tl;dr A Proof of Kindness (POK) is when someone performs a small act of kindness, and then posts something online to document it.This is a quick explanation of how the POK system works.
It was developed for DoubleCoin, but is useful for any cryptocurrency system with the following three goals:
1. Distribute coins to good hearted people who want to support the currency but don't have much dispensable income
2. Provide incentive for shy people (like myself) to step outside their comfort zone and do acts of kindness they might otherwise be too shy to do.
3. Make the world a better, kinder place to live in. (This seems like a lofty goal, but after doing a few POKs, you'll realize how "viral" kindness is, and how small acts often ripple out into the world in larger ways you could have imagined).
An Example of a POKPontifier from Reddit bought DoubleCoin #7, and sent along some extra BTC with his payment, which went into the DoubleCoin "Pay it Forward Fund" which is used for small acts of kindness. I told Pontifier I'd show him a POK with whatever I used the extra BTC for.
Later in the day, I was walking by a homeless man who was sitting in front of a Starbucks. He asked for change, and, while I normally would have politely said "Sorry sir," this time I was on the lookout for a kind thing to do with Pontifier's donation.
So, I said, "Do you want anything from Starbucks?" He said "A hot chocolate would be nice" (it was pretty cold out), so I bought him one, and then recorded audio of the small moment of giving it to him, and posted it online:
http://picosong.com/e4K5As an insight into how viral kindness is, at the moment I was handing him the hot chocolate, a group of girls walked by. One of them realized what was happening, and after walking a few feet past us, she turned around and put a $5 bill in the man's cup. You can hear him say "bless you dear."
(How amazing is that chain of events that digital currency makes possible? Pontifier, a person I've never met, sends me a few mBTC, I turn it into fiat, use it to buy a homeless man a $3 hot chocolate, and within seconds a passerby is inspired to put $5 in the man's cup. Right there you can see that, not only is the kindness being passed from one person to the next, it's increasing in value!)
Why Do We Need POK? (Why Can't You Just Take People's Word For It?)While I am a strong advocate in taking people's word for it, whenever possible, the POK system serves two purposes:
1. Proof of OP DeliveryShowing Pontifier and the DoubleCoin community that the money actually went to a good cause shows them that the OP takes pride in delivering, and makes them more likely to support the Pay it Forward Fund,
and, more importantly,
2. Spreading Good VibesPosting some media of the kindness gives the community a small glimpse into the heart warming moment that was made possible by the donors' generosity, makes their day better, and inspires them to do similarly kind things. Media of the moment is much more powerful and inspiring than just a written story of what you did.
So, it's not about the fact that people will think you are lying, and that you need to "prove" what you did to show them otherwise. It's more about the fact that POK is simply a more effective means of perpetuating and spreading kindness as an activity and approach to daily life.
The POK BlockchainDoubleCoin is currently working on the concept of a POK Blockchain, which will be an ongoing multi-media ledger of every act of kindness which has been done as part of participation in the DoubleCoin Experiment.
The POK Blockchain is something that any cryptocurrency could implement, and if it became a common practice, it would be a useful tool for solving two of cryptocurrencies' defining problems:
1. Showing why cryptocurrencies are better for the world than fiat
2. Discerning which crytocurrencies are get-rich-quick schemes with no long term future, and which ones have a solid community of altruistic people working to support adoption and widespread usage for the long haul.
