Open letter to Bruce Wagner

[URSAY]

I keep hearing you want "quality" people, not quantity.  I thought the goal was to out BTC into the mainstream.  Obviously the conference is shut off to any new adopters that are curious about BTC.  Admission fees seem unreasonable, especially in BTC which new adopters do not yet understand or know how to attain.

Most establishments would PAY an event to bring in more then 20 people!!

But hey, what do I know?  I'm just a guy that is able to see BOTH sides of the coin instead of spreading unreasonable and untruthful HYPE.

Do you know how much fees are at other conventions?

Do you know what a real convention is???  LOL.

[SgtSpike]

I was there. I'm from Sweden. Payed in total perhaps 1500 dollars to be there. Stayed in a truly crappy hotel (Latham Hotel on 28th Street) and have this to say:

• Could not afford to pay for the trip? Seriously? That is a lame excuse if you are from the US. How much could a plane ticked have cost? I know no one in NYC I could stay at, but if you're American then the chances are high you actually do.
• The conference fee was 2 BTC (you payed more for a table, but still). How far do you think that takes you in covering the costs for a "ballroom" at a fancy hotel in NYC? I'm sure Bruce made no money at all, and worked his ass off. And so did so many others of his friends and colleagues.
• Organizing an event like this is very very very hard work, and not profitable in any way. Pointing fingers at Bruce for doing a crappy work surely doesn't help much.

There's no way I could have afforded the trip.  Not everyone has thousands (or even hundreds) of extra dollars sitting around, waiting to be used on a plane ticket.  I'm struggling to pay my monthly bills as it is - haven't had any "fun money" beyond $5 for a couple of years now.

• There weren't that much stuff to stream, really. We had Bruce announcing the whole thing, then we had Gavin talk about the future of the code. Next up was Stefan Thomas talking about BitcoinJS, and finally Jeff Garzik's talk about the state of the coin (his slides are online, check his latest tweets). The rest of the whole thing was just socializing and lots of very interesting discussions with other Bitcoiners. The true content was in the personal meetings. Sorry guys, that's always the best thing with conferences.

Maybe I've been looking in the wrong place, but this is the first time I've heard anything about any of the speeches that were made!  I didn't even know the subjects that they talked about!  This is what we (on the forums) mean when we say we've heard NOTHING!  So thanks for giving at least a summary of what happened.

Now I'm not trying to be a huge complainer here.  I'm glad that, according to those who attended, the conference was a success.  I just wish that someone had made an effort to communicate with the outside world about what was happening.  Even just someone with tweets saying "Gaving is now talking about the future of the code", etc.  None of us knew anything about what was happening there, and that was just really a shame, especially after how much it was hyped.

[the joint]

Agreed.  There should have been way, way, way WAY more dedication to getting media coverage.  An economy can't grow without investors, and you can't get investors if they don't know what the hell it is.

[teflone]

Agreed.  There should have been way, way, way WAY more dedication to getting media coverage.  An economy can't grow without investors, and you can't get investors if they don't know what the hell it is.

This..

[Colargol]

There weren't that much stuff to stream, really. We had Bruce announcing the whole thing, then we had Gavin talk about the future of the code. Next up was Stefan Thomas talking about BitcoinJS, and finally Jeff Garzik's talk about the state of the coin (his slides are online, check his latest tweets). The rest of the whole thing was just socializing and lots of very interesting discussions with other Bitcoiners. The true content was in the personal meetings. Sorry guys, that's always the best thing with conferences.

You, and others here, seem to be missing the point of the OP.  If it was going to be a gathering of bitcoiners, who could afford the time and money to go, with little for outsiders who don't know much about the whole subject then it should not have been hyped the way it was with the talk of the whole event being broadcast live and wall to wall global media etc.   

And it seems unfair to call people who give this kinda feedback whiners who want to attack Bruce, especially when they add that they like Bruce and his show and are only posting to help improve things going forward. 

[bitminers]

Australian Bitcoin Expo

Date: 18th - 20th November

Location: Melbourne

Venue: Possibly Crown Casino (unsure)

Transportation: Possible Bus Pickup from ~Perth - Possible 'Taxi' service from ~Canberra (through to Melbourne)

Sponsorship:

www.MtGox.com - MagicalTux will be attending in person.

www.WorldBitcoinExchange.com - Andre Jensen will be attending in person

www.cryptoxchanger.com - Owner will be attending in person.

