This forum is fucking awesome!

[Free Market Capitalist]

Since I see many people with a pessimistic view of this forum, I'm going to give mine.

I first registered on a forum a couple of decades ago. During this time, I have seen forums degenerate, and even some die, yes, literally die. I started to visit a forum like a decade ago, and I could see it dying. One day you notice fewer posts being written. Another day you notice that the last post in the main section was written three days before. A few months go by, and you can see that the last post was written ten days before. It was someone asking a question and obviously did not get an answer. Then, you never visit the forum again and just suppose it no longer exists.

In contrast, the traffic on this forum shows it is very much alive

But this forum isn't just about traffic; it's also about quality if you know where to look. I don't know if some of you think a forum is a dissertation on a doctoral thesis. There's garbage on forums because in many cases people say the first thing that comes into their heads without thinking too much or reading much of what has been written before. But if you want quality discussions, you find them, or you can start them yourself.

But there are many complaints about this because the general belief is that if someone is paying you, you must write high quality content. That's not necessarily the case. If the company paying is allowed by the forum administration and both the manager and the campaigners follow the rules, I don't see a problem. And if the company is paying for advertising that supposedly does not give it a return, that is its problem.

If you see problems with this forum, you'd better check out shitcointalks to compare, as it seems you're losing perspective.

This forum has allowed and continues to allow people who are simply curious about Bitcoin to learn a lot over the years, interact with others, and even make friends.

A very important feature here is that there is no censorship, let alone by algorithms, which means there is a sense of freedom that you don't find on other sites.

The most important thing for me is that the level of engagement I have achieved in discussions here is something I have not achieved anywhere else. Nor has the feeling of belonging to a community. And it probably has a lot to do with the fact that here, if you meet certain requirements, you can get paid to write. They pay you to write, you spend more time here, you get more involved, you learn more, you contribute more, and when you realize it, you see that you've been here for years and that the forum has influenced your way of thinking and become part of your life.

I still visit some other forums, and I can tell you that this one is at least as good as any of them. I personally think what I’ve said in the title: this forum is fucking awesome.

Well, I've gotten that off my chest now. With so much pessimism around, I wanted to take my time to express what I think because sometimes I see your opinions and it seems to me that we're two different forums.

[Hatchy]

Well I guess aside from bitcointalk, I've registered on two other forums and all I can say is, when it comes to being active then btt would take the first place. Many of those other forums somehow tries to copy bitcointalk styles but the presence of well Informed individuals here on btt just hits differently. I'd say that all the knowledge I've gotten as regard bitcoin and crypto came from this forum and was completely free. That's what happens when you open up your mind to learn. Other forum deals with discussions that simply might not even be relevant just to keep up with the traffic but btt still beats them regardless of what they have to do. Cheers to everyone who has worked to keep the forum active...

[Ultegra134]

Many years ago, I had signed up on several forums, some were about sports (cycling etc. that I did back then) and others were generally about computers and technology, one of them was in Greek. The cycling forum (also in Greek) started slowly dying down, just like you described, less and less new topics, new replies on main sections started thinning out, going even days without a single post, till it simply died. Others that I visited less frequently died as well. The two technology forums though are still quite active, although the Greek one isn't what it used to be.

I signed up on this forum late 2014, I was a teenager back then and I was intrigued by Bitcoin, which brought me to this forum. Over the years, I've quit a total of two times, with major inactivity periods in 2015-2017 and 2018-2020, I don't remember the exact periods, but somewhere close to the years I mentioned. Nevertheless, I stuck around, talked to some great people, one of which recently died and was quite disheartened by it (RIP Condoras) and learned a lot about cryptocurrencies, Bitcoin, investments and so on.

Thus, to sum up, yes, this forum is indeed awesome!

[Mia Chloe]

This forum is fucking awesome!

Yeah I couldn't agree more lol Bitcointalk is damn awesome. I've learnt so much from this forum and I'm basically trying to stick around as much as I can and give back to the community. Gradually it's as if this forum replaces social media most times for me because each time you surf you either learn something new or discover something interesting.

