Topic: [ANN][NOTE]DNotes - Celebrating DNotes 3rd Birthday - Forum Now Open - page 257. (Read 814542 times)

I've seen similar feelings expressed by women involved in Bitcoin--this sense that it's very white male dominated and in some cases even exclusive. I've noticed that there are two aspects to the cryptosphere: The first is the technology itself and the various coins and so forth. That part of it doesn't really have any entry requirements other than figuring out the mechanics of setting up a wallet and transferring funds and then finding the right websites on which to conduct business. If you know how it works, then you can use it. In that sense it's very unbiased. Or, I guess the bias is in favor of those who are more computer savvy than most, but it's not like anyone out there can't learn and then be a part of it.

The second part of the cryptosphere is the aggregation of human beings who are involved, and whatever kinds of associations they have with each other which collectively makes up the "community." This is the part that I hear people complain about the most. Some of the people involved in the "community" are truly obnoxious. It's not hard to find them on this forum. Lots of the movers and shakers in the "community" are primarily people who are very good with computers but who maybe lack social skills and graces. Some of those people (I'm sure with the best of intentions) can make you feel like an idiot for asking a basic question or not understanding a concept that seems obvious to them. And even if you don't run afoul of anyone there are a lot of assumptions people make about you just because you're here--i.e., that you're a white male computer geek with a libertarian bent. On this last point I've for the most part not made any great effort to correct people's assumptions of who I am even when false. Most of the time it's not relevant to the discussion anyway.

For the last two years I've focused very much on the first aspect of the cryptosphere--the mechanics--and not worried too much about my involvement in the social aspects. Part of the beauty of cryptocurrency is that you really don't need a "community" per se to make it work. You just do your thing with your cryptos and the various block chains duly record it and the whole network is based on decentralized machines anyway. If I transact with someone using my cryptos, say I buy a coin on an exchange that someone else is selling, I really don't care if the person on the other end of the transaction likes me or agrees with my political views or even knows anything about me. The main thing that temporarily brings us together is the transaction, and then we go our separate ways. I put up with a lot of the rude stuff that's pretty common here and just focused on why I was here if things got rough.

Then I got more involved in CryptoMoms and started to see how much better it can be when people interact using basic grace and courtesy type of manners. Simple things like saying please and thank you and acknowledging that you at least heard the other person even if you don't agree with everything they said. And the beauty of basic professionalism. Also things like sandwiching difficult requests within very upbuilding and affirmative statements, and all around good conversations. That's making me start to rethink the importance of the social aspects of the cryptosphere, and see how much the lack of social graces that is so prevalent really truly is a turnoff to lots of people, and may even be an entry barrier. I've gotten involved with lots of projects here, mostly alt coins. On a technical level some are definitely better than others. Some have positively brilliant code underlying them. But I'm seeing that none of that matters if the community working on the project does not conduct itself in a professional manner both internally and in dealing with outsiders. From a technical perspective I'm not sure that DNotes has anything particularly brilliant going for it. It's a scrypt coin with no bells and whistles as far as I can tell, one of many. However, the DNotes development team and community hands down has the highest level of professionalism I've encountered anywhere in the cryptosphere. It's that high level of professionalism which is going to be the reason DNotes ultimately outshines many of the other alt coins which may be more technically brilliant but whose communities lack professionalism.

In conclusion the social aspects do matter, and they matter a great deal. Without good social graces and basic professionalism, people burn out and leave. The projects that are going to go mainstream and attract people from outside the cryptosphere are going to be the ones that are conducted with the utmost professionalism from day one.

With that said, when one encounters lack of professionalism in the cryptospace, the answer isn't complaining about it loudly and letting it get you down or leaving in a huff. The answer is to conduct oneself professionally and whenever possible, to create space where that professionalism is valued and nurtured. The DNotes developers and community have done just that. Very quietly and very effectively. I suspect I'm not the only one who's noticed.

That is a very sad expression of frustrations. However, I totally understand the disgust like the Mintpal Moola experience he had to put up with.

