Bitcoin Forum

I was very happy  to joined bitcointalk. org November 7 2020, but I came to discovered one thing in the community that is making me wondering, if bitcoiners don't trust themselves by seeing themselves face to face like the way church members or Muslim members love themselves by seeing themselves face to face after the service. Going to three years now, am trying to see some of the bitcoiners in my area to discuss with them how to join hands together to promote Bitcoin in the society but they said they prefer discussing it online than see each other physical.
Are they ashame to be a bitcoiners? or they are among the people that think Bitcoin is a scam?
Why Bitcoin users are afraid of see each other physical?

not as bad as you think, everything is running normally, there is no boundary between online and offline if that's your team,
There's a reason people don't want to talk about btc matters in public, so it's not that they aren't friendly

Let's all hang out with people who are more or less strangers and discuss our finances.
There are plenty of medium and large meetups: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?board=86.0
BUT, smaller groups of people for the 1st time are a bit more difficult to get started.

I can meet user X to do a trade and possibly depending on the location and time grab a beer / dinner.

Getting 5 or 6 is a lot more difficult. I see it a lot with personalty clashes. I might like you and this person and that other one. BUT THAT other one, nah I have no desire to meet up with him, I'll pass on this meeting get me next time.

Happens all the time with the motorcycle club I ride with. Big meetings are OK, and there are a lot of us that hang out in groups of 2 or 3. But try to get 6 people to do something, very difficult.

-Dave

Do you even understand the whole point of Bitcoin before you do such move? Clearly you don’t that Bitcoin main goal is a full privacy for finances. Bitcoin is decentralized and it doesn’t need our full details to process our transaction so government can’t watch us. Why the heck people that advocates privacy will be willing to meetup others while they can do all the conversation anonymously on forum like Bitcointalk.org.

Probably you are endorsing the wrong coin if you want to so meetups among anonymous members.

I know how you feel, it hurt if people disappoint you with their unexpected attitude, especially when you believed you share the same views with them. Well, I will like to put it straight to you that many are here not because they want to gain knowledge or add value to Bitcoin, they are here for the money, and it's not so cool. That could only explain what you experienced with those people. Still, it should still not stop you from propagating Bitcoin in your own little way.

Like myself, I've been coaching some people about BTT and BTC, only that I am not such that broadcast it here. You can do it also, it does not necessarily mean it must be done in groups.

You are wrong. There are people who want to stay privately and hide themselves from the crowd but there are others who want to expose themselves to community. They are influencers, KOLs, it is just you have yet met such people in your community.

No, if they consider themselves as scam, they did not invest money in Bitcoin.

People who don't want to show themselves probably knowing about the rule "Not your keys not your coins". If they don't say they are bitcoiners, there are less chances and risk that they will be targets of hackers or bad people who can try to exploit their careless to steal bitcoins.

Each person have different reasons but I don't see that it is bad to not reveal ourselves as bitcoiners.

Those movements have thousand-year long tradition of meeting in person.


Bitcoiners don't like meeting in real life because they don't want to reveal their identity and personal information and become robbed. Bitcoiners are a good target for thieves, because they have a lot of money, stolen Bitcoins almost never get returned and it leaves little financial trace.

Maybe that is the trait on the person you see near you but actually it cannot generalize all since not everyone is so strict regarding on their investment and how they can communicate with other people. Just make sure you didn't open up a silly discussion or ask them how they earn their money because for sure some of people will get tired about what traits you have shown to them.

Hey there! I completely agree with you on this one. Trusting a project and doing your due diligence (DYOR) is key in the crypto world. If the team behind the project is still active and working on its development, then there's always hope for a rebound. But if the project has stagnated and the team has disappeared, then it might be time to move on and look for better opportunities. The crypto space is always evolving and there are plenty of promising projects out there, so keep an eye out!

Op is this assumptions or it's what you have experience in your geographical environment, because right now it's obvious that before you can meet up with users who are in the community of bitcointalk it's rall, and secondly what bitcointalk forum needs is spread the information of Bitcoin and mostly through internet. For the those you assume you called to join hands in other to promote bitcoin in your environment if they are crypto minded they will definitely try to form a quorum with you. So in summary i have understand that so many people draft out fake information here to enable them to earn merit through this kind of story, but try not to be one.

Bitcoin is centered on anonymity and privacy, most of the bitcoiners you reached out to for any joint project are focused on preserving that anonymity, hence no need to meet in person. There is also the possibility that these people you have reached out to are not interested in doing anything but stacking up the bitcoins they have in their possession. Because a bitcoiner is not interested in your joint project, or seeing physically does not make them unfriendly. People are in bitcoins for long term purposes, not because they are interested in making new friends.

Everyone is different. Not everyone will get along. That's just life. Asking people to join you in promoting Bitcoin? In most places people will knock back that idea even if they believe in Bitcoin because in a lot of places, promoting or educating average people about Bitcoin is more often than not a hopeless cause. For every 5 or 10 people, maybe one will take in the information you are sharing and become a part of the movement. I don't like those odds, so I don't actively spread the word. Though I don't hide my knowledge about it either. When I am asked, I talk. I believe one day everyone will be forced to use Bitcoin and even these days more people are asking.

The best thing you can do is increase your knowledge and learn how to propagate this information in an easy to digest way to a normal person. Then you are asked, convey.

You are asking the wrong questions. I don't think it's appropriate to ask about bitcoiners in shame or call btc a scam, and certainly not about fear of seeing each other.

The unwillingness of bitcoiners to advertise their hobbies in the real world is primarily due to their own safety and foresight not to fall under the sight of intruders. The easiest way not to be robbed is to keep the information about the possession of cryptocurrencies secret. Privacy plays a major role here.

To discuss the conditions for promoting bitcoin, it is enough to communicate online. Is it possible to do this without a personal meeting? I'm sure yes.

I have two cousins that are crypto investors and we can talk all day about Bitcoin and the whole market, the truth is it's easier this way for me because my cousins are my family, unlike strangers that are not even friends, it will be very hard. In some countries it's better to keep shut about what you are into because words travels faster than legs, you can be in an unfortunate situation just because people know you are into Bitcoin, this is why many don't want to talk about Bitcoin.

It is not that we are ashemed of being a crypto earner,
It is the Fact that even if Bitcoin is not a scam if there is a crypto related scam people would think that you are a scammer without knowing the truth.
And also the fact that it would just drain us for promoting it physically because after we promote it only few would really stay in crypto,
So why waste time when you could do it online and have so many social media friends who could see your post rather than doing it face to face and only few people would come?

It's incorrect to claim that all Bitcoin users avoid in-person meetings. Some individuals may opt for anonymity due to security concerns,  especially given that Bitcoin transactions can be publicly visible on the blockchain. It's also possible that some people simply prefer the convenience of online communication and transactions, and have no interest in in-person meetings.

The beauty of Bitcoin is that you can be whoever you want to be, or not be at all.

Did you engage in or read this topic by Pmalek: How many forum members do you know by real name? (https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5434835.0) If you did you'll understand why some forum members do not want to meet up with others, or how some members have actually met up with other forrum members and the reasons why they did so, through topics like that you learn what forum members think about meeting up with others, or knowing their real names.

Most BTC people are in the network because they want their financial matters to be private, if they are going to meet up with people to discuss about BTC, they are going to be exposing themselves in the process, it may not lead to anything negative, but what if it does. There are other people who have been comfortable enough to meet BTC people like themselves, so if it works for you and those you want to meet with, then you can try it out.

