Bitcoin Forum

That got your attention.. and its true.. I am.. I created a post on facebook and offered anyone who posts their bitcoin address on my facebook page to get sent FREE BITCOINS!!

Obviously I don't want to give my bitcoins away for free... But I have been thinking of an effective method to use facebook to promote the bitcoin project.  So I decided to use some of my bitcoins to give back to this community in the form of promotion.  I love this community and promoting it is the least I can do.

I started my post by linking to the Rocketboom video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LaSrxtWfgc) where Molly gives a fair overview of what bitcoins are... I also considered using the video from http://www.weusecoins.com.

I named my Facebook post:  "I am giving away bitcoins!  FOR FREE!!"

Here is the the contents of my Facebook Post.
------------------------------------------------------------
Step #1 Install Bitcoin http://www.weusecoins.com/
Step #2 Post the address to send the coins to on my Facebook Page.
Step #3 I send you BTC (bitcoins) !!!
Payouts = 2BTC, 1BTC, .50BTC, .25BTC Etc... Everyone who posts gets bitcoins!
IMPORTANT: If you accept the coins, and don't understand what they are for... I will buy them back from you for $10 each!!!! 
------------------------------------------------------------

This whole experiment will not cost me more than 4 bitcoins total or $40.. no matter how many of my friends respond to my offer.

I have a few hundred facebook connections.. and only a few of them even know what a bitcoin is... It's kinda sad.

I'm actually kicking myself for not starting the first payout a little bit higher than 2... I think 3, 4, or 5 would have even more impact.

This could have a huge impact on the number of bitcoin users if other forum members did this also... If 5 people take me up on my offer.. I think those people will be hooked. 

Why would someone offer to give something away for FREE, and then offer to purchase it back for $10??  It defies logic!

If everyone who uses facebook did this... do you think it would have a positive effect on bitcoin?  I do!

I was looking for the Facebook page link to click :(

No link and no name came up in search?

Indeed. Might help if we knew how to find you on facebook.

By the way, I think that in order for anyone to receive your BTC, you should have them mention BTC on their facebook status. This will definitely help promote Bitcoins.

If every bitcoin owner gets atleast one more person to buy one or more btc's. And they in turn get one or more persons into it.

Go for it!

As soon as you send amounts below 0.01BTC, you will have to add transaction fees of 0.0005 (I think). So it might be a little more expensive. :)

Nah.. I just sent someone 13BTC without any fee's.  The bitcoin client accepted the transfer.

Where is the fb page??

2 BTC for having to register and post in Facebook?. Not worth the annoyance of the antisocial networks.

i think if everyone who used facebook (and who also used Bitcoin) did this, it would have a negative effect on the number of facebook users currently registered.

how long do you think it will be before facebook sends you a polite little note requesting that you stop?

you've forgotten about Facebook Credits...

Kind of related to free shit Google Plus invites for free http://forum.bitcoin.org/index.php?topic=27436.0

Pretty sure the invite for free bitcoins isn't for us - he's evangelizing to his friends/family.

I'm guessing he's posting on here more to see if he can get other people on here to do the same thing... maybe?

Yes... I thought some people may like the idea and decide to do the same thing...

I used facebook because I wanted this to reach a group of people who were OUTSIDE of the bitcoin community.

http://www.facebook.com/rchgrav

I'm pretty strict on who I approve as a friend on my facebook page.. most of them are people I went to school with, friends, and other people I know in real life.

Part of my concern was sending bitcoins to people outside of the community.. and them not taking it seriously & possibly losing the bitcoins.

Thats why I'm offering to purchase them back @ $10 each.. and I'll happily pay it.. so later I can say.. remember that bitcoin I gave you, that you sold back to me for $10.. well now its worth .....  I already have allocated the 4 bitcoins for the giveaway.. and I'll buy a bitcoin for $10 any day of the week. The offer stands to any of you also!  Got any bitcoins for $10?

The reality of the situation.. is that the post has been up for almost an hour.. and I haven't gotten the first bite (byte?) on the offer yet.

We'll see what happens!

I don't see an issue with this...

I fail to see how bitcoins relate to facebook credits.. They are 2 completely different things.

I also fail to see how it would have a negative effect on the number of registered facebook users either.

