[ActiveMining] The Official Active Mining Discussion Thread

[LorenzoMoney]

Just looked over the Advisory Board membership. I know most of those members from either postings on here or through personal conversations by phone or on IRC.   They each have either business or technical experience and appear to be good choices.

The idea of having monthly meetings with both large shareholders and the technical advisory board makes loads of sense. It allows for a balance of sorts, since large shareholders want to make money and have a vested interest in the long term success of ActM, but may not have the technical expertise, and some of the fellows on the board have clear technical skills but may not have the financial resources to have bought enough shares to have more than 100K.  It seems overall like a good blend of skill set, goals and interests.

Other mining companies and hardware companies have had inaccessible CEOs, closed management teams, and have be secretive. The board and plan for including big shareholders in regular meetings makes Active Mining different from ALL the other BITCOIN mining companies and is one more reason why I am Bullish on ActM. I for one and glad to have this particular Cheerleading Squad in place.  One day, we will have a party consisting of Ken, the Advisory Board and the big share holders and we will be laughing at how once, people were critical of ActM, and eventually the same crtics clamored to buy the stock and buy the miners produced by ActM.

[shrodes]

Once again, not a mention from The Genesis Block on ActM's planned 28nm chips (though 4 other competitors get a mention). Bit weird?
http://thegenesisblock.com/butterfly-labs-tests-market-tolerance-with-600-ghs-pre-order-announcement/

Email them and ask why they are leaving ActM out.

I did for The Genesis Block. No answer.

I posted a comment on that blog post, but it was awaiting moderation and not sure if it will get posted.

Should also note that all 4 of the 28nm chips mentioned in that post (KNCMiner, Hashfast, BFL and Cointerra) all get included in their fancy mining projection site:
http://mining.thegenesisblock.com/

[iCEBREAKER]

He's trying to pick up more cheap shares before the big announcement on Friday   Let him.

Exactly the opposite; I just sold my last few shares.   

Credibility, Sir.  Do you have any?

Price will continue to stabilize at .006 until we have some real news.  You have my word.

BTCT:
ACTIVEMINING   ▼ 645@0.005165

Bitfunder:
ACTIVEMINING   ▼ 1158@0.00450

[VolanicEruptor]

ice breaker at it again.. watch out! 

[djbooth007]

This is for Streets 2.0/PR.

I'm not sure if this has been addressed in the thread, but now that the board has been finalized, I'd like to request tabling a topic of discussion for the first official board meeting.

1. HashFast Vs 2. Fast Hash

1. being a company name not associated with ActM/VMC,
2. being a trademark (?) that is associated with ActM/VMC

HashFast has been receiving a lot of press recently and have established their name in the bitcoin community through various associations.

Fast Hash on the other hand, has not (pointed out by forum members recently). ActM would seem to be in "stealth mode" from a press perspective.

There will likely be ongoing confusion from customers, press and bitcoin enthusiasts who will not grasp the difference between HastFast and Fast Hash.

This is an issue that should not be swept under the rug and should be addressed soon before product announcements.

I recommend changing the name Fast Hash. Might I even suggest not using the words "bit", "hash", "coin" in the name.

1. ActM should actively try to avoid "trading on" the name of another company. This argument could lead to litigation.

2. Fast Hash "trademark" cannot be found and may not be legally registered (?) at http://tess2.uspto.gov/bin/gate.exe?f=searchss&state=4806:ju8qz3.1.1

3. Fast Hash has not firmly established a brand name in the bitcoin community as yet, so a name change should have very little negative impact, while largely alleviating other concerns.

My 2 satoshis

[somestranger]

There will likely be ongoing confusion from customers, press and bitcoin enthusiasts who will not grasp the difference between HastFast and Fast Hash.

This is an issue that should not be swept under the rug and should be addressed soon before product announcements.

