Tips for Talking with Your Family about Bitcoin at Thanksgiving

[Gliph]

Hey Bitcoin Talk,

For folks celebrating Thanksgiving this week, I put together a little guide for talking about Bitcoin at a family gathering. While Thanksgiving is a time for appreciating what we have and being with loved ones, it is also a time where ideas are shared.

I thought you all might enjoy the whimsical image of a turkey holding a Bitcoin we put together. It is original / combined with a royalty free image, so you are all welcome to use it elsewhere.  If you feel like it, you are welcome to upvote the reddit post for the blog entry.

Apart from giving thanks for all of the positive things we’ve experienced this year, Thanksgiving is a common time for sharing ideas.

With the holiday near, we thought it might be helpful to provide tools for communicating the promise of Bitcoin with your friends and family.

The following tips are meant to help an experienced Bitcoin person have a more thoughtful discussion with loved ones about the technology. While these tips are focused on Thanksgiving, they may also be useful to people around the globe at any holiday gathering.

0. Don’t Let Bitcoin Gobble up the Holiday
While this guide is meant to help you introduce Bitcoin around Thanksgiving, remember that this holiday is an unusual opportunity to share in the lives of your close and extended family.

1. Downplay Your Enthusiasm and Expertise for Bitcoin
No matter what the idea is, people need time to adjust to new information. Even if your family knows you to be a Bitcoin enthusiast, and you read /r/bitcoin every day, downplaying your expertise (and belief Bitcoin’s importance) will allow everyone to join in the feeling of wonder over the course of discussion.

2. Listen First
The topic of Bitcoin commonly receives a bi-polar response. Some praise Bitcoin and others are starkly concerned. More common than either of these reactions is confusion. The word “Bitcoin” is known to many, but most people know almost nothing about it.

When someone asks for your opinion on Bitcoin, begin by asking how they feel about it. If you take some time to understand what they know, including misperceptions, it will allow you to respond in a way that gives you the best opportunity to be understood.

3. Avoid the Details
Given how quickly discussions can change, focus on Bitcoin’s high-level points first. (For example, see the Why section of the Bitcoin wiki) If you lead off with Side Chains, Smart Contracts or the recent pivoting of the Bitcoin Foundation you’re going to hear “pass the cranberry sauce” before you can share important basics.

There are 4 more tips in the blog entry here.

Rob

ps. Unrelated to this, Gliph has something pretty darn cool coming in December. I'll of course post when I have more to share!

[anshar]

And refer them onto the massive discounts and savings which can be collected from BitcoinBlackFriday.com deals!

[bornil267645]

I think some of the crazy Black Friday deals might provoke them

[fryarminer]

Giving them bitcoin will get them interested. Even just a little bitcoin - walk them through opening a wallet and send them some. Then they will want to spend it, and will get hooked.

[Willisius]

And refer them onto the massive discounts and savings which can be collected from BitcoinBlackFriday.com deals!

I personally do not believe in the hype about black friday, bitcoin related or not.

I wold say a much stronger argument would be the longer term savings from the merchants not having to deal with the credit card fraud and the credit card processing fees

[cyberpinoy]

Very few people ever talk about one of the most important things about bitcoin, and with all the overseas and immigrants we have this is very important to them, as it could save them thousands of dollars a year .

Bitocins extremely low transaction fees to anywhere in the world. I can send 5 bitcoins to my uncle 5000 miles away and it will cost me just cents then he can withdraw them thru a place like local bitcoins directly to his bank account with absolutely no exchange fees and no transfer fees.

I love this about bitcoins and I think if more people understood this process more people would be using bitcoins to send money to their friends and family.

Also its a way to keep the value of Bitcoins at a norm as most local bitcoin buyers hold their coins for a while and only sell the profit they make from buying and selling them

[Daniel91]

Very few people ever talk about one of the most important things about bitcoin, and with all the overseas and immigrants we have this is very important to them, as it could save them thousands of dollars a year .

Bitocins extremely low transaction fees to anywhere in the world. I can send 5 bitcoins to my uncle 5000 miles away and it will cost me just cents then he can withdraw them thru a place like local bitcoins directly to his bank account with absolutely no exchange fees and no transfer fees.

I love this about bitcoins and I think if more people understood this process more people would be using bitcoins to send money to their friends and family.

Also its a way to keep the value of Bitcoins at a norm as most local bitcoin buyers hold their coins for a while and only sell the profit they make from buying and selling them

Very good points, I agree with you.
We have to explain benefits of the bitcoin to average people in the simple way, not to complicate to much.
So, if we can explain how easy and cheap is to send money in this way, or that they can earn very good profit when value of bitcoin increases, this will make them interesting

[Lethn]

Don't, it's like me hearing about people who have to put up with their racist grandparents or something at thanksgiving you'll just be annoying

[Q7]

I won't be touching on the word investment. Instead will just let them know about the savings they will make for performing cross border transaction. I believe that is the main selling point everyone should use to convince.

I can expect it won't be easy so it will be up to individual one of us bitcoiners to play our part

[fabiola!]

Hey Bitcoin Talk,

For folks celebrating Thanksgiving this week, I put together a little guide for talking about Bitcoin at a family gathering. While Thanksgiving is a time for appreciating what we have and being with loved ones, it is also a time where ideas are shared.

I thought you all might enjoy the whimsical image of a turkey holding a Bitcoin we put together. It is original / combined with a royalty free image, so you are all welcome to use it elsewhere.  If you feel like it, you are welcome to upvote the reddit post for the blog entry.

Apart from giving thanks for all of the positive things we’ve experienced this year, Thanksgiving is a common time for sharing ideas.

With the holiday near, we thought it might be helpful to provide tools for communicating the promise of Bitcoin with your friends and family.

The following tips are meant to help an experienced Bitcoin person have a more thoughtful discussion with loved ones about the technology. While these tips are focused on Thanksgiving, they may also be useful to people around the globe at any holiday gathering.

0. Don’t Let Bitcoin Gobble up the Holiday
While this guide is meant to help you introduce Bitcoin around Thanksgiving, remember that this holiday is an unusual opportunity to share in the lives of your close and extended family.

1. Downplay Your Enthusiasm and Expertise for Bitcoin
No matter what the idea is, people need time to adjust to new information. Even if your family knows you to be a Bitcoin enthusiast, and you read /r/bitcoin every day, downplaying your expertise (and belief Bitcoin’s importance) will allow everyone to join in the feeling of wonder over the course of discussion.

2. Listen First
The topic of Bitcoin commonly receives a bi-polar response. Some praise Bitcoin and others are starkly concerned. More common than either of these reactions is confusion. The word “Bitcoin” is known to many, but most people know almost nothing about it.

When someone asks for your opinion on Bitcoin, begin by asking how they feel about it. If you take some time to understand what they know, including misperceptions, it will allow you to respond in a way that gives you the best opportunity to be understood.

3. Avoid the Details
Given how quickly discussions can change, focus on Bitcoin’s high-level points first. (For example, see the Why section of the Bitcoin wiki) If you lead off with Side Chains, Smart Contracts or the recent pivoting of the Bitcoin Foundation you’re going to hear “pass the cranberry sauce” before you can share important basics.

There are 4 more tips in the blog entry here.

Rob

ps. Unrelated to this, Gliph has something pretty darn cool coming in December. I'll of course post when I have more to share!

This is very bad advice. No one should be bringing up btc at a family gathering, it's never going to be received well, EVER. Talk about it maybe some other time, if u must.