DNotes clearly recognized that our industry needed a cultural change if digital currency were to gain mass acceptance. Money is an important tool as a medium of exchange, used by all people, irrespective of gender, race or net worth. We have work long and hard to ensure that everyone is treated with respect and get our full support when needed. We started out with the shared stake philosophy in an effort to get DNotes into the ownership of as many people as possible. Our CRISP For Students will continue that tradition for sometime so that many students will have some ownership of DNotes without having to pay for it to get started. This again is the DNotes difference and we will continue to help build a culture of mutual respect for mutual benefits.

Thank you. What I want to know is how can Cosmic HQ and CRISP and Dnotes be integrated and plugged into each other so that our efforts in accomplishing our strategies are moving in the same direction and when reaching our individual goals, you can branch out into areas you want to exist in. And how is it that Cosmic HQ can supply you with what you are needing and will be needing.

By aligning our forces in the direction which we want to move into, your efforts will be multiplied just by the simple action of helping us move forward.

I know for a fact that there is something being done by Unocoin in India called BSIP (Bitcoin Systematic Investment Planning) and that is only similar program I know of in India which is similar to what CRISP is in India that I can think of. In other words, there is so much room for expansion in India and considering the fact that Cosmic HQ already is established there in regards to its companies Coconet Kings, Stellar Business International and Cosmic HQ's Technology Division (Cosmic HQ Laboratories) in Chennai, India and also a Cointelegraph India franchise which we manage, there is so much potential for you to reach for us and help us make ourselves bigger and make you known in India. The potential is really there waiting to discharge so much energy. And I'm just talking about India. There is Africa, there is the Middle East, there is Latin America, there is Australia, there is New Zealand and also the USA and other countries which would benefit so much from these services, which services would cause a wide impact in the lives of every person and family involved. You really want to be the first ones there and I am telling you that we are already there so why not reach out to us and search for a mutual agreement with us about bringing you there also.

There are other projects which Cosmic HQ is involved in, projects which cannot be talked actually because of an NDA. But I can assure you, they are projects that would be of the greatest help and usefulness to you also if you were to get into business with Cosmic HQ.

This is very interesting,

"Dogecoin Founder Exits Crypto Community Citing 'Toxic' Culture" - http://www.coindesk.com/dogecoin-founder-bitcoin-toxic/

"The Australian native went on to present his opinion that digital currency participants have done little to create a community that is inclusive to all, citing the recent support of Kentucky Senator and US Tea Party member Rand Paul as evidence."

I'm glad I don't frequent the Doge forums... much more civilised here!

Thank you for the comments all. We will proceed as stated.

This is just around the corner from becoming a CRISP generator as well.

The Employee program looks great!

I can envision such a scheme also being used by employers as a sort of 'bonus' for performance. i.e. employee does something really well, like bring in a new client or what not - the employer rewards the employee with 100 DNotes and at the end of the week / month, all the DNote credits are counted and transferred. The current plan is great as it stands for launch. My hope would be that in the future as DNotes gains more world-wide acceptance, more employers will participate in the program who otherwise would not due to 'time commitments'. I think about my employer for example, she works 70+ weeks every week as it is, and spends her days off doing paper work. I'll definitely ask her to get involved (although the entire staff are students... who I should add to facebook to explain the CRISP for Students signup process tonight = new mission). I think when the possibility of a regulated exchange opens up, it will be really simple for an employer to just swipe their credit card and have DNotes show in their account which they can pay out for employee bonuses. I could also envision a feature where x% of wages can automatically be transferred with such a financial service for DNotes, with an employee decided amount being split between a normal Vault address and retirement one. It's really exciting stuff.

Going back to the Chicago Blockchain Hub thing, I read a quote by Sam Altman, the head of Silicon Valley startup accelerator program Y Combinator. Mr Altman doesn't think that Silicon Valley is in a valuation bubble (I tend to disagree). Altman I quote,

"I still feel, as I've said for the past couple of years, that valuations are high, but they seem reasonable for a zero interest-rate environment," Altman said. "But I think there are more companies burning $1 million a month than there were one year or two years ago."