Yes, definitely. We also need to have the lack of PR problem addressed rapidly. Forget spending hundreds of dollars advertising on Bitcointalk, we need to be seen on sites like TheGenesisBlock since many people use their mining calculator and read their articles to find out the latest about mining hardware.

I recommend changing the name Fast Hash. Might I even suggest not using the words "bit", "hash", "coin" in the name.

Something simple like the "VMC Modular Miner" or "VMC Active-ONE" might work. I agree some nouns should be avoided when coming up with a new name.

1. ActM should actively try to avoid "trading on" the name of another company. This argument could lead to litigation.

I'm pretty sure the FastHash name was introduced before HashFast appeared, but we should change the name to avoid confusion more than anything.

[bigdude]

Agree with both above.

I would take it a step further though.

Complete new products and names need to be focused on.

I have mentioned this previously, but the names of the product line, and the way the products are mentioned/advertised is way to complex.

I like the modular approach for big investors, but for small guys, who want to buy simple machines, have a simple name. BFL has Monarch, KknC have Jupiter, VMC has 'Fast-Hash-One 256 GH/s Module' and 'Pre-Order Fast-Hash-ONE 16 GH/s Chips (20,000 Lot)' (which doesnt even advertise 28nm).

The product marketing and design is a major problem

[djbooth007]

I have mentioned this previously, but the names of the product line, and the way the products are mentioned/advertised is way to complex.

From a marketing perspective, bitcoin miners are a relatively intelligent bunch, so the product name shouldn't matter tooooo much. But yes, just pick a cool name.

I'm pretty sure the FastHash name was introduced before HashFast appeared, but we should change the name to avoid confusion more than anything.

Let's also imagine a scenario where HashFast screw over their customers or develop a bad reputation. The confusion between names could reflect badly on FastHash/VMC. It's better to fully distinguish the product and leave no confusion what-so-ever.

[kingcrimson]

It is true that bitcoin users are smart and dont represent the average consumer, however, a lot of buyers will be pursuaded by the marketing gimmicks. BFL is destroying ActM in their presentation... The site is terrible right now, the product images, the logo (which looks like a cheap 90s wholesale site), the product description, product titles. Butterfly Labs by comparison is Apple level professionalism, simple, know exactly what you are getting, modern... I think it is very important and shouldnt be underestimated, there are a TON of fools who are going to buy the monarch because of it.

[bigdude]

It is true that bitcoin users are smart and dont represent the average consumer, however, a lot of buyers will be pursuaded by the marketing gimmicks. BFL is destroying ActM in their presentation... The site is terrible right now, the product images, the logo (which looks like a cheap 90s wholesale site), the product description, product titles. Butterfly Labs by comparison is Apple level professionalism, simple, know exactly what you are getting, modern... I think it is very important and shouldnt be underestimated, there are a TON of fools who are going to buy the monarch because of it.

+1gazillion

[VinceSamios]

This is for Streets 2.0/PR.

I'm not sure if this has been addressed in the thread, but now that the board has been finalized, I'd like to request tabling a topic of discussion for the first official board meeting.

1. HashFast Vs 2. Fast Hash

1. being a company name not associated with ActM/VMC,
2. being a trademark (?) that is associated with ActM/VMC

HashFast has been receiving a lot of press recently and have established their name in the bitcoin community through various associations.

Fast Hash on the other hand, has not (pointed out by forum members recently). ActM would seem to be in "stealth mode" from a press perspective.

There will likely be ongoing confusion from customers, press and bitcoin enthusiasts who will not grasp the difference between HastFast and Fast Hash.

This is an issue that should not be swept under the rug and should be addressed soon before product announcements.

I recommend changing the name Fast Hash. Might I even suggest not using the words "bit", "hash", "coin" in the name.

1. ActM should actively try to avoid "trading on" the name of another company. This argument could lead to litigation.

2. Fast Hash "trademark" cannot be found and may not be legally registered (?) at http://tess2.uspto.gov/bin/gate.exe?f=searchss&state=4806:ju8qz3.1.1

3. Fast Hash has not firmly established a brand name in the bitcoin community as yet, so a name change should have very little negative impact, while largely alleviating other concerns.

