games a poor second. Finally, it will make it harder to promote the site via forum signatures if the site is perceived as commercial.

That said, merchandise can be a big promoter! But, although I won’t be making profit, a price must still be paid for the manufacture/printing/ postage. So, it is up to you. A printed copy of the book can be left on a coffee table or lent to a friend who doesn’t use a computer much. A coffee mug, or mouse mat at work can draw attention and provoke that all important first question. The same effect can be had from t-shirts or wall clocks. It can all play a role.

Of course, before any of this can happen, I have to come up with some designs. It all takes time – but it is on the cards, as it were.