How do we change people's mentality about Bitcoin

[HBBZ]

The biggest problem is the bitcoin.org website.

For once I 110% agree with you.

But where is the hold up? Can you specifically list the problems? I mean it's pretty hard to imagine someone like bitpay or bitinstant or mtgox or even bitstamp wouldn't sacrifice some of their capital in order to fund a website overhaul and relaunch..

The possibility is that bitcoin.org deliberately maintains obscurity, it's only spiritual and symbolic, in the same way as a command-in-chief doesn't do much manual work. 

[siesatsu]

Paypal is the biggest scam artist around, Bitcoins are far superior.

[edd]

to change peoples minds there needs to be a list of the so called 2000 bitcoin businesses out there, and not just the handful that keep getting passed around.

saying there is 2000 businesses and yet no one knowing the entire list is a problem. so the only thing that gets emphasised the most is the illegal activities as that the only thing people know about.

wordpress is getting mentioned more and more. but if a outsider asked 100 different bitcoin users what they can use it on. and the response they get is:

satoshi dice
silk road
wordpress
web hosting

The Bitcoin List is by no means an exhaustive list of bitcoin accepting businesses, but it's something to point people to.

[Jan]

The Bitcoin List is by no means an exhaustive list of bitcoin accepting businesses, but it's something to point people to.

This site seems not to be maintained...
I tried 4 random links, just 1 worked 
bitcoinporn 

[edd]

The Bitcoin List is by no means an exhaustive list of bitcoin accepting businesses, but it's something to point people to.

This site seems not to be maintained...
I tried 4 random links, just 1 worked 
bitcoinporn 

The site is mine but I admit I haven't done much housekeeping lately. If you'll tell me which links were broken, I'll update the listings.

[Matthew N. Wright]

Couldn't companies like Paypal and Western Union just piggyback on the Bitcoin network, thus causing Bitcoin to increase in value yet no one even knows about Bitcoin at the same time? Why does it feel like that is a more likely future than everyone using long addresses and QR codes to do transactions?

[franky1]

The site is mine but I admit I haven't done much housekeeping lately. If you'll tell me which links were broken, I'll update the listings.

although i was looking for a list of the 2000 PROPER BUSINESSES and not a hand full of 17's hobbycrafts. there are a few proper businesses listed such as a cupcake company. but still no clear sign that bitcoin is for regular use for proper businesses or customers.

i also clicked through a few links and found dead sites. i gave up looking once i seen a majority of them needed updating. but heres just a few to help you out (the link is the category and the standard text are business names.. obviously)
http://www.thebitcoinlist.com/dp_food/sundries/ - bit munchies dead
http://www.thebitcoinlist.com/dp_advertising/classifieds/ bitthreads, btc.isnan, kytrader, dead dead dead

now ignoring peoples online hobbyshops. we need a list of proper businesses selling proper products to help show bitcoins usefulness and acceptance to the non community members.

EG http://cupsandcakesbakery.com/ its an actual high quality designed website. with a real bricks and mortar business attached to it. it looks like someone from outside the community already had a business and seen bitcoin as a benefit to them. thats the kind of lists we need, businesses like that.

although i love the story of the alpaca socks thing. their website looks like a bland hobbyists site, more so then an established business making annual profit.http://www.grasshillalpacas.com/alpacaproductsforbitcoinoffer.html

if we want the non community to see bitcoin as not just a barter system for under 30yo hobbyists where a significant portion are silk road users. then 'the game' needs to be stepped up.

if scam artists can make great looking websites (cpc electronics) and the community opening up their own small webstores can only pull off a one page of bland design. then the outside world will not take bitcoin serious.

other posts in the thread used the term 'official site'. there is no official site. but there is and should definitely be a PROFESSIONAL site. and many of them.

[01BTC10]

The Bitcoin List is by no means an exhaustive list of bitcoin accepting businesses, but it's something to point people to.

This site seems not to be maintained...
I tried 4 random links, just 1 worked  
bitcoinporn  

bitcoinporn.blogspot.ca contains content from www.targetingnow.com, a site known to distribute malware. Your computer might catch a virus if you visit this site.

What happened when Google visited this site?
Of the 3 pages we tested on the site over the past 90 days, 1 page(s) resulted in malicious software being downloaded and installed without user consent. The last time Google visited this site was on 2013-01-18, and the last time suspicious content was found on this site was on 2013-01-18.

[furrycoat]

Explain to them the beuty of anonimity and instant transactions, then tell them like any other currency it has its sum of criminals.

[twolifeinexile]

Explain to them the beuty of anonimity and instant transactions, then tell them like any other currency it has its sum of criminals.

 The real beauty of bitcoin your really do not need a payment network in the end ( now we need it because so less merchants accept it ), it is safe from any third party (you need to protect your own key though), NOT anonymous ( if you and your address is linked) and anonymous at the same time(just like email address). It make financial innovation a snap (you can organize your own exchange and contracts easily).

And like cash, some criminal use it, but you know what? Cash is really untraceable, bitcoin is actually fully traceable!