My 2 satoshis

VMC automatically has common law rights in the mark "Fast Hash" or "FastHash"

"Fast Hash"/"FastHash" is confusingly similar to "HashFast"/"Hash Fast"

VMC should has demonstrated prior use

It would be my suggestion to VMC to write a cease and desist letter - get it on the record that they believe HashFast is essentially passing off, and causing confusion in the market. Doing this would buy time to bring a case to court later if it is needed. The smart thing for HashFast to do (hell, I'm getting confused just writing this) is to re-brand.

I don't think VMC should rebrand the FastHash - to the contrary.

[VinceSamios]

I like the modular approach for big investors, but for small guys, who want to buy simple machines, have a simple name. BFL has Monarch, KknC have Jupiter, VMC has 'Fast-Hash-One 256 GH/s Module' and 'Pre-Order Fast-Hash-ONE 16 GH/s Chips (20,000 Lot)' (which doesnt even advertise 28nm).

Long term it will only be big investors mining - even $15k modules are extremely affordable to the big investors

I think we should all petition TGB to include FastHash machines, its in our respective best interests as shareholders to advertise "our" company - and something like this is a simple omission which needs to be rectified.

[djbooth007]

It would be my suggestion to VMC to write a cease and desist letter - get it on the record that they believe HashFast is essentially passing off, and causing confusion in the market. Doing this would buy time to bring a case to court later if it is needed. The smart thing for HashFast to do (hell, I'm getting confused just writing this) is to re-brand.

I don't think VMC should rebrand the FastHash - to the contrary.

A court case? As an investor, i advise focusing on product development and company branding. Not litigation.

[funkymunky]

The Advisory Board

Vbs (Electrical/Electronic Engineering; IT)
ArcticWolf (Telecommunications Management, Electronics)
lewicki (Software Engineer, Web Developer)
lolstate (Entrepreneur; IT consultant)
ffssixtynine (Software developer; Business owner)
Streets 2.0 (Server Infrastructure; Public Relations)

Congratulations to the above.

I'm very happy to see ActiveMining coming along nicely.



In regards to the lack of Public knowledge as to ActM, I have recently used a member of Bitcointalk to carry out a Bitcoin PR and Marketing piece for my company.

It has really helped out a lot in regards to the PR side of things, as a result of this we and I have personally been mentioned within many articles from this piece.


Feel free to PM me if you'd like further information,as I believe this will help a lot especially with the Genesis Block perception of us etc.

[btcrun]

Nice to hear, that the board is final! Hope this works out in ActM favour.

+1 on the above!

Yesterday I took a look at VMC's site and have to say, that there is a lot to be done.
First steps are done already, I don't want to talk it down, but in regards of CI (Corporate Identity) there is a lot of potential

First the things mentioned above (logo, broken links, confusing naming and the modular setups are not DAU friendly!)

Since there seems to be no spoiler tag in this forum, the below is only about the site in detail, i just my 2cents! I'm sorry if this gets to much into detail!

I do think that the shop and the actual page have to be more integrated. When on the shops page, it looks and feels differently and there is no way to get back to he actual homepage (I havn't found one, but teach me if I'm wrong).
It just doesn't feel intuitive.
Than I took a look at the mobile version (it's good to have one!) and the first thing that popped into my eye was the big search (if it is well designed I don't really need a search, so a small button would be sufficient).
After that it repeats itself often (I know it's just an early stage website and I don't want to talk it down, I just want to help make it better, since I have an interest in ActM )



"Our Offers"

the two categories and after that "All categories" which leds me to a new page with "Professional Mining" and "OEMs" again.
If I press one of the above buttons with the products it directs me to a new page with "See products" and "Fast-Hash-One-Chips"...Show me the products already! It's confusing.