Why you brought up the "bitcoin is scam" if themselves uses bitcoin and claim to be "bitcoiners"?

If you wonder why, probably for security reasons depend on different aspects such as the location. If these are completely strangers who just meet online in just short period time then i will probably think twice attending such event. Unless i have close friends who knows the group of people attending there.

As was pointed out, two big concerns are privacy and safety. Meeting strangers to talk about investment/money is generally not a popular thing to do, as people there would have reasonable concerns of being targeted for robbery. Privacy is a big thing for many Bitcoiners as well, so outing oneself like this is not popular. But there do exist local meet ups in places where Bitcoin is popular enough. I've personally been to maybe a couple of crypto events, but they were educational, not social.

If things can be done online, I prefer to do it online also. It will save both time and energy especially now that transportation fuel and price is high. I have some friends who wanted to learn crypto and they know I knew some in trading so they opted to visit and it is best since I will be able to explain it to them in my place where I feel the comfort and I have my computer or resources with. I think it will depend on our situation and who will be our meeting with, if we don't know yet the person and just knew them online it will be better to discuss or have conversations online than face to face.

That's not necessarily true, its just that among bitcoiners there are more of those that value their privacy than among the general public who usually never even think about that, hence your impression.


I would like to hear why are you comparing bitcoiners with religious groups? Bitcoin is not a religion that needs prophets or you to make pamphlets and share it around.


You might have misunderstood OP. He is asking whether some are hiding that they are bitcoiners because other people around them think that bitcoin is a scam, not that they think that.

I don't think Bitcoiners are ashamed of what they believe in because we are sure Bitcoin is not a scam. But I percieve that they are influenced by the ideology of the currency which is privacy or anonymity. I have also tried to meet some members of the forum but have successfully met only one. I also think that some of them have security concerns because Bitcoiners in some areas are perceived to be wealthy.

For me I am quite comfortable with the privacy issue because I am really enjoying it. This forum have really shaped my life that I am very much concerned about my privacy that you can hardly see me in any social media platform. Staying alone also help to prevent security concerns. Nevertheless, I think it is also important to put ideas and resources together when it comes to Bitcoin promotion, maybe this will be when it becomes important to meet each other

Definitely not ashame to be a bitcoiners but these people are into bitcoins for some reason.  One of which is to be anonymous even though Bitcoin only offers pseudo-anonymity.  Second, I understand why they prefer to talk it out online, why bother to move from one place to another place when you can do it online?  As if everyone is close enough to be excited to have a get-together meeting. 


Not showing up in a face-to-face meeting does not mean we think that Bitcoin is a scam.  We just probably see the meeting face-to-face as unnecessary because of the availability of several online applications that enables each and everyone to have a good meeting.


Not really afraid, it is just an act of precaution probably or they find it a waste to go up in a place drive from one place to another when they can have the comfort of their home and still can conduct a meeting and discussion with other people.

After all most of the people who are into Bitcoin value privacy so we should understand why many would not be in favor of having a face-to-face meeting physically.  Exposing oneself to others will just beat the purpose of using Bitcoin for privacy.

I guess, I take something reasonable from your write up, you really made me to understand the reason some bitcoiners don't want to see each other physical because, you don't know your part mind.  privacy and safety, I believe is a something people need to understand like the way I just understood it now.

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I don't think, you understand the question I asked here man because your respond sound like someone who don't read before quoting or responding to people topic. I never said Bitcoin is a scam, I only asked if they are among those that claim Bitcoin is a scam currency because, I trust Bitcoin more than fiat money.

[moderator's note: consecutive posts merged]

Many of the community members from the "Collectibles" section have actually met physically and had a cup of coffee and good laughs. Then again recently a well known member scammed their fellow members as well from this niche group. So you cannot really trust anybody on the internet and real life. Or in other words, you have to know how to keep your money safe.

Bitcoin is not a religion, it is a currency and should be kept limited to that much as far as attachment to it is considered. Just like money everyone is trying to steal bitcoin's because of its added anonymity.

It is thus safer to transact online but then we do have fintech conferences where fellow crypto users might end up meeting.

Sounds like you are talking to your self and didn't understand what you have said as well as as mine, read again what i have said and what you have said.

I understand that you are referring to them, that's why i asked why you brought the idea of they are among of those who talk about "bitcoin is scam" if they are claiming they are bitcoiners, sounds contradicting. Sounds like "yeah, i use bitcoin regularly, but i think it is scam" lmao.

I might understand fully if you are referring to what @Rikafip had explained. But anyway, nothing to debate here..

Probably because they are paranoid they are going to get backstabbed and their networth stolen if they get too close to other people. That is why it's best to just never consider a Bitcoiner and never claim you own anything to anyone.

It is actually up to the people's situation of the condition and each person's security threat modelling. Some want to have relations with other bitcoiners in town or in their own country, some might just keep quiet about their belonging, each people will have a different reason. The religion comparison does not apply here, it is a completely different subject.

In some cases, in countries where the crime rate is high, it is very likely fewer people will join a meetup. Unless it is only specific meetups where each member is knowing each other background. Privacy and safety will be the things that decide whether some people want to take part in the meetup or not.

Perhaps you would as well want to know everyone of your church or Muslim members isn't it.
I don't know where you get the idea that bitcoiners or users that invest in cryptocurrency aren't friendly. I've got some friends of my own and we relate good.

If your so wanting of crypto friends, you could build one of your friends and from there have you fan base, it's that easy. You don't necessarily need to create something from here. Some users just won't share your ideas or wants to stay private for obvious trust related issues. It's not easy trusting a stranger when they've got the potency to do harm.

It's not necessarily going to be about scam all the time, you could be kidnapped or rubbed. Uts happened to crypto users before while trying to transact in person with other clients.

Maybe you are looking in the wrong places or the people you asked didn't get a positive vibe from you.
A good place to meet link-minded people is going to a bitcoin/crypto conference. Go to one and talk with people there. They might have come for the same reasons as you. If you have some shops in your area that accept crypto payments, you might meet someone there. Buying and selling P2P and face-to-face is another opportunity to get to know other bitcoiners.   

Instead of thinking negatively, think positively to find the solutions. A decentralized peer-to-peer cryptocurrency, bitcoin. If you look into why the founder of Bitcoin chose to remain anonymous, it will be easier for you to understand why users of the P2P currency prefer not to interact in person. However, the primary reason I dislike showing my face is privacy. I don't like it when people find out how much wealth I do have.

The majority of us already understand privacy and safety. That is the reason why many of us don't like to hang out outside to talk about Bitcoin but we mostly prefer this forum. We idolized Satoshi the founder of Bitcoin who also prefers to be anonymous but we are only worrying if the guy is still alive as he doesn't post updates anymore on this forum.

Another reason would be is that some of us are also introverts and are shy to socialize with other people physically and no we don't think Bitcoin is a scam because for what we are supporting it then? There are still people out there who are into Bitcoin which are outgoing. Just try to seek them in your locality.

If they or the person is remote and unknown, I think it's something to worry about for security as well as privacy and discussing online is the right choice.
different from family members or close and known people because they have been known and known for a long time, and even then it is still done carefully and not too openly in privacy.
take the example of bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto and until now his whereabouts are unknown, just like bitcoiners and also all of us here even though we don't meet face to face we all still communicate well.

The sole reason is privacy, there is nothing to be ashamed to be a bitcoiner and i have met some of the members in this space throughout the years and majority does not know my online alias and a very few identify me along with my alias. If you are really keen on meeting people you can join any blockchain conference in your area thereby keeping your online identify safe.

