Blowing up today on Reddit - go upvote!!

[evoorhees]

Go upvote and help address comments!!! Big day over there...

http://www.reddit.com/r/videos/comments/14nwsx/what_is_bitcoin/

[1714043122]

1714043122

[1714043122]

1714043122

[1714043122]

1714043122

[Steve]

Man I love reading threads like that...so many people still don't get it.

[hazek]

I can sooo feel it, we're just on the cusp of really blowing up. All it takes is a few more nudges in the form of a service that educates and a service that makes it easy to keep bitcoins safe like the hardware wallets being developed and it's going to explode.

I have never felt more optimistic about the future in my life than I do right now. 

[mccorvic]

I'm not a fan of reddit, but the bit I read there confirms that mining should no longer be the first, second, or even eighth thing discussed when introducing people to Bitcoin.  It either generates confusion or plants false hope in people. At this point, the vast majority of people who will be introduced to BTC will NOT become successful miners.  These people will hear "mine your own btc with your graphics card!" and then get emotional whiplash when they realize they'll only be getting .01 BTC a day if they run they computer 24/7. Now, of course, some people may go on to setup sweet rigs or buy ASCI, but they will be the minority.

More focus on exchanging goods/services to generate BTC, less on mining.

[hazek]

I'm not a fan of reddit, but the bit I read there confirms that mining should no longer be the first, second, or even eighth thing discussed when introducing people to Bitcoin.

I disagree, but instead of "Mining" it should be called "Mining i.e. transaction validation / bitcoin issuance" which I strongly think would take away almost all of the confusion.

[molecular]

wow, just saw that bitcointip bot. That's awesome.

Unfotunately it doesn't answer my messages ;(

Could it be down or am I doing something wrong?

[2_Thumbs_Up]

I'm not a fan of reddit, but the bit I read there confirms that mining should no longer be the first, second, or even eighth thing discussed when introducing people to Bitcoin.

I disagree, but instead of "Mining" it should be called "Mining i.e. transaction validation / bitcoin issuance" which I strongly think would take away almost all of the confusion.

I think it's far better to simply focus on the P2P-part. Illustrate a bitcoin, how a friend creates an adress on his computer and how you hit send. It's really that easy for the end-user. If mining is mentioned it should only be in by-pass as "the transaction is validated by a computer network spread around the world".

I've seen a lot of bitcoin adoption first hand (on a drug forum), and no one ever seem to ask about mining. They ask about buying bitcoins, and occasionally on how to send them. Here is the link: https://www.flashback.org/t1697563 (it's in swedish but I guess you can use google translate to understand it if you are interested in how adoption actually seem to work for real users, no one cares about mining because it doesn't concern them)

[sunnankar]

I can sooo feel it, we're just on the cusp of really blowing up.

Why are there not more bitcoin tips in that thread? Start sending people bitcoins and see how fast it starts blowing up. You know the old saying, "Nothing motivates people like a check!"

[Spekulatius]

wow, just saw that bitcointip bot. That's awesome.

Unfotunately it doesn't answer my messages ;(

Could it be down or am I doing something wrong?

go here:

http://www.reddit.com/r/bitcointip/comments/13iykn/bitcointipdocumentation/

[2_Thumbs_Up]

I can sooo feel it, we're just on the cusp of really blowing up.

Why are there not more bitcoin tips in that thread? Start sending people bitcoins and see how fast it starts blowing up. You know the old saying, "Nothing motivates people like a check!"

The next someone asks a question like this, there should be a race to tip him. It will be a small cost for every individual tipper, but if a bunch of people do it, the person could get a few dollars and really see the potential.

And it would also motivate jealous people to start a new thread in a few days.  

[mccorvic]

I disagree, but instead of "Mining" it should be called "Mining i.e. transaction validation / bitcoin issuance" which I strongly think would take away almost all of the confusion.

There is no way that is less confusing

Let me throw in a random example:

[–]Zcypot 1 point 2 hours ago
I did this for 2 days, stopped. My 6990 is too damn LOUD lol. The heat coming from that thing is enormous!

He thinks bitcoin = mining and if you aren't mining then you can't participate in bitcoin. It's possible he meant to reply to someone else, but ehhhhh....

[evoorhees]

I've always said the following... never talk about bitcoin mining. Period.

When I tell people why gold is good money, I never discuss how gold mining is done.

If, during the conversation, the person asks "but where do new coins come from", answer like this...

"New coins are created by the network and given to those who contribute to the auditing/transaction verification process."  

