funny.. people were saying something quite similar about Bitcoin just a couple of years ago.

Here's a question.. how do we create the cult of Vertcoin?

One of the secrets of some large companies is that they employ people to answer such questions.

Some of the biggest companies in the world have both enthusiastic workers and buyers of their products. Microsoft, Google, Apple, Starbucks, etc.

These companies all create emotional connections with people. And people pay money to be a part of it. They become passionate about it. They spend lots of money to figure out how to do this. It is what goes on behind closed doors.

I won't go into too much detail (for fear of people thinking I am nuts for bringing it up) but it is something to consider.

Well, I suppose time will tell. I'm only speaking from experience at having built several multi-million dollar businesses from scratch and working at one of the Big 6 ad firms.

Whether the emotional connection is done with a catchy tune or good marketing or a mascot or whatever, it'll be quite integral to the long-term success of this coin.

I can only hope that we will populate our forums and meeting tables with the kinds of people that will ultimately use the product (not just technical people). Not doing so would be a big mistake.

I totally agree with your "The best way to make it successful would be to create demand for it. " statement.

I would add that the only way to create demand for it (unless we're doing B2B only) would be to allow consumers to develop an emotional relationship with the product.

Then the question becomes, how do we allow people to connect emotionally with what we are doing?

The answer is neither strictly logical nor technical. It is emotional.

We must remember that people had trust issues with PayPal too because of their name. But now nobody cares. Businesses trusted both Google and Yahoo despite the looks of their websites. Whether or not a mascot is a bad idea is only an issue for our imagination until we have actual evidence that it is not. But right now the most successful altcoin has a mascot and smart companies follow and improve upon their competitors' offerings. Any new coin would be foolish not to follow in Dogecoin's footsteps simply because they would be ignoring the most successful (although brief) competitor.

If you don't consider Doge your biggest competitor aside from Bitcoin then I think you're really missing the point. In the background, they are working on some serious merchant and consumer-related things that will be announced shortly. Paypal is in a different category altogether, and Doge now processes more $ than Paypal.

Your competitors are whomever the consumer has a choice between to give attention, time, and resources to. It is unfortunate that we can't pick our competitors ourselves.

Remember when mobile phone manufacturers laughed at Apple for making a phone without buttons? They didn't think consumers wanted it. Or a computer that wasn't black? (How could that be taken seriously?) If consumers want a cute mascot to go with their cryptocurrency then give it to them. It doesn't matter what we want.

The market will decide, and for what we are doing the market is the average consumer. Merchants will implement what consumers ask for, not the other way around.

We must understand that cryptocurrency is complicated to understand for the average person. It's a complete mystery. Yes, we can be serious about it. But I'm afraid we will not attract the kind of people that will actually make the most use of it.

Can someone provide a good answer to this on reddit? http://www.reddit.com/r/karmacoingood/comments/1xj0ph/what_is_special_about_karmacoin_and_why_should_i/

so far no one has responded (2 hours). I'm sure other people would like to know as well

Karma is on top now: http://123doge.com/

looks like we could be getting some Doge people soon enough

We won't get far with the "better than bitcoin" message. We need the support of the Bitcoin community eventually (and some of Vertcoin's community will also be working towards Bitcoin adoption)

It also doesn't make sense for the average person. Does Toyota say "Better than Honda" or is it confident with itself? We don't need to use Bitcoin as a crutch to support our message.

"Money Made Easy" or "Money Make Simple" or "Payment Complete" or something that is neutral and the person doesn't have to think about it.

That's what the part of me that worked for P&G says, anyway.

Would you trust Geico any less with something as serious as insurance because it uses a funny gecko in its ads? Harris Bank had "Hubert the Lion" for many years. You can have both integrity and an emotional connection. Thing is, I doubt if Dogecoin would be successful without the dog. I'm not saying we need a dog but we do need to humanize the mysteries of cryptocurrency and make it approachable for the average person.

to me, the checkmark graphic is good because it means "get it done" or "done"

That has a strong emotional connection because people like a sense of accomplishment.

another example with logo and slogan: "Money Your Way"

http://imgur.com/85x4qqG

roughly what I was talking about.. cross-generational, cross-sexual, and international appeal.

Like a friendly Ironman/Superman who will protect and serve you. The coloring is a bit off but that's the general idea I guess

http://imgur.com/zEXIGcB

We should be future-proofing Vertcoin.

If we want Vertcoin to be accepted in retail locations and other places, we must design for women. (As most consumer purchases are made by women)

Again, we are thinking like developers and not considering what it would take to build a global brand. I would suggest either a green 4-leaf clover or a cute and loveable astroboy-type figure that people can connect with emotionally.