I guess it has been established that some Bitcoiners avoid physical meetings due to security.  I also understand that many people involved in cryptocurrency value anonymity and privacy so they would rather have a meeting via online apps with video turned off for security purposes.

Not wanting to meet fellow bitcoiners does not constitute to being ashamed of being part of the Bitcoin community or being one who thinks Bitcoin is a scam.  If they think Bitcoin a scam then I am sure you won't see them engaging in cryptocurrency or Bitcoin markets and alike.  I believe these people are more on bein anonymous.

I can’t agree with this statement at all. In fact those of us who collect physical bitcoins in the collectibles section have had many in person meet-ups, and will continue to do so. I’ve made quite a few friends via bitcoin, and haven’t really experienced what you’re referring to at all. Perhaps you’ve just not met the right people, and spending a little more time here and around everyone you will.

Being safe and maintaining your privacy with bitcoin is choice. You may find it very easy to find crypto traders or minners out there and discuss with them about strategies and profit ^{[some of them are brought up as a topic on TV or content creators],} but you would hardly expect users of these forum to meet and discuss with you face to face if you are not someone they know.

There are few groups that also discuss the bitcointalk forum where the majority of members are forum users, but I'm not sure many of them would dare to reveal their forum accounts unless they really know you. So it's not problem to still prioritize privacy, it's a safe move.

Here, people have been communicating very closely for years, while not knowing each other's names. And this is normal, since one of the main postulates of cryptocurrencies is anonymity. Everyone is equal and at the same time free. And after cryptocurrencies have become a profitable business, then showing your name and even more so your face is stupid. Why show your name and face to a potential tax inspector or extortionists.

Op your observation is right. When I newly joined this forum I thought that before 1 year I will get to meet many people here in person. I think I made a post about it but people told me that it might not happen. I am gradually getting to 2yrs and I haven't met as many people I thought I'll meet and now the zeal of trying to hook up is no longer there.

The anonymous nature of Satoshi is the reason for this, since they said that we are all Satoshi. Maybe we are preserving his legacies.

Bitcoin enthusiasts are simply protecting their physical integrity. We are talking about a very valuable asset, and there are people who are here since the early years of bitcoin. Naturally they may bring for themselves a lot of undesired attention from criminals looking for easy money. Imagine the risks of meeting for real unknown people they know virtually in a bitcoin forum. Unless they trust the person they are going to meet through long years of acquaintanceship and online negotiations, I think it's really not a good idea.

And it's not about being unfriendly, because you can be friendly with people without knowing them in real life. It's about caring for their own safety.

Bitcoin isn’t a religion so your analogy is incorrect. It is true that members of this forum like to keep their identity private and many would not welcome the idea of meeting a stranger offline. It’s not because they are ashamed or think bitcoin is a scam, it is just a security precaution to ensure their safety. Generally, I don’t think bitcoiners are afraid to see each other in person, there are many bitcoin meetups and conferences hosted all over the world every year and it’s packed. If you want to make connections and network, those are the places you should be.

people in the forum just want to keep their privacy for various reasons. you can only trust them by their history in this forum. it is not because they are ashamed or something, they just don't want to divulge their personal details mostly for security concerns. now, it is different if the anonymous project wants to rekt their investors.

For your own safety and of course the purpose of Bitcoin is to remain anonymous that's why many are choose not to disclose any information when it comes to their crypto transactions. You cannot force them to do this, though if you want someone to ask for then try to attend seminars about Bitcoin, there you'll see a lot of crypto enthusiast that are more willing to help you as long as they can get something from you as well. The idea of being online here are also practicing by the users, personally I don't prefer to socialize because I will gain nothing from them.

I also don't want to talk about my bitcoin investment with anyone outside, not even my close friends. Simply because I like to remain anonymous to those around me, I don't want trouble coming to me. Where I live bitcoin is not legal yet and if I flaunt it I could even get in trouble with the government.

There are lots of Bitcoin and crypto conferences and meetups held in Dubai every year, if you are interested in Real Bitcoin holders and crypto billionaires, then try and attend one of such conferences or meetups.
But another hodle is that, you yourself have to be a billionaire too to attend such conference, and I believe this is the kind of meetups every Bitcoiner is striving to be attending, where we will meet influential people in the industry, this I believe is the reason most of us don't have the time to meet up with some strangers to chit chat about Bitcoin.

What's the need to be physically connected then? We are primarily here in this industry to make profit. Indeed being friendly could help you out for things you do not know but we are just all born different. Some would be friendly and some won't be and either way is just fine as long as you are not spreading toxicity in this community. I know people who are also in this industry but outside this platform, we have our own different circles, activities to kill time or simply preferences. Sharing knowledge won't require people to be connected in a more in depth manner; stick with the objective still. Not unless you guys are just getting along big time.

Its not really that necessary because we do know that people does really prioritize their anonymity and security which it would be understandable that someone would really be that keen on exposing up themselves  when it comes to their identity specially if they are dealing with some random people on the net and claiming that they are Bitcoin or crypto enthusiast.Its not that we arent interested
to go along with fellow bitcoiners or supporters but people are really that mindful about their safety which is normal.We cant just easily expose up ourselves and would tend
to be anonymous as possible online.

I ma also a member here and never see each other with other members in the real life. And I am not really taking mind of it. We are here for many reasons. And what most interested is privacy. We don't need to know each other in the real life, but we are interested very well here, sharing experiences, giving solutions and information, and taking and giving any other benefits. It doesn't matter who I am and who you are in this forum, as long as we are here as a member and obey the rules, we are here all Bitcoiner. And not all people will reveal their identity to the people around them. So, you don't need to think hard about this. Let it be like what it really is right now. It doesn't mean that we are ashamed as members of this forum or Bitcoiners, but this is ourselves, this is the specialty of being here, privacy.

One thing that is not clear here is whether Bitcoin is legal or illegal in the country where you originally live?  Face-to-face discussion of Bitcoin is not easily accepted by the general public in countries where it is generally prohibited by the government. They are always restless with the fear of getting into legal trouble.  However, if you feel more comfortable discussing and criticizing Bitcoin online than face-to-face, then there should be no problem. But if the people don't accept it easily, then there should be no pressure on them at all. As bitcoin is officially banned in our country we cannot discuss bitcoin face to face, we discuss through online.

not all bitcoiners are like that, because I also have a lot of friends and they all invest in bitcoin and they are very good to talk to about bitcoin and share experiences about investing in bitcoin.
so basically the nature of people is different, but we ourselves have to train ourselves so that we can be successful with investing in bitcoin. So, starting from yourself, don't think too much about others.

Some of us live in quite dangerous places where letting people know we have some satoshis could make us go through unnecessary risks.
Bitcoin besides a currency, investment or asset, is also a tool many of us use to re-gain control over our own savings while living under tyranny and darkness. It is not the same having 1000$ under one's mattress than having 1000$ in Bitcoin, if one can be discreet enough, it is very unlikely someone could take away the little we have.

If there was a Bitcoin meeting/convention here in my city, I would likely not attend for those reasons.

In my opinion op you have to be patient in facing life's challenges, especially regarding bitcoin, because actually in the world of bitcoin I think you have to be smart about pitting your brains, because actually we are competitive even though our investment is the same in bitcoin. and the competition looks like we are on the stock exchange crypto, just try to pay attention to the market, and for the real world, make our lives happy
if you promote bitcoin within your means.
but your friends who act like that to reason they also have goals that you can not know.