"Sitemap"

again "Our offers" which directs me to some pages like "New products" and "Price drop"! Never devaluate yourself in front of customers! "These products are worth more than their price!!!"

There are a few more things to do and I do know that this is just a site generated with a template to have one! But this is the image people get from this company and it should be polished! If VMC (ActM) gets to be one of the first companies building AND shipping 28nm gear, this is a pretty big deal!

"Dress for the job you want and not for the job you have!"

Sorry if this got longer than I wanted it to be and I hope this is the right place for my criticism.

[ffssixtynine]

The issues raised in this page have definitely been brought up and are things the board will look to improve or deal with. I'll leave it to PR to comment on particulars.

It should be pointed out that it is an advisory board though; there are certain things that either we cannot deal with directly or we cannot discuss in public (or cannot be discussed with us) for legal or business reasons. I just wanted to say that to pre-empt certain things that may come up. ActiveMining is a separate entity to the board, as is VMC.

For the board, it's also all about the long term with ActiveMining and I personally don't want it to be drawn into  short term trade price issues.

There are some really good people involved, both on the board as it stands now and with ActM generally. The board is as much there to facilitate actions and conversations as anything else, so we expect to have other non-board members involved where relevant to their skills. As Streets (PR) said, the board size was kept small and with a particular makeup to allow it to function well.

There are some amazing other people to work with on practical matters, hence the large shareholder meetings will involve some extra people Streets/Ken picked out as well.

We're all volunteers so, whether on the board or not, we all just want to help make ActiveMining a success.

Item 1 on the agenda. The ActiveMining corporate theme song... (Kidding)

[VinceSamios]

It would be my suggestion to VMC to write a cease and desist letter - get it on the record that they believe HashFast is essentially passing off, and causing confusion in the market. Doing this would buy time to bring a case to court later if it is needed. The smart thing for HashFast to do (hell, I'm getting confused just writing this) is to re-brand.

I don't think VMC should rebrand the FastHash - to the contrary.

A court case? As an investor, i advise focusing on product development and company branding. Not litigation.

Opperative sentence being "buy time to bring a case to court later if it is needed" - you need to get it on record that you disagree with an infringing companies use of a term immediately - then bringing a case becomes optional. Ken could write a basic C&D in half an hour - in my opinion this is very worthwhile.

[shaofis]

It should be pointed out that it is an advisory board though; there are certain things that either we cannot deal with directly or we cannot discuss in public (or cannot be discussed with us) for legal or business reasons. I just wanted to say that to pre-empt certain things that may come up. ActiveMining is a separate entity to the board, as is VMC.

Looks like a pretty good solid selection of quality participates in this thread. I would advise that Ken and Streets/PR take into consideration the balance that they likely removed from this forum with these selections. Due to their memberships on the board certain privileged information will impact those members from providing much needed balance in posts. Official PR responses when applicable might help offset that.

Shao

[SebastianJu]

Once again, not a mention from The Genesis Block on ActM's planned 28nm chips (though 4 other competitors get a mention). Bit weird?
http://thegenesisblock.com/butterfly-labs-tests-market-tolerance-with-600-ghs-pre-order-announcement/

Its probably because ActiveMining isnt a Hardware seller in the first place. Asicminer was treated the same.

[redbeans2012]

Not sure if anyone posted this yet but it is another update from Avalon.

chips have arrived via other routes as previously announced, we are shipping them out at the rate of 40-50k on a daily basis at the moment, in addition to the ~150k or so that went out, another 40k was shipped today. There is multiple channel which the chips are arriving from various packaging facility to minimize downtime. Please bare this in mind: while we had backup/multiple packaging companies and various delivery routes, things still will go wrong. There is also testing that must be done, then they can split, packed and sent to the EZP coupled with their CN-22 and be on their way. We will provide more update as they come. In addition, the trade-in and refunds are being processed.