How Bitcoin Can Improve Its PR

[Mikerogers]

First and foremost, it starts with forgetting the Bitcoin foundation, and any other organization that acts as a central figure for that matter. Then we need a good spokesman, someone who does a good job with being interviewed about Bitcoin, and someone who has some skin in the game. If the media gets educated, the general public will slowly learn too. Lastly, we need to de-tech Bitcoin for the average person. Tech terminology can really scare people away, as many people won't invest in something that they don't understand. The only solution to this would be more user friendly services. This goes for ATMs, wallets, security, etc. Bitcoin has to focus on its PR, it's the only way good exposure can be spread. If there's positive sentiment towards Bitcoin, people will focus on the perks and not the cons. (Association to drugs/crime)

This post describes some of the reasons why Bitcoin has a PR prob: http://www.panture.com/5-reasons-why-bitcoin-has-a-pr-problem/

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[waldox]

get media/government/celebreties invested into bitcoins
they wont want to dirty their own bitcoin savings

[jc01480]

I'm not a PR guy.  Come to think of it, I'm not really politically correct most days.  But I agree with you, Mike.  The question is how to get a decentralized group of people (us) together to help the public understand the decentralization and benefits of Bitcoin.  Where I am the community always has public events locals participate in while promoting their businesses at the same time.  They do fun-runs, walk-a-thons, and even adopt-a-pet events (do NOT tell my wife she can bring another dog home!).

How did you and I get involved?  I read about Silk Road and Bitcoin in late 2012 and all through 2013, but never touched it.  I think I even tried to ask someone in the deep web how to buy bitcoins and the process just seemed so freaking shady.  When I really got in to it I found the exchanges, most of them being overseas.  Now we have several here in the US that really look good so far.  The first bitcoin I ever bought made my heart palpitate.  After that I was hooked. 

I fear that we are considered anarchists at the moment.  One idiot politician even considers us terrorists for attempting to destabilize the nation's economic status.  No, they did that all by themselves I'm afraid.

However, let me draw upon an analogy from another product out there.  We've all heard of e-cigs, right?  Currently there is very little legislation (FDA is on the ball I hear) keeping them out of the hands of minors.  Yet, every store I've ever been in across several states was adamant that the purchaser had to be 18 or older.  I was very impressed with the self-governing in the absence of government direction.  I contend that Bitcoin can do the same.  Hell, the Fed is a private organization.

Perhaps creating some general "industry standards" for it to portray a sense of officialdom.  In this we'd have to address each element that makes users wary such as fraud, etc.  We could really score some points if we could knock down the fraud.

[blatchcorn]

I think that first and foremost we all have a responsibility to promote and represent bitcoin is a positive light.  Afterall, we are the mediums through which bitcoin will spread.  This can be as simple as letting your friends know what you have with bitcoin and answering any questions about it.

But on a larger scale, bitcoin needs a recognised, trusted and popular face backing it to the masses.

Someone like Patrick Bryne or more ideally Richard Branson would be ideal.

[Beliathon]

I would say step 1 is making sure everyone you know sees this video - Bitcoin vs. Political Power

Needs more NSA jokes imo. Or Bitcoin could just wait 6 months.

Waiting 6 months will always improve Bitcoin's PR, because Bitcoin will almost always be more valuable six months later.

[yapusi]

It's not easy to change the attitude of this world, but let's find a way to try.

[hilariousandco]

The best PR we can get is just to keep telling people about it and getting them to use it. Tell everyone you meet and suggest it to merchants you come into contact with. Explain what makes it unique and the benefits it has to everyone involved and the money they can save by using it. the The PR will improve over time as people realise the truth.

[Balls]

Just keep using it. That's the best pr and the public will see this eventually.

[guybrushthreepwood]

Why is the foundation bad, but a spokesman good? Not everybody would be happy with the spokesman that is picked, but there are already several unofficial spokespeople of bticoin out there doing a good job.

[Dalmar]

Get rid of delusional cultists who creep out newbies.

[PCUser]

we should provide a donation to pay highly skilled PR professional to give BTC a really good advertisement campaign

[makebitcoin]

I just saw on Reddit MasterCard paid lobbyists to lobby against Bitcoin. Maybe the people behind Bitcoin should get into the lobbying game themselves.

[justusranvier]

This post describes some of the reasons why Bitcoin has a PR prob: http://www.panture.com/5-reasons-why-bitcoin-has-a-pr-problem/

Bitcoin has no image problem.

These “image problem” people are like if the Clampetts discovered that they were sitting on a swamp made out of crude oil and worrying that people won’t accept it because it’s too ugly and gross, so they try to convince people that it’s a pretty shiny pink and tastes like cherries.

The only way to think Bitcoin has a bad image is by marketing it to the wrong people. Yes, just about everyone could benefit from Bitcoin right now, but for most people, the immediate benefit would be relatively small, and it is too much to ask them to understand both the economics and the cryptography that would be required to convince them that Bitcoin has a vastly greater potential than it has yet achieved. Instead of marketing Bitcoin to the people creative enough to see its potential, or to those who so desperately need it now that its benefits are obvious, entrepreneurs like Jeremy Allaire are attempting to market Bitcoin to the average American as a payment-processing system. This is premature because Bitcoin’s benefit as a payment system is only significant after lots of people already have it—therefore the benefit is marginal to most people. As Bitcoin improves, and particularly when it begins to weaken the fiat money system, more and more people will find it prudent to adopt it.

Bitcoin inspires suspicion among bankers and regulators. Bitcoin has a bad image with them, but that’s their problem, not Bitcoin’s problem. Those who are worried about banks boycotting Bitcoin or the government regulating it out of existence should not plan to start a Bitcoin business under such regime uncertainty. Eventually, Bitcoin will have become so widespread that it will have drastically reduced the scope of both banks and government. Then that will be a good time for payment-processing companies.

This is all a bunch of narcissism. It’s an emphasis on appearance without substance and respectability among people who don’t matter. Bankers aren’t Bitcoin owners yet, and until they are, their opinions are not important. If Jeremy Allaire thinks that Bitcoin has an image problem, he should try smuggling it into Argentina instead of marketing to Americans and bothering with American banks.

[Mikerogers]

Why is the foundation bad, but a spokesman good? Not everybody would be happy with the spokesman that is picked, but there are already several unofficial spokespeople of bticoin out there doing a good job.

No no, I believe nobody should be appointed, but rather emerge on their own. If there's someone out there who can properly explain Bitcoin and all its nuances, then he'll slowly emerge as a credible person. When there's people that go on the media to bash Bitcoin, it's ideal to have someone that knows what they're talking about to argue with them. And the foundation only cares about themselves, corrupt group imo