I think bitcoin teaches us to always be independent and full of freedom.

Sometimes not everything we think is acceptable to others. Then they are unfriendly or behave differently to what we think. Maybe they have other thoughts that are much better than what we think.
You and they may have different perspectives on promoting Bitcoin. If you want to promote Bitcoin physically maybe they think it's impossible to do. Maybe there will also be a question behind your desire, is there physical Bitcoin around you?

Think wisely and positively that everyone around you has the same intentions and goals towards Bitcoin.
One more thing is that Bitcoin is not a scam.

I don't know who you mean?, because in our country, I always meet up several time bitcointalk member who always active here. But, There are some who won't to face his username account, maybe because he want to not offended ever different idea and opposite on any thread, but in reality, we are a friends and we don't bring it to real life.

So if you think shame because of scammer?

no, we are low profile, we don't want to show wealth (bitcoin address with a huge balance) which can make you as a criminal target.

It's possible that you're misinterpreting them, because not everyone wants the society or community to know more about them, especially when it comes to sources of income, and bitcoin is not hand work or any other jobs, for my understanding it's either they don't want to have a public discussion with you because it might lead to linking up their sources of income, and you know this days when a young man trying to do well with to make money some people think they are getting it in negative ways, like fraud or any other negative ways, so I think maybe you should understand them because we don't know everyone's mind.

Most of them just feel you want to beg them, most  of them too feel a little big most of them are always indoors with their phones and most times they are just thinking even when they step out their they are still thinking and when you see them they don't look friendly because their mind is on something else which u won't know so bitcoiners are great thinkers and thinkers always think no matter where you see them, so maybe the ones you have come across are the thinkers and did not notice you because their mind was somewhere else.

Perhaps most Bitcoiners are nerdy and introvert. ;D Most tech savvy people are kinda socially awkward(like me). ;D
AFAIK, there are lots of crypto conventions, where like minded people can gather up and discuss the future of crypto.
Maybe the Bitcoin users in your area are afraid that someone could kidnap them (or their family member) and ask for a crypto ransom. Do you live in an area with high rates of criminal activity? It's OK for most Bitcoiners to be cautious and to not reveal here and there that they own Bitcoins. I would do the same thing. I would never reveal to a stranger that I have Bitcoins, even if the stranger is a crypto supporter.

It's proving if those people are somewhat have a lot money because they're don't want to reveal their holdings to you. Some people think a person wear branded cloth and other limited accessory is really rich, but it's not actually. He only want to flex and show off his wealth in order to satisfy himself and get a respect from many people, but a real rich person trying to be a low value person and life simple. If you visit his house, don't surprised if he have a big house, many stuffs and high spec PC.

There is no basis for revealing one's identity in the name of being a bitcointalk member this is faceless platform where many information about bitcoin and altcoins is discussed without necessarily putting up a physical appearance even in our Local board there isn't discussion of physical meeting because a lot of members would have been busy with their day jobs, infact some members residential location might be far from each which makes any form of get together or meeting not feasible thus there is no point in initiating a physical meeting with anybody because of our anonymous ways of doing things.

It can also be added that while staying on this forum, some people invited their friends here, but even they did not disclose their nicknames. Sometimes it seems only from your posts that you are close to some people in terms of thoughts, views, and positions, but other than that, you do not know anything about the person. Neither who he is nor his country, gender, or age.
If you want to call yourself a bitcoin devotee, you should be closer to this position and not to the role of a preacher, to which no one has appointed you. Moreover, it is most likely that you do not have all the knowledge to teach. If the religion you belong to preaches modesty, then people who have and are interested in bitcoin should also have this property. For everything else, there is the internet.

I believe it is basically because of safety. If not for the Bitcoin promoters on youtube and a few celebs that can afford to advertise themselves like that, I believe other Bitcoiners might not want to get to that level of letting you know who they are, why do you think there is this thing against KYC even at the exchange level even apart from your Docs been stolen or sold? mainly because of safety and not because of not being friendly. MHO.

because it's a matter of anonymity. but I think not all of them are like that. even I and my workers have casual discussions about crypto and bitcoin every day. we even gave each other quite useful information. But yeah, to spread it directly with foreigners, I think it's quite difficult. but at least the people around me have been more open about bitcoin related discussions. but we never had a special meeting about bitcoin. but when we met and chatted, unconsciously our chat flowed into chat about bitcoin. but I'd rather just be a good listener.

Maybe you’ve just been unlucky, there are lots of bitcoin meet ups in different countries. The people you’ve spoken to might be introvert & not want to meet people from the internet. Maybe they are bitcoin rich & see it as too risky to meet people.

Keep going, you might find people who are more interested in meeting up. I think you’ve just interacted with people who enjoy a level of anonymity which is their right.

OP, it all has to do with security....

There are a lot of people out there with bad intentions.... and they know if they can "dox" you...then they might get their hands on your coins. You can have the best security in the world, but if someone gets their hands on you or your family... then you will eventually give up your hiding place...  ::)

Also, some people needs to stay anonymous.... because Bitcoin might be banned in their country... so they have to hide their real identity to protect their wealth.  ;)

You can plan meetings between bitcointalk members if you invite those members to discussion group. I only have local users in mind, and the possibility of creating such meeting is huge. However I think these people will remain anonymous as they will maintain their privacy in the forum by not publicly mentioning their username.

So far I've met two different users face to face, it's fun but really it's nothing more than sharing experiences and other general discussion. Nothing specific to discuss as these people seem to only be interested in the profits made from bitcoin.

OP, there are a millions reasons on why people you meet on here would not want to meet up physically. People do things for different reason. Humans have got different characters and personalities and you wouldn’t expect people to behave the way you would want them to or the way you would like.

I think people are generally skeptical and a bit hesitant if I might add to meet up with some stranger you met online and for the first time also. Asides that, people love and value their privacy and would protect it at all costs. I know I do value mine.

In addition to my post above, I want to share a story with you. A newcomer got a job at my main place of work. And recently, the top management at lunchtime arranged a discussion on the topic of bitcoin (they are far from cryptocurrencies, they only heard about it in the news on TV). At such moments, I sit silently and smile looking at them. So, that newcomer boasted to them that he knows about the crypt, exchanges and IPO. He spoke in front of them in cryptocurrency terms, bragging. They didn't understand anything, and the newcomer felt very important. I wanted to make myself a facepalm. And later he asked me if I knew anything about cryptocurrencies, I said NO. I think my attitude is right. What do you think?

To protect your privacy from them because, you don't know who they are in the community. Now I know why bitcoiners don't meet anyhow physical to discuss anything, I believe, I have learned from your story man, which I will like to avoid such people in my environment for now because Bitcoin is not legalized in my country, maybe is also part of some of the reasons they are avoiding physical meeting in the environment.

I still don't get what you mean by bitcoiners are not ready to see you face to face. If you want to promote Bitcoin, you don't need to force people to join you against there wish. Everyone is trying hard to be anonymous here and if you tend to make them to unveil themselves to you tell you are not meeting up to what had been proposed by Satoshi himself.

This is a faceless forum and you need to respect everyone opinion whether it suit your interest or not. Since you one would force you to promote Bitcoin by gathering the attention of people that may not have interest in what you want. You need to go ahead and do whatever ways you know how to do it best and promote Bitcoin. You can't force people to meet them face to face, just do your own thing and be happy.