Live World Wide Video Stream for those people who cannot make it to the Event

[/b]

PM SomeoneWeird if you would like to sponsor

If you are interested in coming, drop by #bitcoin-aus on freenode
or PM me your location (rough location in state so we can work out numbers)

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=38867.0

[bbit]

Ok, all yes so maybe this wasn't the best conference but it was the FIRST keep that in mind! To blame Bruce isn't doing anyone any good. Grant it I was one of the few waiting for streaming of the event "live" also and was dissapointed!  but this only means things get better from here!

[defxor]

Do you know how much fees are at other conventions?

Do you know what a real convention is???  LOL.

I do. One of the conferences I'm going to in October has an admission fee of $4000.

[the joint]

There weren't that much stuff to stream, really. We had Bruce announcing the whole thing, then we had Gavin talk about the future of the code. Next up was Stefan Thomas talking about BitcoinJS, and finally Jeff Garzik's talk about the state of the coin (his slides are online, check his latest tweets). The rest of the whole thing was just socializing and lots of very interesting discussions with other Bitcoiners. The true content was in the personal meetings. Sorry guys, that's always the best thing with conferences.

You, and others here, seem to be missing the point of the OP.  If it was going to be a gathering of bitcoiners, who could afford the time and money to go, with little for outsiders who don't know much about the whole subject then it should not have been hyped the way it was with the talk of the whole event being broadcast live and wall to wall global media etc.   

And it seems unfair to call people who give this kinda feedback whiners who want to attack Bruce, especially when they add that they like Bruce and his show and are only posting to help improve things going forward. 

I think to me what was most disappointing is that this would have been a great opportunity for the media to get the RIGHT information.  With all the misinformation going around about how Bitcoin operates or how previous hacks actually happened, it would have been wonderful if the media could've actually heard the speakers and presenters and to actually hear from merchants and vendors.  Meh...

[repentance]

I think one big mistake was making it a four day event.  Defcon and the Microsoft World Partners conferences are both four day events so people expect an awful lot in terms of content from gatherings which stretch over that timeframe.

Even though the agenda for Bitcon made it clear that there was little in the way of organised content - and that what content there was wasn't really aimed at attracting the public - perhaps people expected that with so much time to brainstorm, the attendees would generate new content on the fly and present it to both the conference and the community.  That often happens at conferences which have a lot of open time so that expectation wasn't entirely unreasonable.

For what it's worth, I think that the choice of topics for the keynotes was a bit of preaching to the choir.  They were interesting topics for those who already have a stake in Bitcoin and what lies ahead but they weren't the kind of topics which attract the media or potential users.

[BitcoinStars.com]

Personal opinion is that NY Conference was a decent start to a great future of Bitcoin World Conferences.

We need to support our bitcoin community more. Build up confidence in every way. Cheer every new company (even if they do something better then your company).

Send business their way. Bitcoin is microscopic at the moment. We should all have a team player mentality.  

[fitty]

Bruce,

I and several thousand other people, forum members or not, were very exited and looking forward to this bitcoin conference. Mind you, bitcoin is the internet currency, so the "whole" internet was watching, or actually, not watching, because there was no live feed, no blog posts, no press release, no pictures, nothing.

Best regards,
aq

Myself and several thousand other people on the forum couldn't give two shits about the conference. It's 2011, there's more information on this forum in 12 hours then that entire 4 day conference. Conferences are an excuse for people to travel and pretend they're special. I've been to tons of them. I've never seen one that actually accomplished anything that warranted the time and effort.

Somehow we have to be face to face to "plan crazy cool new stuff!". Seriously. The people moving Bitcoin are the people using it on a daily/weekly basis as a *currency*. And the developers who are making that possible.

So there was a "conference" with a few people from an internet forum. And people weren't happy with the coverage? If there's been 10 threads about this "conference" that's about 9 too many.

[LightRider]

If you are so deeply concerned about bitcoin, stop complaining about the past and work towards its future.

[Bruce Wagner]

To those who say that I should have asked people to help with the live streaming and recording of the events, breakout sessions, etc...    See this post -- where I did exactly that:  https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=6150.msg465119#msg465119   

I also tweeted that to 12 or 13,000 followers on Twitter and Facebook.

To those who say that I should have asked for volunteers to help with Conference preparations and in general....   See this post -- where I did exactly that:  https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=6150.msg464047#msg464047

That blast also went to 12 or 13,000 followers on Twitter and Facebook, in addition to here in the forum thread.