It would be good if the creators of the WeUseCoins video would update it, and remove mining entirely. It was probably good to introduce bitcoin to people via mining back in the day, but we are beyond that point now.

[kokojie]

wow this is like the biggest reddit bitcoin thread ever. 1100+ comments, 700+ upvotes

[SgtSpike]

I've been spamming replies on it all day (good legitimate replies, that is).  Hopefully discarding some of the myths people have about bitcoin.

I completely agree with Erik - never talk about mining.  It is pointless these days.  Point out the merits of Bitcoin as a transaction system.  "You can send money to anyone anywhere in the world, instantly and for free, and there is no government or bank acting as a middleman."  When you make simple statements like that that people can relate to, they begin to understand why Bitcoin is such a revolutionary idea.

[mccorvic]

I've always said the following... never talk about bitcoin mining. Period.

When I tell people why gold is good money, I never discuss how gold mining is done.

If, during the conversation, the person asks "but where do new coins come from", answer like this...

"New coins are created by the network and given to those who contribute to the auditing/transaction verification process."  

It would be good if the creators of the WeUseCoins video would update it, and remove mining entirely. It was probably good to introduce bitcoin to people via mining back in the day, but we are beyond that point now.

Exactly.  I'm all for explaining mining if they ask, but only in the most generic terms at first. If they are interested enough and tech savvy enough, they'll be able to research that on their own in-depth and probably come out with even more interest in BTC than just hearing me blabber at them.

[Technomage]

This is excellent! Good job on commenting over there.

My view on the mining topic is that it should be dismissed fast. What I usually say is that it's required for the upkeep of the network, it's mostly for nerds and that it's the most competitive market in the world. Then I start talking about buying bitcoins, setting up Bitcoin donation addresses, selling stuff for bitcoins etc.

Mining is no longer something anyone can do profitably. It's a losing game unless you really put effort into it. I'm constantly frustrated why people are so interested in mining, probably because they think it's "free money". It will change in time.

[kokojie]

I've been spamming replies on it all day (good legitimate replies, that is).  Hopefully discarding some of the myths people have about bitcoin.

I completely agree with Erik - never talk about mining.  It is pointless these days.  Point out the merits of Bitcoin as a transaction system.  "You can send money to anyone anywhere in the world, instantly and for free, and there is no government or bank acting as a middleman."  When you make simple statements like that that people can relate to, they begin to understand why Bitcoin is such a revolutionary idea.

I agree, mining these days are reserved for highly motivated individual that is knowledgeable in hardware and software. Certainly not for someone just starting out anymore.

[molecular]

wow, just saw that bitcointip bot. That's awesome.

Unfotunately it doesn't answer my messages ;(

Could it be down or am I doing something wrong?

go here:

http://www.reddit.com/r/bitcointip/comments/13iykn/bitcointipdocumentation/

thanks. It was just very slow it seems. Got my replies with account info now.

I think this is such an awesome way to introduce people to their first bitcoins.

[Wintermute]

I've always said the following... never talk about bitcoin mining. Period.

Fully agree. When I introduce people to Bitcoin I completely avoid the mining topic (it is not relevant for beginners).

It would be good if the creators of the WeUseCoins video would update it, and remove mining entirely. It was probably good to introduce bitcoin to people via mining back in the day, but we are beyond that point now.

I hope that the WeUseCoins video will be updated. The video is the best introduction into Bitcoin I am aware of, but the mining part is confusing.

[molecular]

I've been spamming replies on it all day (good legitimate replies, that is).  Hopefully discarding some of the myths people have about bitcoin.

I completely agree with Erik - never talk about mining.  It is pointless these days.  Point out the merits of Bitcoin as a transaction system.  "You can send money to anyone anywhere in the world, instantly and for free, and there is no government or bank acting as a middleman."  When you make simple statements like that that people can relate to, they begin to understand why Bitcoin is such a revolutionary idea.

I agree, mining these days are reserved for highly motivated individual that is knowledgeable in hardware and software. Certainly not for someone just starting out anymore.

I agree with evorhees, sgtspike and technomage that we should not talk about mining unless asked about it.

However I don't think one needs to be highly motivated or knowledgeable in order to be able to mine sucessfully. That's just not true: just order some hardware and off you go, no soldering required. Thing is: the risk of not making a profit is very high nowadays. It's not something the average joe should be recommended to just jump in for the sake of his financial health. That has the potential to turn him away from bitcoin. I think, however that mining should be encouraged to be as distributed as possible in the long run for the sake of avoiding monopolies and/or cartels, but this is a less important issue than making bitcoin accessible to newbs.

Mining is not "reserved" for anyone