Startups burning through a million a month in a zero-interest rate environment!!??? The moment the market turns, it will be bad news for these startups. I don't foresee Janet Yellen at the FED increasing interest rates in the near term too much, because the US would prefer lower debt repayments - but what happens when the US debt needs to attract more people to purchase it's debt to cover spending shortfalls? This would mean a lift in the bond rate, which more or less will coincide with an increase in interest rates. Silicon Valley might be the place where startups can burn millions of cash weekly in the hope of 'rapid' expansion when their product is in it's infancy, barely off the ground. This would give the guise that Silicon Valley is the 'Tech Hub' where all startups want to be. I ponder how long this burning of cash in a zero-interest environment can continue, and how much of Silicon Valley will survive a turn in market conditions? When a startup is making money, the founder is in control, if it is burning a million per week, I'm pretty sure the investors will want to be in control...

"Altman says being aggressive with growth, and spending money to get results, is fine. But when money is spent inefficiently, it becomes a problem."

In contrast, I see that Chicago has an opportunity where blockchain technology can be utilized to create new products and applications that actually have an 'intrinsic' value in the new services they provide. Blockchain tech could be won by Chicago if a solid foundation is built, attracting serious investments for products that will be 'world-changing' in scope, not just a new 'mobile application' you can take photos of yourself in the mirror with. Most of what is going on in Silicon Valley are re-inventions of the wheel, and that steam train is already showing signs of running out of coal.

Yes, this a a tremendous step in the DNotes realm of expansion and acceptance. This will add to the "tidal wave" that DNotes has become and fairly soon mainstream adoption will take place. I am so glad to be a part of it!!

Excellent, covers most of the current issues and should be easy to expand and adapt. Nice work...

Everything sounds great and there is going to be some very grateful employees down the road!

CosmicHQ, every single one of the services and partner services on your site is something we need or will need help with.

A question I have for everyone here is: is there use for Cosmic HQ's services ? If so, what are they?

CRISP for Employee Incentive Benefits

Below is the outline for how CRISP for Employee Incentive Benefits will work.

Employer must have a DNotesVault account.

Employer signs up using a form.
-Company Name
-Address
-Representative's Name
-Role
-DNotesVault Email
-Phone Number

Employer is given an admin panel which does the following:
-Provides a company specific URL for their employees to sign up.
-Provides a table of employees that have signed up for that company, including their CRISP for Employee account address, name, email, balance.
This will allow the employer to send DNotes to the employee's as they see fit. In the future we can have optional programs like matching funds and the like.

Upon approval, company receive 1,000 DNotes to help get them started.

Employees may sign up for a specific companies CRISP for Employee Incentive Benefits program using the company specific URL.
The employee will be required to have a DNotesVault account. The form on the employee sign up page will simply ask for their DNotesVault email. Once they submit the form, a new address will be created in their account specifically for this program labeled COMPANYNAME CRISP.

In the future we may have many other options and programs added on to CRISP for Employee Incentive Benefits.

Please provide any comments.

Very cool.

 After all that hard work this is one of the few "original content" articles I came across. It is quite apparent that the author puts in some serious time researching or has been following CryptoMoms. We certainly appreciate that very much. I trust that we will be seeing more of that.

Our PR campaign is definitely paying off. I just complete my LinkedIn profile 10 days ago and have been getting great feed back. My connection is approaching 300, significantly ahead of my target and schedule. What is even more impressive is the number of people who know us well and recognize that we are different and doing a good job. This is part of my awareness campaign I mentioned earlier. We are selectively attempting to sort out potential partners. It is a rather selective and disciplined process. Phase one is to build the connections, followed by building relationship with a manageable selection and eventually partnership with a few. It is very important for our community to follow this process and assist me with your comments and recommendations. Always remember, it is best to take our time and every move is of strategic significance, and executed at the most opportune time.

It has also been a great opportunity for me to meet a lot of wonderful people who like to see us do well. I trust that some of them will drop in to check us out and hopefully join CryptoMoms and DNotes communities. There have also been quite a number of students who may be joining us soon.