While I won't play anybody's solicitor on this, I will like to put my two cents forward on it. I think the reason for dodging to see other bitcoiners won't be far from the suspicion of trust. Anything involving money is always high risk and this is where trust comes to play. A lot of bitcoiners had been robbed in the past through such exposure, either on social media through their loud mouths or in physical meetings such as what you're suggesting. So, I guess the new bitcoiners have learnt how to keep distance and their mouths shut

First of all bitcoin is not a religion and such a comparison seems to be out of place, with this out of the way there are many reasons for this, bitcoin gives us a level of privacy which is basically lost on the fiat system and it is to be expected many persons are not willing to lose it just to meet a few members of the community, and even more importantly the whole world is moving towards online communications instead of face to face meetings, then we should not be surprised bitcoin users have this preference too.

You are maybe right but just in some special cases and some people, not all the bitcoiners. The reason why most of the bitcoiners and people who use bitcoin prefer to stay away from other people physically and they even prefer to don't share their information with other people is their privacy. Generally, the people who start using bitcoin and invest in it usually prefer to have their privacy and that's important for them that's as you said why you can't see them in churches talking and discussing bitcoin so much. However, still there are some people who prefer to even teach about bitcoin to other people in these places and you can find more information about it here on the forum.

Bitcoin and cryptocurrency owners are vulnerable to hacking, and we can see this everywhere. When people participate in bounty programs, they often want to conceal their identities because they might be targeted. Many members of cryptocurrency groups on Telegram and Twitter receive scam mail and private messages from anonymous people, those who don't know about your portfolio, imagine if they did. 

Many bitcoiners are security and privacy conscious and do their best not to break their opsec. For example, after the Ledger leak I couldn't help myself not to look at the leaked db and I found lots of bitcoiners from my area. Also public persons who were anti-bitcoin oriented, turned out to be Bitcoin hodlers too! Can you imagine how surprised I was?  ::)

They're not ashamed, it's possible that they just want to protect themselves personally because of the incidents that has happened before like with a $5 wrench attack.
It's like these incidents[1] that has been seen only for 2022.

[1] The 8 Worst Bitcoin ‘$5 Wrench Attacks’ of 2022 (https://techtelegraph.co.uk/the-8-worst-bitcoin-5-wrench-attacks-of-2022/)

But I don't think that people will open their wallets and exchange or trade with each other when they are set to have a meeting and discuss more about crypto adoption.  Remember @ OP stated that its intention is to talke about how to help propagate Bitcoin awareness but most of the Bitcoiners wanted to have the meeting on a social media platform where they can just chat about the possible approach.

More or less the people whom OP has contact with is lazy doing things  or are paranoid about their physical safety and do not want to be exposed as person with a huge stash of Bitcoin.

If you show yourself rich and have a lot of money, you will also be attacked as usual, not only bitcoin. There are many reasons why they do not want to make their bitcoin investments and holdings public. In my case, since bitcoins in my country are not legal yet, public use of bitcoins will be noticed by the government and possibly fined. So investors in my country don't want to meet publicly to talk about bitcoin, we don't want others to know because it's not legal yet.

i don't know the reason
why your friend can have such traits. but the human name must have a different nature,
and don't force to hang out with people who don't want to be with us, look for friends who can walk with us to success.

but in my opinion how could people be embarrassed to invest in bitcoin, in fact I personally feel proud because of investing in bitcoin.

None of these are the reason, for sure.
Some people value their anonymity as they value the privacy of their assets as well, coz there will be a possibility that your gonna be exposing some minor financial details that might be good enough for someone with vast knowledge in programming on how to infiltrate your wallet. I know this sounds crazy, but for some, it is not. Better safe than sorry.

I also don't want too many people to know I'm invested in bitcoin, I'm not ashamed, but I don't like to brag, and I don't want to be asked too much about my private life. Bitcoin is such a hot topic all over the place that most people would ask a lot of things if they knew you invested in bitcoin. Investing in bitcoin is very risky and I do not want to give financial advice to anyone including my loved ones.

I think you are generalizing all bitcoiners too much.
Not that all bitcoiners are closed people like some bitcoiners you meet in your area.
Because I don't think everyone can immediately get along with other people they just met, right?
Everyone has a different character.
There are people who have an open/extroverted character, they are people who can easily adapt and like to talk face to face.
There are also people who have a closed/introverted character who prefer to communicate via social media because they lack confidence when meeting and talking in person.
And I don't think everyone has the same thoughts or goals even though they have the same hobbies right?

In the conditions that you experience, I think of course they must have their own reasons why they want to communicate online.
Maybe they are trying to adapt to you and get to know you first through online discussions before they decide to have a face-to-face conversation.
Maybe at that time they did not have much time to discuss directly because of their busy schedule.
If they have free time, they will definitely take the time and talk face to face with you.
At least they still want to take the time to discuss with you online, right?

If you have the thought that they think Bitcoin is a scam why do you call them bitcoiners?

Yeah, like the usual reaction that other people might be seen on them then they're just trying to remain lowkey. Those reasons that makes them stay in the shadows could be the real thing.
No one wants to get harmed just because they've been known an investor in bitcoin and has been too vocal with it. That's why, we can't blame anyone and including ourselves if there are get together like that and we're not showing publicly because of those harms that has been done to the others and, we don't want that to happen to us.

I was never that social before getting into bitcoin so I'm not going to start now lol 😆

Let's just think that they are introverted people or that they are very busy doing things. You should ask them why, because mostly their reasons are that they are shy or that it is an easier way to promote it online. Even if you asked me like that, I would say that I prefer it online since I do have things to do and don't have much time to have meetups. Though your purpose is good, but there are really introverted person or busy people, so you can't force them. Also, the audience in the online space is larger than in the physical one, as you need to approach them, and it also takes a lot of effort.

Not all Bitcoin enthusiasts are want to tell and publish their identity to everyone, I don't think it's a healthy habit since criminal and fraudster are start from people who don't care with their own privacy. You may think privacy isn't that important because there are not a lot case related with low privacy, but it's actually have a relation, but people just don't aware if privacy is really important for their life.

Most introvert person doesn't like to talk anything especially if they don't know the person so maybe others think that they are not friendly because they are not talking and people have misconceptions about it. But for sure if you know those people they can talk once they trust you that you don't want to do any harm to them. But even if not an introvert for sure they also aware about the risk talking crypto things in public so I guess many people remain silent about it and make all of this discussion done privately especially on online because we know many people know already about crypto and if they know the people has a lot of holdings especially if they use their phone as their wallets then maybe they will be in danger with that scene.

So understand each other is the key so that you will not create any problem to other bitcoin user since investments is confidential matter.

Bitcoin is not a scam and even those who hard a misconception about bitcoin are aware of that fact, and what make bitcoin users reluctant to meet face to face or becoming less vocal is the fact that bitcoin os not a crowd funding network and at that there is no need to preach anyone into picking interest in bitcoin.
Privacy is all that matters in Bitcoin!
You seems to have misunderstanding in the topic, privacy as bitcoin is privacy inclined, Bitcoin creator satoshi Nakamoto is unknown so then why do you have interest in meeting other people face to face, Bitcoin is trustless and at that once i don't have any deal with you there won't be needs for us to meet face to face.