Heck.. maybe someone would use the bitcoins to buy a facebook credits gift card.

If this is legit it is highly commendable. I was just thinking the other day someone should organize some kind of shared-cost marketing campaing to familiarize the wider public with bitcoins, and your's is a step in the right direction.
I wont be claiming my 2 BTC because I'm not registered on Facebook and don't want to be, actually I completely despise it. But you're free to send me mine by bitcoin...  :D
Anyway good job !

It is 100% legit.. I was brainstorming on a way to get some bitcoins into the hands of my friends to circulate some of the coins I mined.  I told my facebook friends who are aware of bitcoins that the post was not meant for them.  I don't think they would take advantage of me by trying to claim them.  I think they would understand I was trying to get the word out.

To date I have mined at least 500 bitcoins.. a majority of them were sold to pay for my miners...

The act of giving away 4 bitcoins on facebook is just a simple gesture of thanks to try to gain more awareness for bitcoin.

All of the GPU's and hardware I bought & electricity I used was paid off because of this project.

In a way I hope they take me up on the offer to buy them back for $10/BTC...  The only issue is figuring out how to send them the $10 through the internet.

Otherwise I hope they use them and post back what they did with them..

At the very least.. if a bitcoin is worth $100 or $1000 sometime in the future.. I'll be able to tell them about the time I was giving them away for free & they missed out.

I would hope other bitcoin users would do similar things to get the word out... it would be really cool.

Friend request sent.

Lol... I don't know if I was clear enough in stating that I wasn't soliciting facebook friends for bitcoins..

(This has actually generated a few friend requests.. but I think they missed the point.)

I am promoting bitcoins to people OUTSIDE of the bitcoin community..

I think it would be cool if more people knew what bitcoins were.. and out of the 148 people who have connections to my account, I only know of 4 that are active in the bitcoin community.

Those 4 people who ARE active in the bitcoin community have been notified that this offer isn't meant for them.

It's completely insane the fact that NOT ONE address has been posted requesting their free bitcoins. ... YET.  ::)

That is not an invitation to become my friend on facebook to get these coins...

My plan is to let this offer ride to see who (if anyone) takes advantage of my offer.

I know you guys would take these coins in a second... thats not the point. YOU GUYS ARE ALREADY HOOKED.

Halleluja, thou truly speaks the truth brother ! :)

I really don't understand you.

First of all, i don't regularly use facebook, so i don't know how to post on someone elses facebook site.

The only reason i have a facebook account is actually because my girlfriend wants me to have one  :)

But i clearly fail to see the point in your whole offer.

Why would that get peoples' attention to bitcoin?

You sure got ours, but we already know about it.

A cryptic address like 157EqNHNSf82S8qjMhBDSsk6EUgzSbpdDv

Because they get something free and he makes clear it is worth some money.  ;)

I like the idea. :)

Hmm. I just sent someone .2368 and it charged me .0005

Thats good.. that means that the coins I put up will go to people outside of the Bitcoin community.

Excellent.. you may be interested in trying my experiment to see if anyone bites on taking the free bitcoins out of your Facebook friends.

Mine are still sitting there... not one has been claimed yet.  I specifically told my 4 friends who are aware of bitcoin to not take part in the offer.

To get bitcoin outsiders interested in the bitcoin project.

Because if you give someone some free money, coupons, giftcard, whatever you would hope they would take the time to figure out how to use it.
I really feel if you give something away for free .. people will think its worthless.. but if you give it away for free, and offer to buy it back @ below the market rates... you may get their attention.


I sure got your what ?

Update:  So far this experiment has cost me nothing.. because none of my facebook connections have taken advantage of the offer.  I structured the giveaway to be affordable for me to pull off..  they must think there is a catch or something.  I'm offering to send them something for free, which they can keep, or I will immediately buy back for $10 per btc..

Please don't friend request me on facebook because of this post.. if you are doing that .. you missed the whole point.

I hope other people will try this experiment.. So far no one has accepted my free bitcoins. the fools. lol

Settings... Options.. Pay Transaction Fee 0.00  ;-)

Transaction fees will prioritize your transfers above those that do not pay fee's so that your transactions will occur faster.

Giving away free bitcoins would not be considered time sensitive.. so I'll send them without paying fee's.

