New site: BitcoinsForChristmas.com !!!

[ssaCEO]

Hi all.

In the interest of bringing Bitcoin to a wider audience, we've worked with GoWest (thebitcointrader.com) to bankroll and launch BitcoinsForChristmas.com, a new, free-to-use site that allows you to send a gift of Bitcoins to anyone with an email address, and helps them through the process of receiving their first coins. We think this site has the potential to dramatically improve the spread of the currency, by giving incentive (a gift) to a lot of people who wouldn't otherwise find the time to download a client and join our fledgling economy.

As a company with a deep stake in the future commercial viability of BTC, we've built this for the good of all Bitcoin merchants, including ourselves. A rising tide lifts all boats. There are no ads or banners on the site; only a "sponsors" links page which the gift recipient sees when they get their coins. We'll be contacting respected Bitcoin merchants shortly on how they can become sponsors; however, we only hope to break even on the design and development. We won't be excluding competing casinos from sponsorship, either, as we believe it's in all our interests to pull together.

So put the word out, and send your loved ones the gift of Bitcoin this holiday!

[Are-you-a-wizard?]

Finally somebody that understands the true value on Bitcoin. $0/BTC.

[nibor]

How much do they get? I assume as is free amount is very small amount.

Please could you add some screen shots of what they see, and also info about using email address.

Would be nice if you provided an address where people could top it up so the recipient got a reasonable amount of BTC.

[deslok]

How much do they get? I assume as is free amount is very small amount.

Please could you add some screen shots of what they see, and also info about using email address.

Would be nice if you provided an address where people could top it up so the recipient got a reasonable amount of BTC.

it's up to you i gave it a try and you get a message like this

Your gift is scheduled to be sent!
 Send the Bitcoins (minimum 0.1 BTC) to:
 13Gxo4QMTS3b2Td5y7gdsEmcoE7GqVwMm6
 
We'll send you an email shortly after we get the coins, and another one when your gift has been picked up!
 
If you want to make a change, use the browser back button and resubmit the form.
Note: This is a one-time-use address. Please send only one transaction to it.

[ssaCEO]

You can send as much or as little as you like. We're covering the transaction cost outbound, so they'll get the full amount.

Here's the page they'll see from the link in their email:

http://bitcoinsforchristmas.com/receive.php?hash=123

[GoWest]

I posted a blog entry about how it works: http://www.thebitcointrader.com/2011/10/bitcoins-for-christmas-aims-to-bring.html

The FAQ on the site should also answer your questions.

[evoorhees]

Great work guys!

Quick thing - the multibit download page URL link didn't work for me (shown on http://bitcoinsforchristmas.com/receive.php?hash=123)

[k]

Interesting, but if I got an email like this that I wasn't expecting I might assume it is spam or some sort of scam. You'll have to be careful to word it properly to avoid that.

[GoWest]

Great work guys!

Quick thing - the multibit download page URL link didn't work for me (shown on http://bitcoinsforchristmas.com/receive.php?hash=123)

Thanks!  Fixed.  MultiBit got rid of that page for whatever reason.

[ssaCEO]

Interesting, but if I got an email like this that I wasn't expecting I might assume it is spam or some sort of scam. You'll have to be careful to word it properly to avoid that.

Agreed. Here's how we put it.

Subject: joe (at) gmail.com sent you Bitcoins for Christmas!

Body:

joe@gmail.com has sent you 10.00000000 Bitcoins as a gift! They also sent a note:

    Merry Christmas! I know you wanted Belgian beer, and this is the best way to ship it =)

Bitcoins are just like cash. They can be exchanged for other currencies or used to buy things online. If you don't have Bitcoin yet, we'll explain how to set it up (it's easy). Just follow this link to pick up your gift:

http://www.BitcoinsForChristmas.com/receive.php?hash=********

[GoWest]

Interesting, but if I got an email like this that I wasn't expecting I might assume it is spam or some sort of scam. You'll have to be careful to word it properly to avoid that.

Agreed. Here's how we put it.

Subject: joe (at) gmail.com sent you Bitcoins for Christmas!

Body:

joe@gmail.com has sent you 10.00000000 Bitcoins as a gift! They also sent a note:

    Merry Christmas! I know you wanted Belgian beer, and this is the best way to ship it =)

Bitcoins are just like cash. They can be exchanged for other currencies or used to buy things online. If you don't have Bitcoin yet, we'll explain how to set it up (it's easy). Just follow this link to pick up your gift:

http://www.BitcoinsForChristmas.com/receive.php?hash=********

As long as people write sufficiently-detailed notes, gift recipients should be able to figure out that it's not spam.

[ssaCEO]

We've added an automatic return feature now, so you can send without worries. From the updated FAQ:

"In any case, if your recipient still hasn't picked up their Bitcoins 30 days after your email was delivered to them, we will automatically send you a link to reclaim the coins. On March 1st, 2012, we will liquidate all remaining unclaimed gifts and donate them to Habitat for Humanity. A receipt for the donation will then be posted to this site."

[Technomage]

I just found this. Excellent idea, I'm going to be sending a lot of these cards. Right now it looks like my christmas gifts are 99% Bitcoin related, either Casascius coins or these cards.