In regards to the bolded, I'm hearing/reading such  for the first time... and I'm quite surprised.
Well, people who understand Bitcoin really well wouldn't be ashamed to meet face to face unless they are doing so for the sake of safety, privacy or anonymity. There are Bitcoin meet-ups, seminars, physical stores, p2p physical exchange, etc, they mostly seem very enthusiastic about meeting each other. I have even discussed Bitcoin with relatives and didn't notice any shame, they were always willing to be part of the Network... maybe because they just trust me or feel safe with me. By the way, if your intention for Bitcoin is bad or you have seen or have been fed with too many bad Bitcoin-related news/activities you'll probably not want physical meet up with people you don't know or trust.
And there is another possiblity, alot of people in  groups, forums on whatsapp or the internet generally wouldn't want to be identified.

if what you mean is related to members in the forum and they happen to be around you. Most people who are active in cyberspace (online) have closed personalities. though not all, more like that.
and with regards to forum members, of course, some will still choose to remain anonymous, or perhaps decide to stay behind the scenes. nothing wrong with that.
don't equate every community to a motorcycle community or something else. that like to gather in coffee shops and discuss.

In my opinion, people who are interested in bitcoin, as well as other cryptocurrencies, are very interesting, progressive and friendly people. 

They live both in the real world and in the virtual world at the same time.  At the same time, very often they do not strive for these two of their lives to intersect.  The sphere of finance is an intimate sphere. 

There is a proverb - "Money loves silence."  It means that financiers do not seek publicity. 

They are interested in financial flows, and not attention from other people. 

But at the same time, financiers are capable of real sincere friendship.

as we know bitcoin owners are anonymous, no one knows if we have bitcoin, if btc ownership is discussed in public then the initial concept of bitcoin is lost, then that's the reason why they are not friendly when meeting physically and always say I don't have my btc only monitoring bitcoin developments

We once had this locally. It was not through the bitcointalk forum but elsewhere, and local community was very happy about it. However, we just arranged to meet on outside location to hangout as "like minded" peeps from the crypto space. This was not about making exchanges with one another. Though after meeting we tried scanning our QR codes on wallets, talked about it, also imagined the future of crypto in our country and everything.

However, we did not felt that we need to meet in person in future if we ever want to trade bitcoins. I think the Pee to Peer platform / mechanism was meant with simple instructions of having no middle man, having no privacy issues and document / hassle free transactions. We still think it's not worth it to reach out the market physically and try our bitcoins. We are doing just amazing the way it is today.

It's their personal choices. They are concern about their privacy and we should be too. We can not just give away our information to strangers. And also most of the holders are introverts, I think. Because I know myself. I am one of them, too. Extroverts can't stay staring to the screen for hours and hours and learn about bitcoin. This is just what I think.
And for discussing it online. Why do you feel confident on the writing test and fear the interview? It's the same. One thing you say, you can't take it back. But when you write, you can double-check it and fix your mistakes. Also research mid-way of your conversation. Not to mention, you can reach the whole world with internet. So why stick to your surroundings when you can reach the whole world?

I myself choose the same. I don't talk to people much, and I am good this way.

We are aiming to be anonymous as much as possible on which it isnt surprising that bitcoiners would really be that keen on exposing themselves into their fellow bitcoiner too which it isnt really that surprising that they wouldnt really be that confident on making up some discussion or make transactions in between users who are involved on cryptocurrency.It isnt really that mean that they dont completely trust them but its better to be
that paranoid when it comes to your security rather than on being abducted or any other similar issues knowing that you've been dealing with crypto and these people might presume that
you are holding huge chunks on your stash which there's always that potential risks.

It's a nice point, but we are not expected to meet random persons. The both parties must have proven themselves to be close before moving forward to a scene. Like the introverts, they need to trust before he/she becomes an extrovert in their visitors presence. So, talking about Bitcoin meetings I don't think a well informed person would choose a dangerous venue for their meetings, so getting in trouble may not be on a high possibility. Like I said Depending on the kind of relationship they've built either in the forum or elsewhere.

If they think Bitcoin is a scam they won't have involved themselves in the first place and if an announcement was to be made here instigating me and the rest of Bitcointalk users present in my locality to gather at a particular location to discuss how to go about with the promotion of Bitcoin in our community. I won't even bother to move a muscle, first of all that meeting poses danger to my finances and secondly I wouldn't even want strangers to know that I have Bitcoin in the first place or for them to know I'm what form my assets are. So Op there are so many reasons why someone might choose to discuss about financial issues online rather than to talk it face to face.

I will, because I always feel good whenever I see bitcoiners or crypto users physically and it make me to do what will make the person to believe that there are still good people on earth. But when I get there, I don't think there is anything that will stop me not to continue impacting people face to face or through internet to know more about Bitcoin.

I think anyone who is ashamed to be called a bitcoin is either new in the cryptocurrency space or such person has encountered great losses during investment in bitcoin and this is possible when the person doesn't know much about bitcoin or the person is new to the cryptocurrency space. The only reason why a lot of people are scared of physical meetings with fellow members is for privacy and security purposes which is quite good and understandable Most people who see bitcoin investment as a scam are those who must have been misled as the process get scammed while trying to invest without having a good idea of what an investment is all about or people who were to invest an make quick money because they felt bitcoin investment is a quick money giving investment like Ponzi.

Its a good move and something commendable but this do works only on some people on where they do have the ample time on doing so and doesnt easily give up when they do face up some rejections or being that avoided. I have honestly trying out my best on sharing up information about bitcoin and its potential and utility but ending up on being scolded or shouted just be cause they do call it as a scam.
On that time i have decided to keep quiet and would really be just learning on my own and doesnt really share up the opportunity that it could bring.
Yeah, it did bring peace to me somehow.  :)

not all bitcoiner members are like that, everyone has a different personality, maybe the bitcoiners you meet are introverted people, and they tend to prefer to be alone and not reveal their identity.
they must be confident in themselves, it's impossible for people who are not confident to become bitcoin members or bitcoin investors, because joining and investing in bitcoin requires high self-confidence.
in essence bitcoin members have different ways to spread bitcoin.

lol! sorry...

Seriously, very seriously, don't take the laughs badly, in fact they were those social laughs, which maybe as it's our first time you might not like them.
Anyway!  I find their context somewhat childish and in fact strange in the very experience of what it demands.

Again we are all 18+, so do we have to teach the basic patterns of sociability, safety and teaching how to meet a stranger?,  etc?, etc.? or the icing on the cake, why don't I have friends in real life from the forum?

I mean, it's not that meeting is bad, in fact it happens, around there, there are several meetings a year, in fact the conference at Miami is coming, and many bitcoiners around the world meet, in the case of the forum, itself it is known that some users They have had the opportunity to meet, due to different circumstances, for purely bitcoin issues and others for the simple fact that the friendship/sympathy created in the forum transcended.

On the other hand, for the common ideas that bring us to the bitcointalk forum, which is bitcoin, I believe that a virtual plan is totally efficient, in fact more efficient than meeting in the flesh.

Yes, I understand your point. It's true that introverted individuals may be less likely to engage in conversation, especially with strangers, and this can sometimes lead to misconceptions about their personality. When it comes to discussing cryptocurrency, it's understandable that people may be cautious, as the value of these assets can be substantial and the topic is still relatively new and complex. There is also the concern about privacy and security, as many individuals use their phones to store their cryptocurrencies, which could make them vulnerable to theft or hacking.

It's important to respect each person's comfort level and decision to share information about their investments, whether it's related to cryptocurrency or any other asset. Encouraging trust and understanding between individuals, as you mentioned, can help facilitate open and honest conversations about these topics, while also ensuring the privacy and security of each person's investments. Ultimately, clear communication and mutual respect are key to fostering a positive and productive discussion about cryptocurrency or any other topic.