The bitcoin network periodically adjusts what / when transaction fees are necessary, and I believe miners can also decide whether or not they require fees for transactions inside of their blocks.  I'm not 100% clear on the specifics on how that part works though.

The bitcoin client is configurable.. I usually double the default transaction fee if I want my transaction to process faster than everyone elses.

You sure got my attention. The rest of my posting was garbled, i don't know why  :)


Okay, i think i begin to understand what you are trying to do.

Only your friends on facebook will be able to post on your facebook site, is that correct? (i really don't know much about facebook, sorry)
And you offer them a reward of 2 BTC and subsequently less, once they post their respective bitcoin addresses with you. Right?
That actually makes sense.

But that could be improved. Create an instawallet at https://www.instawallet.org/ (https://www.instawallet.org/) with the 2 BTC sitting in it.

Publish the link to that instawallet on your facebook site, so that only your friends can see it.

They simply need a valid bitcoin address and can transfer the contents of that instawallet (or whichever portion of it they like) to their own bitcoin address.

That way, they could claim those bitcoins without having the feeling that they begged from you.

Re: I am giving away bitcoins!  FOR FREE!!

finally an accurate price

name your post in FB "Free money to first X friends!" should peak some interest me thinks, may want to add "No BS!" at the end :)

Great Idea, Rch! I'd have enough money to do this too if I didn't tons of bitcoins to you when they were 80 cents each, haha!

I want free coins!!

1DVc4Mn3HsHd9Rjf3J7ZoShXhqqoQCX68u

I did set it to 0.00, but it would not let me send without a fee. Said the transaction was too large wtf?

Read the thread before posting.

I would include some little text saying how much that bitcoin is worth in USD, and include a list with sites where they can use them.
Either to withdraw 'real' money, or to spend them on physical items or services, the former not necessarily physical ;) .
And maybe a link to this little picture:
http://bitklein.com/bitklein_widget_1.png (http://bitklein.com/bitklein_widget_1.png).

i like the idea, and not to try to shoot it down but if they accept the bitcoins and turn them into RL cash, they are interested in the money, not bitcoins. i think you would be better off trying to get them interested in bitcoins in general, what they are, what they can do etc. but i do hope they accept them and use them to order something from some website, would be vary cool. if even one of them got interested in bitcoin i think it would be worth it. id get some slim jims and treasure every last bite :P

Correct, but to turn them into 'money', they would have to install the bitcoin client, use an address, go to an exchange, send the money there, convert it into their local currency, maybe peek a look at the MtGox chart, and before you know it they will buy a mining rig and start trading, if not buying and selling goods. ;D

Yes, and the way to get them interested is... sending them bitcoins...

I set something like this up a wile ago, but didn't tell my fb friends about it, maybe I should.

14KF98JRK9tEMM22eQU4URBPZykQgaNmHP  if you'd like to check it in block explorer, or donate

I called it the BTC cent/penny Dish.  I'll have to set up a new one and only tell my FB friends, if i announce it here it will be empty in a few minutes.

Sorry, maybe I wasn't clear enough. Those fees are needed when you send *less than* 0.01BTC. 13BTC are okay without fees.

The fees are needed to prevent transaction spam, otherwise default clients won't relay your transaction. (Maybe if you're still using 0.3.20, you won't be forced to pay a fee. That won't help with relaying the transaction though.)

Good to know.... Anyway.. As luck has it.. it hasn't gotten to that level.  I could also stop the offer before it did.

So.. if a transaction is too large, or if its too small.. you get charged a fee? I know there has been times when I transferred larger amounts of bitcoins and there was no way to avoid a transaction fee due to the "size" of the transfer.  I assume "size" means how much data it will consume in the block chain, and not the amount of bitcoins.

But there is a sweet spot where you can avoid the fees then.

Most people rightfully believe that when something is too good to be true, it usually isn't true.
And your offer definitely sounds too good to be true. I mean what idiot gives money away ?  :D  ;)
So what you need to do is make it clear why you're doing this (to promote bitcoins), tell everyone honestly you might profit from their interest in bitcoins (by increasing price), and make your offer known to as many people as possible (go beyond Facebook, and on Facebook go beyond your friend list).
Just my two cents.

Any transaction below 0.01 will ask/require for the transaction fee in the current client.