I would love to have seen attendees live stream more.    Almost every one of them has the technology to do so.... in their pocket.

However, I do NOT blame them.     They came to the Conference to experience it themselves.... and to have conversations (private conversations, in many cases) which they would not necessarily want broadcast to the world.

I am grateful for the few who did stream it.    We were able to make a decent recording of the speeches.   We had Only One (OnlyOne, get it) working laptop, unfortunately.    And that laptop was needed to process the constant flow of incoming registrations / admissions.

Yeah.... That's a lame excuse.   We need to buy more laptops.   And attendees need to stream more too.

But, all in all, it was an AMAZING Conference.

For the record, I think  ---  No, I KNOW  ---  that the value of this WORLD'S FIRST Bitcoin Conference came from the private conversations with the genius minds that were in attendance...    Those private conversations could not be streamed to the world.

Even if there had been 1000 times more media coverage....   The value would have mostly been the private conversations....   at the bar afterward....   in the restaurants.... etc.     That's where the REAL magic happened.

I may not check this thread frequently.   I've commented on this thread:

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=6150.msg478104#msg478104

[bitstarter]

To those who say that I should have asked people to help with the live streaming and recording of the events, breakout sessions, etc...    See this post -- where I did exactly that:  https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=6150.msg465119#msg465119   

I also tweeted that to 12 or 13,000 followers on Twitter and Facebook.

To those who say that I should have asked for volunteers to help with Conference preparations and in general....   See this post -- where I did exactly that:  https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=6150.msg464047#msg464047

That blast also went to 12 or 13,000 followers on Twitter and Facebook, in addition to here in the forum thread.

I would love to have seen attendees live stream more.    Almost every one of them has the technology to do so.... in their pocket.

However, I do NOT blame them.     They came to the Conference to experience it themselves.... and to have conversations (private conversations, in many cases) which they would not necessarily want broadcast to the world.

I am grateful for the few who did stream it.    We were able to make a decent recording of the speeches.   We had Only One (OnlyOne, get it) working laptop, unfortunately.    And that laptop was needed to process the constant flow of incoming registrations / admissions.

Yeah.... That's a lame excuse.   We need to buy more laptops.   And attendees need to stream more too.

But, all in all, it was an AMAZING Conference.

For the record, I think  ---  No, I KNOW  ---  that the value of this WORLD'S FIRST Bitcoin Conference came from the private conversations with the genius minds that were in attendance...    Those private conversations could not be streamed to the world.

Even if there had been 1000 times more media coverage....   The value would have mostly been the private conversations....   at the bar afterward....   in the restaurants.... etc.     That's where the REAL magic happened.

I may not check this thread frequently.   I've commented on this thread:

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=6150.msg478104#msg478104

Wooo hooo go get'm Bruce!  Great job the event and talks where awesome thanks ! 

[the joint]

I agree with everything you said, Bruce, except I disagree completely about where the 'REAL magic" happened.  In my opinion, and I assume in the opinions of many of those who did not attend the conference, the real magic didn't happen at all. 

I would agree that there is something to be said for the utility of those conversations that were had amongst those at the convention, particularly among those who were (I hope) discussing real plans for forward movement.  However, the real magic that WE as the miners, sellers, and consumers who did not attend the conference wanted to see did not happen. 

The magic we wanted to see was an explosion of media hype.  We wanted all those amazing conversations converted into newspaper headlines.  Why?  Because the media has consistently gotten Bitcoin wrong.  It has misunderstood the program, the theory, the consumers, the merchants (omg omg omg illegal drugs everywhere!!!) and because of this, we wanted our collective voice heard. We wanted investors to have a reason to get involved with Bitcoin. 

Of course, it was beneficial for the Bitcoin Big Dogs to be there for each other for support and for communication about the future of Bitcoin.  But I have a feeling that most of that was just "feel good" talk...talk that reassured you that you all weren't wasting your time or crazy (don't get me wrong, I'd feel that some REAL magic happened if I got to interview that chick from Bit-pay, too).  The most common reason businesses or presidential candidates succeed is because they are known, and they are known through the media. 

Beyond the hype, the ideas and theories supporting the businesses or candidates barely even matter...they are secondary.  Because of this, Bitcoin must also be known through the media, and on a large scale.  Otherwise, you end up with Ross Perot -- a guy with really amazing ideas and a common sense approach, but nobody will ever give a shit.