I think it is not about being afraid on seeing each other physically, but it is mostly on the part of privacy. Remember that some members here in this forum have tons of BTC at their disposal to the point that it might actually threatened their own personal safety. In a way, they are concerning and focusing on their self-preservation which is why some prefer to discuss matters online.

Though this may be the case, I do think that majority of the members also are willing to discuss and meet people physically. But you have to choose the right crowd and look for these people in the process.

Being a bitcoiner is a pride, but people never want the same to be exposed for different reasons. Just my personal experience, I'm from a country where cryptocurrency isn't regulated and the government haven't revealed any official announcement on usage. Just the taxation on cryptocurrency have made people to consider it as legal and use it. In such situation exposing myself as a cryptocurrency user could direct me towards issues if someone is with vengeance with me.

The fact that, bitcoin transactions are traceable raises some concerns. Once a wallet is tied to a person, just as we have it on the address that is linked to our accounts as used in our signatures, it becomes a signature make for you and one can easily assign what is contained in the address and where ever the coin is transfered to to be yours. They might not care if the receiver address is actually that of a buyer but, would be looked at to be yours and that could give someone the wrong idea to do you harm should you seem to have done much.

Meeting physically has never been a must and shouldn't be. In fact, it's one of the many privileges bitcoin enthusiast enjoy and should be respected. A lot has been archived from this work space and a lot more could be archived.

Do well yo use what you have now first before wanting to see someone that isn't sure they want to see you.

We love and became a supporter of bitcoin not only into its earning opportunity but also it does possess that anonymity and decentralized feature on which we do really see this as one of the reasons

on why we are involving with this thing but it doesnt always mean that every believer would really be have that confidence on showing up themselves face to face considering that we do know on what are
the impose or possible risk that might lie ahead and waiting considering that when it comes to money then you are sure no safety.

This is why we a re really that paranoid on trying to make yourself that known as a bitcoiner on physical appearances or what but here on online then
we wont really be having doubts.

not everyone is like that. Maybe there really are people who like to have discussions online, and there are also those who have discussions physically with each other. all human nature is diverse. so naturally, there are people like that.

It's a generalization to say that all bitcoiners are not friendly in person, as people's personalities and behavior can vary greatly regardless of their beliefs or interests. However, some individuals within the bitcoin community may have a strong belief in privacy and decentralization, which can sometimes translate into a reluctance to engage in face-to-face interactions. Additionally, the online community surrounding bitcoin can be quite vibrant, which may lead some individuals to feel more comfortable expressing themselves in a digital environment rather than in person.

That being said, it's important to remember that these are just general trends and there are many individuals within the bitcoin community who are friendly and approachable in person. Additionally, the community is diverse and encompasses a wide range of beliefs, so it's not accurate to make sweeping generalizations about all bitcoiners.

In a world where not everyone owns bitcoin yet, you don't want others to know that you do.

When 90% of the world owns BTC, it will be safer to come out. But it's probably better never to let people know how early you got in, because that's correlated to the size of your bag. It's also not a good idea to show people the level of your understanding of Bitcoin, because a similar correlation exists there too (although the short-term volatility means risk tolerance is also a major factor).

When I was trying to withdraw a large amount of cash from a bank, the cashier asked me what it was for and wanted to call the police, because she thought I was being extorted from. (As an aside, I had to make up a story, because I'm not the kind of person that truthfully answers questions of that sort).

Bitcoin is permissionless, so if someone kidnaps you and announces they're going to cut your fingers one by one until you give up your coins, there is no cashier to be alerted by coins leaving your wallet.
That's why you don't want anyone other than yourself to know how much BTC you own, and practice good hygiene, e.g. use passphrases, which can give you plausible deniability as long as your UTXO's remain undoxxed.

I think this is very correct, although I have not come across many bitcoiners except from close pals which I know very closely. They are always friendly and we usually share ideas with each concerning the crypto space.
So, I don't know how many bitcoiners you have the privilege to meet, I doubt what you have said is the case.

Like you and me, it's hard for strangers to strike up a casual conversation about their business. If you're meeting someone for the first time, you may not want to reveal your work until the conversation is over, especially if it's a contentious business. Some people may think it is immoral or illegal. For this reason, Bitcoiners are more comfortable discussing business matters online, where they can remain anonymous.

If this is the case as you said above, then that's a little concerning. For something that thrives on peer-to-peer interactions, it sounds like human contact should be pretty high on the priority list. But it all depends on your definition of "success". As we said before: Bitcoin is complicated, and success looks different for everyone involved.

They are not, but they don't want to be cross identified. It is okay if you'll talk to me about bitcoin somewhere else, but I prefer you not to know that I have an account here. The idea of anonymity implemented in bitcoin is important: it is about safety, it is about security. I don't want others to know if I have a couple of satoshis until we know that about each and every. And many in here respect that right on anonymity: some can visit offline meetings but not asking to say your online nicknames. ;)

This is what I think, I also don't want to talk about investing bitcoin in public, not because of shame but because I like privacy, I invest in bitcoin out of profit then privacy is my concern. I don't want people to know what property I have, what job I do, I don't like to be the subject of other people's gossip. And one more thing, I don't like bragging.

I don't think it's true that bitcoiners don't like meeting face to face. There are weekly meetups (of ~10-20 people) in the city I live in - however from my personal experience with these, it's just a giant circlejerk, there's no added value from those conversations. Every meaningful discussion happens online, imho.

Most of the people limit within their circle. There are people who have fear in mind, as more scams are run in the name of bitcoin. People around might think bad of him when they don't have the proper understanding and knowledge about bitcoin. I personally never mind and once making P2P trade came to know the trader was from my locality and we had a meet-up to discuss. So, when we introduce ourselves with a person who have known well about bitcoin it is good.

No there is nothing wrong with bitcoins. All my friends and family know that I invest in bitcoins and other crypto currencies for a while now. I am not trying to hide it and enjoy talking about it with anybody who is interested in cryptos as well. The number of people thinking that bitcoins is a scam has dropped considerably over the years. The more popular crypto currencies became in the last year the more people started to learn about it and lost their fear of being scammed. I don't think that people are afraid to meet other bitcoin users, in my country there are quite a few gettogethers for crypto users. The fear comes more from dealing large sums of money, people would be similar afraid when they have to make large transactions in cash with people they have never met before. When going into a store there is a lot more protection, because the business is usually regulated and has a longer track record.

OP, you should check out videos from bitcoin conferences. There's so many of them like Swan Bitcoin. Pomp is organizing a conference right now and it's free, you just have to sign yourself up.
There's a lot of people coming to these events. You probably would like it to work like a magnet that you wear a bitcoin t-shirt and random people come to say hi.

If you asked me in a public place if I hold bitcoin I would think it's some kind of a survey and be cautious. I'm friendly but there's so many scammers that you can never be sure of people's intentions.

Well we all have fun different ways and to meet to discuss an interesting topic has no less sense than lots of other forms of entertainment. But in offline meetings most would hardly say something exact because it can be unsafe, so I guess main topics would be abstract. And anyway IMO it is good to meet, to know that bitcoin becomes more popular, etc. :)

I'll ask you a question OP. Imagine a situation when someone asks you where you work, how much you make a month, how many savings you have and in which bank. Would you be fine answering this?
Asking people if they are bitcoiners is very similar to asking all these questions in one go because most of us self custody, so if we own bitcoin, we have it at home. It's rare for people to hold a million dollars at home, but not for bitcoiners, many of us hold large amounts of money, therefore we don't like to talk about it in public. I don't want people to get the wrong idea that I'm some money launderer with a lot of untraceable electronic currency.