This forum has it all from nice guys to guru's to nerds to assholes but I think that diversity is part of what keeps the community going. I'm definitely panning to be an OG lol..

[OgNasty]

Since I see many people with a pessimistic view of this forum, I'm going to give mine.

I think it is hard for those of us who were here for the glory days to see what this forum has become and stay optimistic that at some point the ship will be pointed in the right direction again.

People used to celebrate those who created Bitcoin use cases and accepted BTC for goods and services.  Now they call them scammers.

People used to build things and earn their reputation.  Now they team up to control the Default Trust network in a bid for worthless power.

People used to discuss and support new ideas.  Now they blast them as potential scams and try to destroy anyone who proposes anything in fear that it will shine a light on their own worthlessness.

People used to discuss what is best for Bitcoin.  Now they argue over whether people should use BTC or if it should be a store of value in the hands of Wall Street.

People used to value privacy.  Now they cheer for and urge forgiveness of those who dox others.

People used to value free speech.  Now they support those who sue over words.

People used to be against money laundering.  Now they beg to be able to advertise for it.

People used to post here because they enjoyed it and wanted to help Bitcoin grow.  Now they only do it to get paid.

Sure, this forum still has its uses.  There are people that will provide technical help for you if you need it and the historical value of this forum can't be overstated.  What it is now compared to what it used to be though...  It is sad how far it has fallen.

[Donneski]

This forum is fucking awesome.

When I joined BTT newly, things were very different for me. I was confused, overwhelmed and extremely cautious. I would read threads and immediately close the tab because I felt out of place, like everyone else was too experienced and I had nothing meaningful to add. At some point it even became a kind of phobia for me, I kept avoiding the forum because I was scared of making a mistake or asking a dumb question.

But I kept coming back, little by little and gradually the fear turned into curiosity, then curiosity became learning, learning became participation and participation became confidence. Looking back now, I honestly wish I discovered this place earlier in my Bitcoin journey. The amount of knowledge I’ve gained here from economics to cryptography to real-world Bitcoin use cases is something no YouTube video or blog ever came close to offering.

I’ve interacted with people whose insights genuinely changed how I understand Bitcoin and even how I think about money and the beauty of it all is what you rightly mentioned: no censorship, no algorithm pushing nonsense, just humans exchanging ideas.

So yes for me too, this forum is not just alive, it’s a living classroom and a community and hearing someone appreciate it openly like this makes the whole experience feel even more meaningful.

[Satofan44]

Merited by Mia Chloe (2)

Merited by a local board merit source who facilitates the ranking up of many shitposters and account farmers. The irony is beautiful here.

Now they only do it to get paid.

You get it, 99.9% of posts are completely generic junk by people who don't care about Bitcoin at all.

This is the only reason why you made this thread, everything else is a deception.

Yes we get it, your signature payments are under threat from this. You made your bias quite clear, there is no issue even if 99.9% posts are junk. All good. Now move along.

[Mia Chloe]

~snip

This forum has it all from nice guys to guru's to nerds to ASSHOLES

By the way another way to shit post is to quote someone when you don't have something reasonable to say.

[Satofan44]

By the way another way to shit post is to quote someone when you don't have something reasonable to say.

Keep ranking those accounts up, don't worry I see you. A few others do too.  Playing innocent when you are caught with your hand in the cookie jar is some toddler style defense. Perhaps it would be wise to grow up.

OP could stand a chance to be believed if he was not wearing a signature. This way, his motivations are always clear and corrupt.

[PX-Z]

Well I guess aside from bitcointalk, I've registered on two other forums and all I can say is, when it comes to being active then btt would take the first place...

I'll take this with a grain of salt since there are signature campaigns where most are motivated since most of those posts were paid. Although i can feel the same way as i'm a member of other non-crypto forum as well. A general topic-like forum, it is very active like some sub reddits but not the same way compare to here, but just like i said most of us here are motivated due to campaigns.

