WeUseCoins - What would you include/exclude in a 2013 remake?

[payb.tc]

pretty much the most widely-viewed bitcoin video of all time resides on http://weusecoins.com

most of us have seen it, and it really gets top marks.

however, the video there is over a year old so I'm curious to know, what would YOU do differently, if you were making that video now in 2013?

...or do you think it is still as relevant today as it was in 2011?



personally, in 2013 i'd leave off the alpaca sock reference, as that fad seems to have aged.

...and i'd update the "we accept bitcoins" noticeboard to include imagery from sites like Wordpress.

also, i wouldn't use the phrase "no fees" anywhere... i might write "low fees".


edit: wow, it's actually almost 2 years old! time flies.

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[Matthew N. Wright]

also, i wouldn't use the phrase "no fees" anywhere... i might write "low fees".

I agree. Trying to convince people to switch to bitcoin to send money because of the lower fees is a bit disingenuous. Fees may eventually be higher than any other payment processor on the planet, or all of them combined, eventually. I agree that "low fees" is fair enough for the next decade.

[tpantlik]

Basicaly I think it would be OK to have one video especially for noobs - less talking about technical aspects and mining, more words about end-user experience, alternative clients, milestones achieved, big sites accepting BTC, ....

And maybe one video for geeks that not yet heard of bitcoin with tech stuff.

[Gabi]

I would change how mining is showed, yes it is important technically but bitcoin is no more a "you mine with your computer" thing. We are in 2013 now, mining today is about ASICs. When they speak about paypal they don't explain you how their servers work, how their software manage everything etc. Same for bitcoin, it is ok showing how bitcoins are generated, but in a different way

And yes, remove or change the alpaca socks reference. Today you can buy everything with bitcoin, two years ago you could buy only alpaca socks. So maybe say something like "you can buy this, this, this, this, also this and also alpaca socks!"

Then we have the problem about the client. Suggesting the qt client to new ppl is suicide, days to get the blockchain, it takes minutes to open when you launch it and the interface sucks. I would definitely suggest a lightweight client, together with the qt client.

[franky1]

update the video to have less emphasis on the miner because soon, you can only mine with ASICS (economically& effectively).

so the video shouldn't emphasize that its easy as "all over the internet, by anybody running free a application called a bitcoin miner"

the old/current video is like saying 'what is gold. gold is where you get a bucket and a wash plate and you collect lots of gold nuggets'. Yet in reality you need expensive excavators just to get to gold dust.

i think bitcoin mining has got to the stage that new people shouldnot be taught about mining as their entry into the coin. But how easy it is to set up business and shops, without having to rely on business plans and bureaucracy for banks just to get a payment gateway set up.

and unlike other payment systems no one entitiy controls it to stop certain countries from using it. anyone, anywhere can use it.

pretty much where is says "bitcoin is changing finance" at one minute into the video:
the parts before that point need changing, the parts after that point are great and need to be emphasised more

[phatsphere]

less mining, more emphasis on things like easy to use and fast to setup smartphone clients.

[Zangelbert Bingledack]

Make several slight variations for different audiences: newbs (smartphone, no mining, BitcoinStore/WordPress), merchants (ala today's CalvinAyre article), investors (emphasize market cap, appreciation, venture capital, etc.), libertarians, gamblers, and maybe even prospective miners (to strengthen the network). Each can be sold more effectively by tailoring the message appropriately.

[Bitobsessed]

also, i wouldn't use the phrase "no fees" anywhere... i might write "low fees".

I agree. Trying to convince people to switch to bitcoin to send money because of the lower fees is a bit disingenuous. Fees may eventually be higher than any other payment processor on the planet, or all of them combined, eventually. I agree that "low fees" is fair enough for the next decade.

I was thinking about this last night.  Credit card companies are changing the way merchants are charged for transactions in my opinion to try and compete with upcoming technologies like bitcoin.  It will be interesting to see how the network evolves as the release of coins is reduced and miners start to work only for transaction fees.  I am really interested to see how it will all work after most of the coins have been made.  Does anyone else think CC companies are doing this to stay on top?

Heres an explanation for the CC fees:
http://usa.visa.com/personal/using_visa/checkout_fees/index.html

[tpantlik]

Make several slight variations for different audiences: newbs (smartphone, no mining, BitcoinStore/WordPress), merchants (ala today's CalvinAyre article), investors (emphasize market cap, appreciation, venture capital, etc.), libertarians, gamblers, and maybe even prospective miners (to strengthen the network). Each can be sold more effectively by tailoring the message appropriately.

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=90138.msg1495995#msg1495995   

[jerfelix]

Make several slight variations for different audiences: newbs (smartphone, no mining, BitcoinStore/WordPress), merchants (ala today's CalvinAyre article), investors (emphasize market cap, appreciation, venture capital, etc.), libertarians, gamblers, and maybe even prospective miners (to strengthen the network). Each can be sold more effectively by tailoring the message appropriately.

For investors, you hit a few of the critical items, but some of those things are very dynamic (like Market Cap and appreciation).  You could say some general things about Market Cap and appreciation but they'll may get out-dated fast.  As I talk to people who are interested in investing in Bitcoin, I say that there are a lot of ways to invest in it; buying the currency is just one way.  Investing in companies who use Bitcoin, or who help others use Bitcoin seems like another way to invest.

I also use a log-graph of Mt Gox since the beginning, and I drew a line on it that shows that if you smooth out the bubble/crash, you are still looking at a 10% per month appreciation over about a 30 month period.

Some numbers that can really excite investors is to emphasize the investment that is already going on.  Look at how much IT infrastructure is devoted to Bitcoin.  Do the math on how much compute power is behind the mining process - my estimate was about $25 Million DEDICATED, working 24x7 crunching numbers.  Most IT Infrastructure in major corporations is barely tapped - maybe averaging out at 20% of capacity (probably a gross over-estimation).  This is $25 Million working at 100% CPU/GPU/ASIC capacity.  $25 Million worth of infrastructure cooperatively working together, but in a "trust no one" architecture, provided by hobbyists and small businesses.  And that's just for Mining.  It doesn't even scratch the surface of the exchanges, the clients, the payment processors, the forums, etc.

And the human capital behind this thing is tremendous as well.  There are some really smart developers who have a vision and are working very hard, recognizing that they have a lot at stake if this succeeds.

[oleganza]

I would avoid saying "sending money directly". Because, first of all, it's a lie. Money is sent through many other nodes and tx is confirmed by some miners. Secondly, a lot of people would use some payment processing agencies like bitpay.com, bitcoin-central.net or coinbase.com anyway and this is not "paying directly" at all. What's important is not "directness", but the freedom of choice. Anybody can mine anywhere in the world and anybody can work as a mediator, payment processor or insurer.

In short, you have huge freedom of choice how to process your transactions, which leads to better security, better performance and lower prices.

[kiba]

And let not fund a guy who lost all his coins. 

[Jan]

And let not fund a guy who lost all his coins. 

Wut?

[Gabi]

This article explain bitcoin to everyone better than Weusecoins do http://calvinayre.com/2013/02/01/business/why-bitcoin-can-no-longer-be-ignored/

[evoorhees]

If new welcome video is made, do not talk about Bitcoin mining in it whatsoever.

Mining is not a topic for noobs. If someone gets hooked by Bitcoin, they'll learn more, and find out about mining later.