If we only want to appeal to other devs and miners, then the Spartan mascot would be a great choice.

by the way.. I would recommend re-designing http://vertcoin.org/index.cn.html for Chinese tastes. There's too much white space and not enough bling. (source: I live in China)

Another thing that is not being considered is the impracticality of using Vertcoin for currency. The average person does not want to deal with fractions.

Imagine that Vertcoin was in the top 3. What is the marketcap? Let's say $5BB. How many Vertcoins would a loaf or bread cost? A pair of shoes?

Do you feel the technical side is the first or second most important for Dogecoin?

It really is "just another coin" when you think about it. But it has a unique concept that connects well with others. It is not a superior offering. It would have been just as effective if they bought it for 0.1 btc off the internet, with the same concept and community.

I'm suggesting that, in order for Vertcoin to succeed, we must realize that it is not superior technology that will bring us there. Thus, it should not be the most important thing. That which will make Vertcoin succeed should be the most important.

For your #3, that won't happen with a focus on the technical. Unless we KISS.

We need to poll regular people to find out how they feel and what they need.

I would add to the above that the general population doesn't care about mining, either.

Dogecoin is successful because it connects with the average person. It makes the complicated seem easy. Vertcoin has too much technical detail for the average person to understand (or care). Put it in terms that the average person will care about, like the above.

Check out Maslow's hierarchy of needs and let's find out which one Vertcoin will stick with: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow's_hierarchy_of_needs (the choice is obvious when you look at it) This is what brands and marketers do. They don't go by what they like.. they go by what their potential market likes. Vertcoin can't see the forest for the trees at this point, I think. Did VHS win over Betamax because it was technically superior? No. It won out because VHS connected with people emotionally by allowing them to record more on the tape (allowing them to be more creative), which is what people preferred over better technology or a sharper picture.

If Vertcoin is to be as successful or even moreso, it must do the same. We must get non-technical people on a board of directors along with technical people and get organized. Otherwise we'll spend 4 weeks making every little decision while other coins that are more organized bypass us.

Vertcoin will not win by focusing on its tech. In 3 months, there will be a better coin. The technical side of it is really not that important. Miners care, but the average person does not. I'm almost inclined to say the average merchant does not, either.

some points from http://www.reddit.com/r/vertcoin/comments/1xddaq/ideas_suggestions_etc_going_forward_my_take/:

• Yes, Vertcoin is anti-asic.. but nearly 100% of the population doesn't care The average person doesn't care about ASICs (or even know what they are). We have got to move technical speak out of the Vertcoin vernacular if we want to really connect with people. What does Vertcoin mean to the average person? People care about jobs, money, security... What can Vertcoin do about this? (Much of this is what cryptocurrency can do about it.. in this way we are making people associate these neat features with Vertcoin.. So instead of distinguishing Vertcoin from Bitcoin we are equating "the new money" with Vertcoin.
• Organization: The first thing we need is a way to get organized. A subreddit doesn't do the job. We need a way to organize tasks and manage time. To see what other people are doing and to see what needs to be done. This should be something like Zoho where we can not only post tasks with due dates (and penalties for being late) but also create help desk tickets for bugs.
• A way for people outside to connect. Let's take a step beyond what is expected with a coin and really connect with people on different levels. The vertcoin website should be the main portal to the vert world. How about a toll-free number and support email prominently displayed? Most people won't call.. but it instills trust and gives the impression that you're here to stay. It's $5 a month. Putting an email address at the header also makes people feel secure.. to be able to contact someone if they have questions. And how about the ability for them to easily open a support ticket in case they have questions? (This could be handled by multiple people)
• -The story. Learn from Dogecoin. Why is Dogecoin so successful? Because it is the first coin the creates an emotional connection with people, and makes the difficult seem easy. We need a way to do both. How to emotionally connect? Stories. What is the story of Vertcoin? How are we going to connect with basic emotional needs? Bitcoin? Story. Litecoin.. not really. Dogecoin? Story.. And Vertcoin? No story yet.
  The story could be a re-hash of the parts of the Bitcoin story that have worked for it. What makes Bitcoin interesting to the average person? What do people care about? Bitcoin means freedom. Ok, so the story of Vertcoin is we're building a system to make you financially free. We are your heros and you can help us help you!
• I would suggest the following: 1) develop a mascot that looks like Astroboy.. Young, cute, big eyes, friendly-looking, with clean light pastel colors. Put him in a little astronaut suit. He is from planet Vert and here to save the world with vert coins! He will save the world by saving jobs and making you richer. The financial system needs to be fixed. Vertcoin is the one to do it. Give him a personality. He is allergic to bullshit and sneezes when he hears it. And he likes to dance.

If we really want to build a strong community, like Dogecoin, we must separate the technical talk from everything else.

How would the average person feel in this thread? Lost

... but it's highly recommended you do

in fact, make 2 backups just to be sure