I am making some progress with the Chicago project and expanding my option to include a few cities in the suburban areas. I am confident that within the next couple of months we will have a good idea where DNotes will settle with a home office. No matter where it is, that will be the Epicenter of Digital Currency and Blockchain Technology.

flyers, posters, a trestle table at a market, a regular well-advertised garage sale with all items priced in Dnotes, free tech-support for a local merchant or two, canvassing local merchants [We did a whole town over six months.], approaching likely local authorities (like the Chamber of Commerce Business Development Officer), an 'info night' [ http://melbourne.lanewaylearning.com/classes/bitcoin-for-beginners-cryptocurrency ] for beginners, regular physical meetups -- oh yes, the old ways have potential!

Speaking of bank transaction fees...

I just received a VERY long list of new fees that my bank is implementing.  I'll give you a couple of the highlights:

- If you make a  Flash Point of Sale Debit transaction, loan payment or mortgage payment from your savings account there is now a $2 fee. If that account is a high interest savings account, the fee jumps to $5 (from zero!)
- The Young Saver's Account and the Student Banking Account are now charged $1 for all of the above payments as well as investment contributions (unbelievable!!)
- If you go over your limit on your credit card on most cards there is a $29 a month charge (even if you are $1 over).
- If you have a Visa Low Rate Option Credit Card and you miss 2 months payments you will pay an additional 8% on top of the regular interest charged on that account.  

There are several pages of these fee increases and it looks like they have covered everything.

That's a really cool article!

I'm very interested to see how Rand Paul runs his campaign (I was a big fan of his father, Ron). Rand is obviously not the father, but I do believe that he looks favourably at Digital Currency - he could bring our industry much news coverage.

Fighting gender inequality: Crypto Moms celebrate one year of promoting bitcoin

20 April 2015   Hits: 82


Crypto Moms, an American bitcoin forum for women, celebrates its first anniversary. The forum has enjoyed some success in promoting cryptocurrency to its target audience over the past year.

As of March 20th, the forum had a total of 6,713 members, including some who had written hundreds of posts.


The design of the forum looks suspiciously similar to the design of “mama forums” or popular forums that cater to female audiences all around the planet. It is not very clear whether this is a parody or a conscious imitation designed to attract the target audience. However, the forum form allows this popularizing website to offer many solutions that are absent on many big platforms.

For the newcomers, this forum provides blogposts with simple explanations of what some might see as a complex phenomenon. Here, for example, is how Crypto Moms prepare the audience for buying their first bitcoins:


Forum moderators clearly have a talent for popularization:


Crypto Moms also write about mining, run a Twitter account, and quickly respond to many events in the global bitcoin industry. They also pay special attention to the success of women in bitcoin industry. Recently, they began to follow Rand Paul’s campaign, but among their perennial favourites is the leader of the Chamber of Digital Commerce, Perianne Boring.

Roman Koritzsky

"The average fee to use a non-network ATM is now about $3.85 per transaction."

Wow, just wow! Here it's like $1.50 tops, but a network ATM is never more than about 200 metres / 250 yards away in the central city.

The figures touted should be a massive advertisement for Digital Currency / Cash. I didn't even know that employers still paid by checks that you had to cash in. Cash has great advantages in preventing meta-data records about your daily life etc, and also lets you track how much you have budgeted left to spend for the week, without constantly logging into your internet / mobile banking apps to see everytime you want to make a purchase.

How do you envision utilizing cryptocurrency to improve the lives of the individuals in that country?

Cash costs Americans $200 billion a year
http://www.cnbc.com/id/101103705

"Electronic payments by phone, card and computer continue to gain market share. And yet millions of Americans keep using cash."

"A new study by Tufts University, The Cost of Cash in the United States, puts that price tag at about $200 billion a year. This figure includes $55 billion in higher costs to businesses, $43 billion for U.S. households and $101 billion in missed tax revenue because of off-the books transactions. For the average American family, the cost of cash is about $1,739 a year."