[suchmoon]

I frequent (or used to until recently but that's a different topic) a handful of other forums and none of them require me to wade through a pool of shit to get to what I want to read, or to watch my threads get drowned in mindless drivel. All of them nuke spam and AI slop on sight. It's not a controversial issue at all. I love Bitcointalk dearly but it is not a great place nowadays and getting worse.

[Vod]

I joined the forum a few decades ago, and while it is being overrun by AI slop, it is still the best place to promote bitcoin projects.   Most of the projects are spam/scam, but every now and then a good one sneaks through. 

[Doan9269]

I see that a lot of factors have contributed to the increase and growth of this forum in particular, let's start from bitcoin adoption, we can't compare the rate at which people were exposed back then, to be the same level they have ideas and information about bitcoin and the forum, just as we all know from the background story of bitcoin, when it started as nothing to what we have today, so I believe as we advanced in bitcoin adoption, the search for a platform to engaged Bitcoin also increases and people finds it more interesting to join others discussing bitcoin.

Secondly, we all cannot denied it that this forum after been found a good place to generate traffic as it continues to grows, the prospect, opportunities and potentials to discover from it increases as well, we can interact with each other aside bitcoin discussions, there are many sections of interest, not to mention the beauty of local board and the gambling sections, then the services board for promotional opportunities, lending, service discussion, politics and society, economic and so on, honestly since I discovered this forum, I've never been more interested on other social media as before like the way I appreciate being here.

[NotATether]

I have to be honest. When I first came here, I was surprised at how many different kinds of services were being advertised in the marketplace.

Besides casinos and (once upon a time) mixers, I found exchange representatives, VPS hosts, proxies, ad networks, gift cards, SMM panels, temporary email services, and even some art galleries.

And of course the token projects but I don't visit that section of the forum.

It makes me wonder, what other forums are there with this sort of versatility, great as advertisement venues? I know at least one, but obviously I would be open to hearing about others.

[stwenhao]

In contrast, the traffic on this forum shows it is very much alive

Being "alive" and having "good quality" are two different things. Sometimes, I go to Development & Technical Discussion and I can see some great topics, which I would never expect. And sometimes, I go there, and see nothing interesting.

A good example is when puzzle solvers try to find patterns in pseudorandom numbers, without understanding, what a hash function is, how it works, and where exactly they should look, if they want to optimize anything. If they compare first bits of RIPEMD-160, then they are wrong, because they should focus on different chunks. Even for SHA-256, the proper way is looking at the last bits, and not the first ones, because of endianness. The "real" hash of the Genesis Block is done after hashing af42031e805ff493a07341e2f74ff58149d22ab9ba19f61343e2c86c71c5d66d into 6fe28c0ab6f1b372c1a6a246ae63f74f931e8365e15a089c68d6190000000000.

the general belief is that if someone is paying you, you must write high quality content

Quite the opposite: many people produced a lot of useless posts, just because they were paid for quantity, and not for quality. If they would make 2x or 3x less posts, and spend the same amount of time writing it, then they could have better quality.

If you see problems with this forum, you'd better check out shitcointalks to compare, as it seems you're losing perspective.

And if you don't see the problem, then you can compare it with places like mailing list, or even Delving Bitcoin. In the old times, many developers wrote on bitcointalk. Today, most of them are no longer here. Guess why.

Merited by a local board merit source who facilitates the ranking up of many shitposters and account farmers.

Meriting a post is not a sign of agreement with the author. It is simply a signal, that a given post is not a spam. I sent a lot of merits to people I disagree with.

[Majestic-milf]

~snip

This forum has it all from nice guys to guru's to nerds to ASSHOLES

By the way another way to shit post is to quote someone when you don't have something reasonable to say.