When I was a kid there was a physical currency exchange near my home and one day, in the evening, the owner was closing down and leaving with a suitcase of bills. Some guys knew he was armed so they didn't bother reasoning with him, they shot him on the spot and took the money. It was much less than I have on my desktop wallet and probably 100 times less than the coins on my hardware wallet is worth.

^^^ But that's the point. You can't easily steal someone else's bitcoins, even if you shoot the guy dead.

In Bitcoin meetings, nobody has to tell anybody about the intricate details of how many bitcoins they have. In fact, nobody expects anybody to tell this stuff. All they would be doing is one-on-one discussing about bitcoin strategies, and general strategies for financial planning.

Church meetings do similar things, without people always being forced to divulge the intricacies of their family life (their bitcoin passwords).

8)

But well we know that there are cases with torturing to get bitcoins (https://www.businessinsider.com/masked-robbers-attempted-to-steal-bitcoin-millions-from-entrepreneur-spain-2021-11). And unfortunately no one knows that you don't have millions, they will torture for long expecting to get sometimes even what you don't have. So I'd prefer that others know that I don't have that much! But if I will go to the meetings just to say that I'm a beggar that would be suspicious: who will believe the one attending bitcoin meetings and saying he has nothing? ;D

So let's say introverted people? They can't talk much face-to-face, but online they can talk a lot. Though I haven't experienced this kind of meet-up, for sure most of us are shy at first because even though we know each other online, face-to-face is different, but still, there are people who want to meet up physically, and there are also people who want to meet up online. Whatever the reason, the goal is the same: to discuss bitcoin, have fun, and also the plans of oneself about bitcoin.

The bitcoin transactions are not anonymous and they can track you as all records are maintained on blockchain which is why people use mixing service to cove their digital footprints or if you are using exchange for KYC then government can easily track you but yes on forum you can have your privacy maintained in good manner.

There are definitely cases in which bitcoin holders were targeted for their bitcoin holdings. That's why in my opinion, it’s never safe to disclose your finances or your exact bitcoin holdings to anyone so someone out there won’t be motivated to come and try to get their hands on my finances.
If at any point in time, I’m invited to go for a Bitcoin conference or a meeting of some sort, I wouldn’t disclose my finances to anyone. I’ll probably come on as a newbie with no investment but eager to learn. It’s better and safer to keep everyone guessing.

I don't think it depends on whether people are friendly or not. Sometimes, people want to enjoy being alone and don't want to leave the house. In this case, it is easier for them to discuss everything online.
And there are people who don't want to share their opinions about Bitcoin at all, and it's easier to refuse something or discuss it online.
In fact, there can be many reasons. Do not rush to make any conclusions.

This not only happens when you own bitcoin, if you have a lot of money and brag, you will also still be attacked by robbers. In this case, I find bitcoin more secure, I don't think the robbers know about bitcoin. They are addicts, I don't believe they take the trouble to update technology news daily to serve their theft. The area I live in has never heard of any bitcoin-related robbery, what they need is cash, phone, gold...I also don't like talking about bitcoin in public, simply because I like it private.

You can't show anyone the balance of your application where you keep the balance of cryptocurrencies, even to friends. Of course, it is impossible to talk about specific amounts with strangers - even if only you have the password to your wallet, but for a lot of money people can harm you. You will easily find stories where Bitcoin millionaires were tortured, kidnapped, and the like. It is better to keep a distance, and limit communication via the Internet.

Also, mostly those hackers, if they find out that you have that huge amount of bitcoin, they will start to hunt you, and you are the target until you get baited, no matter how cautious you are. That is why it is better to keep it secret, but I think there is no one boasting about their holdings if it is true. Even I won't be saying anything about my holdings to strangers, even if it is in the bitcoin community, as it is for our safety. Stay lowkey, and you'll be safe for sure.

When a trade deals with you from inside you won't be friendly outside even when you force yourself to be happy and forget about it,
This most of them are also used to been alone with their phone , so you been alone with your phone will make you loose Interest in people to and extent and if not corrected you might not be a friendly person,
Bitcoiners are readers and readers don't really talk much or associate much with people because they are always thinking about something anytime you see them.

Cryptocurrencies were designed in such a way that people can remain anonymous while using the coins to pay for good and services without giving up your identity. But going the extra mile having to meet people in the name of bitcoin is a personal choice, and for one's safety it's best to protect your yourself by not meeting anybody face to face unless you are comfortable with it .


The easiest way to meet bitcoin users is to find companies that are providing crypto services and if they advertise for a meet up then you get to see locals involved in crypto.

Many reasons, maybe they don't want to be stalked by others, avoiding the government money who might be interested in knowing if they pay up their tax and plenty other reasons.

Stay lowkey and be humble and dont boast up your current holdings and assets because we do know that hackers and criminals are everywhere.If you dont like for yourself to be that putting in danger then its better to shut up your mouth and continue on what you are doing.Its better to be silent but you do have tons of money or on what ways you are getting some income.It isnt really that shocking that people would really be that
cautious when it comes into their identity since we do know on what would be the risk and we do know on how people would be taking up some advantage into those opportunities just to scam out people
or do really make out that advantage.

As an introvert I can say that I can talk face-to-face a lot, I just need to have a rest a lot after. ::) So no I mean you think about what you talk more if you see someone in front of you: anyone can follow you if they'll think something wrong and criminals can visit bitcoin meetings purposefully.


Yes, problems happen not with bitcoin holders only, but there are several things why we should be at least not less cautious: first bitcoin transactions are irrevocable so criminals expect we won't return anything; second criminals expect we will have problems with proving that we owned those assets they steal and so they expect that in less cases bitcoin holder will visit police. So IMO we should be more cautious then by default.

It is not anonymous because it will help to trace transactions so that  there will be no atom of lies so that the network will look very frank and on point. There are many projects these days that have go for a secret transactions so that it will be very hard to trace. They claim to have anonymous transactions so that no one can know who you are and from where the transaction takes place.

I think everyone will agree that it is very useful to have a friend who is also involved in the topic of Cryptocurrencies. I am sure that for all the time there are cases when people communicate on forums and become really good friends, finding new interests. And listen to each other's opinions. Therefore, I will assume that sometimes you can find a good friend in the mine of cryptocurrencies, after which it is possible that friendship is already in real life. If their locations are not too far away.

Are you implying we should all throw away our privacy and see who matches up with our locality in the name of finding a crypto friend here, I don't think so...

Anyway I think the forum is a match maker naturally as it has provided a platform to find other people of our native language by adding local boards and for people that need help or something in IRL they have used these channels to reach out and its voluntary not a coerced undertaking .

Nope, it's nothing of the first two questions there but it could fall into the third question. I used the would could because it can either of these two issues I will list.

The first is the way privacy is sermonized a lot when it comes to Bitcoin. It used to astound me when I started why those who were engaged in Bitcoin couldn't create time to meet and greet others within their vicinity apart from those they brought here or those who introduced them to this forum.

The second reason could be that most Bitcoiners are used to doing things online, their transactions and all that and will more likely feel it will be a waste of time meeting offline since they can easily achieve the same dialogue/conversations online. For instance, I find it very convenient doing my stuff from any space I find myself. I just get on my device and peruse straight away. I could even be on transit and still get something done. I believe it's same for many here.