The Bitcoin Alliance - Yours If You Want It

[dwords]

Cross posted to r/bitcoin

In the most recent episode of Lets Talk Bitcoin (http://letstalkbitcoin.com/e95-the-captain-and-the-keep/) , Anthony Di Lorio of The Canadian Bitcoin Alliance and Andreas Antonopoulos discuss the Bitcoin Foundation and The Global Bitcoin Alliance. Well worth a listen. I'm personally ambivalent to the politics of the former but do like the concept of a loose federation of groups grown from the ground up. To me, such an alliance of people helping themselves fits well with the bootstrapped nature of the blockchain.

In the next few years, beyond the early adopter phase, tens of thousands of business people and millions of ordinary citizens are going to form thousands of adhoc groups trying to get to grips with this thing. They will come together to learn, to brainstorm, to collaborate and to share.

In the spirit of decentralised organisation, I have set up a site at http://thebitcoinalliance.com and offer it free to anyone wishing to use it. You do not need to be a member of any club and do not need to pay a joining fee or subs. This is a service to the community and if the Global or Canadian Alliance wish to take it over, I will donate it to them as long as they leave it free for anyone to use and membership to the wider alliance remains optional.

Intended as a work-space and a way to make and maintain connections, you can form or join groups – semi-public or private - to discuss a subset of your interest. This is a blank space to use as you wish. Create a forum, make connections, form discussions based on a project, location, language or topic. Find experts. Make things happen or chew the fat.

I'm a writer, not an entrepreneur and have asked no-one's permission to do this. Although I align myself with the aims of The Global Bitcoin Alliance, I represent no-one and will not speak on anyone's behalf. I simply like Di Lorio's and Antonopoulous' approach and have taken the logical next step. Crypto currencies and trustless networks are set to change the world. They will foster the next wave of decentralisation and self-determination. To that end, we need tools to connect and network. Until we can turn it into a DAC, I hope this will be a useful compromise.

Right now, there's no-one there. It's yours if you want it.

[Paleus]

Awesome stuff dwords! I am currently working with the Bitcoin Alliance of Canada right now to promote the upcoming bitcoin expo in toronto. You can find out more here: http://bitcoinexpo.ca/

I also see you are a writer. As am I. I'm currently working on a project that may spark your interest. More can be found here: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=536599.0


In regards to the domain how do you see it being used differently from country specific sites such as bitcoinalliance.ca or bitcoinalliance.fr?

[dwords]

Hi Paleus,

Your book looks interesting. I will look closer after this reply.

I imagine all these small groups around the world. They are meeting in pubs, community rooms, schools and homes. Not everyone can get to London or Tokyo or Toronto etc. I would like to see this dynamic reflected online. That said, I'd prefer not to proscribe what is needed but provide a blank canvas on which real people will paint.

For instance, I am interested in Ethereum as well as bitcoin the currency but also in the community factors involved in some alt coins (eg Doge) and (as a sf writer) where the tech will ultimately take us. I imagine a multitude of groups. Some may live for a few weeks - the life of a short project - or grow large and permanent. Local meetups might want to continue the conversation between monthly meets. Comfortable with the setting, they could search and link up with others further afield. Maybe someone in a remote location has an idea and wishes to find coders or enough bodies to give it a spin.

The site is built using a Ning network so you have the standard social tools without the intrusion of Facebook. You can 'Like' posts and people, make connections and recommendations. Although it is open to anyone (and people can use pseudonyms) you can create a group and define how private or public it is (anyone can join or only those invited or people who fit a certain criteria). Discussions can be open or closed, visible or secret.

The overarching philosophy is that I do not own it - the community does. This is one of the reasons I offer to donate it. Out of my control, there is no suspicion of ulterior motives and people might be more willing to take ownership themselves.

The site is fully functional now. Go have a look. The donation offer is genuine. Thanks for your post

[RodeoX]

Cool man! Thanks for your contribution to the bitcoinishere. 

[dwords]

Thanks, RodeoX.

[counter]

+1 I also must tip my hat to you for your efforts to better the community on a global level in more ways then one.  I hope your efforts pay off 10 fold!

[dwords]

Kind words, counter. Thank you.