Believe you me, it was unnecessary to give this user the gift of a response as I see him as some one who pick at others just to stay relevant. Sometimes, his observations are on point but it's like he enjoys impressing his intelligence on others.
Back to the discourse at hand; this place was the first place I've visited so I can't really pair and contrast but if I'm to give reasons as to why this forum sits at a higher pedestal is because apart from the knowledge gotten here, there are financial incentives attached and that's why more and more people keep coming here, going extra lengths to ensure that their accounts gets to the rank that can make you start earning.

[arhipova]

Since I see many people with a pessimistic view of this forum, I'm going to give mine.

I first registered on a forum a couple of decades ago. During this time, I have seen forums degenerate, and even some die, yes, literally die. I started to visit a forum like a decade ago, and I could see it dying. One day you notice fewer posts being written. Another day you notice that the last post in the main section was written three days before. A few months go by, and you can see that the last post was written ten days before. It was someone asking a question and obviously did not get an answer. Then, you never visit the forum again and just suppose it no longer exists.

In contrast, the traffic on this forum shows it is very much alive

But this forum isn't just about traffic; it's also about quality if you know where to look. I don't know if some of you think a forum is a dissertation on a doctoral thesis. There's garbage on forums because in many cases people say the first thing that comes into their heads without thinking too much or reading much of what has been written before. But if you want quality discussions, you find them, or you can start them yourself.

But there are many complaints about this because the general belief is that if someone is paying you, you must write high quality content. That's not necessarily the case. If the company paying is allowed by the forum administration and both the manager and the campaigners follow the rules, I don't see a problem. And if the company is paying for advertising that supposedly does not give it a return, that is its problem.

If you see problems with this forum, you'd better check out shitcointalks to compare, as it seems you're losing perspective.

This forum has allowed and continues to allow people who are simply curious about Bitcoin to learn a lot over the years, interact with others, and even make friends.

A very important feature here is that there is no censorship, let alone by algorithms, which means there is a sense of freedom that you don't find on other sites.

The most important thing for me is that the level of engagement I have achieved in discussions here is something I have not achieved anywhere else. Nor has the feeling of belonging to a community. And it probably has a lot to do with the fact that here, if you meet certain requirements, you can get paid to write. They pay you to write, you spend more time here, you get more involved, you learn more, you contribute more, and when you realize it, you see that you've been here for years and that the forum has influenced your way of thinking and become part of your life.

I still visit some other forums, and I can tell you that this one is at least as good as any of them. I personally think what I’ve said in the title: this forum is fucking awesome.

Well, I've gotten that off my chest now. With so much pessimism around, I wanted to take my time to express what I think because sometimes I see your opinions and it seems to me that we're two different forums.

This forum has survived FUD, bans, scammers, forks, and bear markets.
Not wrong to say that at this point it's basically immortal.

[ercewubam]

Not wrong to say that at this point it's basically immortal.

Only as "immortal" as CloudFlare is. Of course there are backups, but by taking down third party services like that, it can be easily turned off.

[suchmoon]

I have to be honest. When I first came here, I was surprised at how many different kinds of services were being advertised in the marketplace.

Besides casinos and (once upon a time) mixers, I found exchange representatives, VPS hosts, proxies, ad networks, gift cards, SMM panels, temporary email services, and even some art galleries.

And of course the token projects but I don't visit that section of the forum.

It makes me wonder, what other forums are there with this sort of versatility, great as advertisement venues? I know at least one, but obviously I would be open to hearing about others.

That's a weird criteria for a forum - to be an advertising platform. Other forms of social media are likely more suitable to this.

For me forums have always been about discussions. If the forum owner wants to make some cash to offset their costs by hosting some ads - more power to them. But turning every thread into a never-ending billboard seems extremely counterproductive. It's great that Bitcointalk is still alive despite this but I wouldn't call it an example worth following.

Having said that, some forums I'm on do have marketplace boards if it's relevant to the purpose of the forum. And ban scammers on sight. Another thing that's absolutely impossible here because reasons, while being common sense and not at all controversial elsewhere.