By the way, I love your commitment and your show.  And, I want you to enjoy your conference high.  Just please come down from it sometime and realize how important the media coverage really is.

[LightRider]

I agree with everything you said, Bruce, except I disagree completely about where the 'REAL magic" happened.  In my opinion, and I assume in the opinions of many of those who did not attend the conference, the real magic didn't happen at all. 

I would agree that there is something to be said for the utility of those conversations that were had amongst those at the convention, particularly among those who were (I hope) discussing real plans for forward movement.  However, the real magic that WE as the miners, sellers, and consumers who did not attend the conference wanted to see did not happen. 

The magic we wanted to see was an explosion of media hype.  We wanted all those amazing conversations converted into newspaper headlines.  Why?  Because the media has consistently gotten Bitcoin wrong.  It has misunderstood the program, the theory, the consumers, the merchants (omg omg omg illegal drugs everywhere!!!) and because of this, we wanted our collective voice heard. We wanted investors to have a reason to get involved with Bitcoin. 

Of course, it was beneficial for the Bitcoin Big Dogs to be there for each other for support and for communication about the future of Bitcoin.  But I have a feeling that most of that was just "feel good" talk...talk that reassured you that you all weren't wasting your time or crazy (don't get me wrong, I'd feel that some REAL magic happened if I got to interview that chick from Bit-pay, too).  The most common reason businesses or presidential candidates succeed is because they are known, and they are known through the media. 

Beyond the hype, the ideas and theories supporting the businesses or candidates barely even matter...they are secondary.  Because of this, Bitcoin must also be known through the media, and on a large scale.  Otherwise, you end up with Ross Perot -- a guy with really amazing ideas and a common sense approach, but nobody will ever give a shit.

By the way, I love your commitment and your show.  And, I want you to enjoy your conference high.  Just please come down from it sometime and realize how important the media coverage really is.

Technology succeeds or fails regardless of media attention. The "media" is obsolete, irrelevant and corrupt, and relying on it to evangelize a system that directly threatens the monetary system they thrive on is a losing strategy. Media attention does not produce anything of value, only passionate and committed people who engage in those pursuits that benefit the technology and community will do so. Your expectations are what betrayed you, not the good faith efforts of others.

[geek-trader]

Technology succeeds or fails regardless of media attention. The "media" is obsolete, irrelevant and corrupt, and relying on it to evangelize a system that directly threatens the monetary system they thrive on is a losing strategy. Media attention does not produce anything of value, only passionate and committed people who engage in those pursuits that benefit the technology and community will do so. Your expectations are what betrayed you, not the good faith efforts of others.

Amen, brother!

I would have liked a nice price bump from post-conference media attention, but in the long run the ideas and products that come from back-room meetings at conferences like this will benefit Bitcoin much more.

Also, the price and difficulty stability we've seen this last week or two has been pretty nice, actually.  If the difficulty stays the same (and it seems like it will) then I have no problem with the price staying where it is.

Great new products and merchants using bitcoin, born from this conference, will do more to benefit us all then a temporary price bump (with a following difficulty bump) would.

[Bruce Wagner]

This was not just a Press Conference....    This was the world's first Bitcoin Conference.   I'm sorry if it didn't benefit those who did not attend enough... 

Perhaps one solution might be to.....  ATTEND the next one....?

The Press saying that they would be there..... was a side-effect....    It was not the purpose.

When we have something wonderful to promote...   Believe Me...   I do know how to get the Press' attention.    But we don't.    We're not ready.    The Press shows up when there is something newsworthy....  like ants at a picnic.

But we don't.   

Bitcoin still faces the big three challenges:

• Security
• Liquidity
• Currency Risk

But....

Great new products and merchants using bitcoin, born from this conference, will do more to benefit us all then a temporary price bump (with a following difficulty bump) would.

This.       

What WILL come.....  as a direct result of this Conference....   is going to blow YOUR minds.....   and knock your alpaca socks off!   

.......much sooner than you think!

[Gerken]

What WILL come.....  as a direct result of this Conference....   is going to blow YOUR minds.....   and knock your alpaca socks off!   

.......much sooner than you think!

Gosh, I'm having flashbacks.  Exactly what you said before about some AMAZING BLOW YOUR MIND announcement you had that would change the world of bitcoin, and all it was was announcing yet another conference.