Topic: Suggestions to significantly increase bitcoin's users (Read 17310 times)

Well, I guess I found out where that idea came from.

I have really limited programming abilities but I have played with the iPhone SDK a bit. I could look at Bitcoin's source and see if I could get it on the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad platforms.

One way would be to allow freeware/shareware authors to use CPU cycles of those who download their creations. I know the infamous Tower Defense flash game http://www.handdrawngames.com/DesktopTD/Game3.asp takes player CPU cycles and sells them via http://www.pluraprocessing.com/.

If someone just slashdot'd this thing, it would really jump.

Nope, but I do read Infowars every few days.

Oh yeah?  Is that you?   

I've noticed someone has been commenting on some of the economic news articles on Infowars.com. I bet that helps a lot.

The more people introduced the better, but I think those outside the mainstream will be most attracted to Bitcoin.  They will be the early adopters that establish it's credibility.  A celebrity like Jesse Ventura would be helpful.  He is outside the mainstream.

I've thought about buying advertisements on some of these alternative talk radio sites like Alex Jones, Jeff Rense, etc...

I'm not sure the ACLU would go for bitcoin. Yes, it offers more privacy, but it does so at the cost of consumer protections, which from a financial perspective are very important. I think it's good to have both types of currencies available, but I have a hunch that the lack of consumer protections would prevent it from being promoted by the ACLU. Although, I could be wrong.

It's always been true that groups who isolate themselves from the mainstream are distrusted and persecuted--(hello, Jews).  If people act different, or weird, or unusual it is human nature to fear and distrust them (and give impetus for the raids of their homes and property).  I have seen men convicted on circumstantial evidence because they acted "weird" and the Jury did not trust them.  These groups that move into the hills to start micro-societies get the same treatment.  I remember once Oprah had Michael Moore on her show and they showed footage of a baby in diapers being held by his mother, who wore fatigues and had a rifle slung over her back (something that I was accustomed to seeing in my home and didn't find strange).  Oprah and Michael both agreed (to the cheers of the audience) that there was something "wrong" with people who acted this way--even though the act harmed absolutely no one.

After reading some undergraduate psychology texts I came across the theory that this behavior was ingrained into all human beings as a matter of instinct.  Apparently, back in our primitive, barbaric days as early primates--groups that stuck together and punished outsiders were better protected against predators--and groups who enforced strict social codes were better protected against disease--hence it is these traits that were passed down to humanity.

That being said--it seems that the way to get bitcoin popular would be to sell it to the mainstream so it is not perceived as the tool of a "weird" grouop of "outsiders" and human instinct does not inevitably drive people to fear it and brand it as a scepter of the terrorists, pedophiles, drug lords &c.

I am going to try to introduce this program to as many econ professors as possible.  Hopefully this way it will work it's way into the mainstream as a sort of "experiment" in economics.

Also, celebrities should start using and promoting bitcoin--I think that Drew Carey and Jessie Ventura might be interested in it.  Also--mainstream activist organizations like the ACLU would make valuable allies.  IRRC--PGP cryptography was once banned, but the creator printed the code onto a book and published it--and the ACLU defended it as free speech (and won).

The problem is inherently, as I have stated elsewhere the less morally reprehensible the act the harder the state cracks down...

The state went to war on American civilians on two occasions less than 20 years ago, over alleged (unproven to this day) tax discrepancies totaling less than $250 combined.  In both cases the state fired first, and then proceeded to execute with extreme prejudice.  We do not see this type of action taken against drug cartels, prostitution rings or any other illicit activities, just ones that the average person would not generally look on as such a bad thing.  The state then used media to propagandize the situations to some monstrous proportions, the first was based on a racial issue that did not exist, and the other was claims of religious sexual practices that did not exist...

In effect they legitimized state aggression based on people's emotive decisions on non-illegal actions, not that these non-illegal action existed at all...

The strength of this is the decentralized nature, there is no one place to attack that will destroy us all...

The danger lies in the authorities perceiving it as a medium for criminal activity, especially significant amounts of criminal activity. It is one surefire way of getting bitcoins and its exchangers persecuted by the law and exchangers potentially prosecuted. Even suggesting it, can be enough for conspiracy charges especially if the government has it in for the system or its exchangers and users.

Good business decisions money wise, often involve illegal activities. This can be seen regularly in the news. However good business practices such as staying out of jail and staying in operation especially long term require following legalities.

1. how does bitcoins illegitimate application hamper its use in legitimate application, last I checked most criminal transactions are made in current fiat currencies, and yet they still seem usable in legitimate functions today...

2. Claiming that an exchanger should cater to where they are most likely needed is not focusing on criminal activity, it is making good business decisions...

3. You guys are judging

Agreement with DannyM. Bitcoin should not be centered around criminal usage.  Not only will it hamper Bitcoin's usage for legitimate usage, it will also harm Bitcoin's image (thus killing its potential to spread). Focusing Bitcoin on illegal uses is short sighted.

While I certainly do not wish to make a ethical judgment on "less-than-legal" activities, I would like to register my opposition to a plan to explicitly "cater to that crowd", for at least strategic reasons.

I think that since bitcoins primary utility will (at least for the forseeable future) be as a sort of underground currency like egold, for less-than legal activities like tax evasion and underground business rather than generic money substitute. As such, currency exchangers should cater to that crowd and offer anonymous bitcoin-dollar exchanges where the clients are..

Oh, I know. I don't advocate illegal activity either. However, I can deface bills legally where I live. That was all I was saying.

I don't think that any of us were actually going to 'deface' anything or intentionally do anything 'illegal'. We were just being humorous.

P.S. I'm just off to go and get Bitcoin.org tattooed on my forehead.

It is only illegal in my country (not the US) to deface coins. Bills are fair game.

Writing "bitcoin.org" on paper money is not good, I think. Is it not illegal to deface money? Does Bitcoin need to come to governments' attentions in form of a crime?

haha, reminds me of this http://encyclopediadramatica.com/Operation_LIONCASH ^^

I would deface bills with "bitcoin.org", but I don't have any space left after I ink on "Of what?" on each bill.

Classic idea sirius-m you crypto anarchist you !

Better still, you could make 'rubber stamps' for this very purpose and then set-up a website charging Bitcoins for them ! lol

On a more realistic note I've started promoting Bitcoin.org at various internet traffic / hit exchanges. This should add about 1000+ hits per week.

A great way of advertising: Instead of shopping with a credit card, withdraw cash from an ATM and write "bitcoin.org" on each bank note that passes through your hands

I have been covertly advertising bitcoin over the last month.

I have a lot of business contacts (over 30,000) in the tech/online business realm. I will start pushing it here soon. (Once I have automation up and running on my network). If even 1% of my contacts start using BC it will grow the network a LOT.

As long as exchangers can keep up with the business demands, I don't see any reason for BC to fail.

Get Schools/Universities Involved in Bitcoin.  Encourage it's use within an economics class or within an economics project.

I'm sure it could somehow be worked into the curriculum. 

Somebody needs to sell something very desirable and only accept bitcoins as payment.  Maybe one of the Canadian MOM companies can be persuaded to accept bitcoin.

But more importantly than this is: Safety Safety Safety, people need to be assured that bitcoin is foolproof against attacks from powerful adversaries (this will obviously come much later).  A method of rating merchants who use bitcoin (i.e. reputations) might also increase the sense of security.

They also need some way of knowing how their exchange of bitcoins into other currencies will be protected from snoopers.

I could be wrong, but I also think that the easier it is to use bitcoin in conjunction with .onion e-comemrce sites, the more popular it will become.

I "know of" the man who runs ecache. I suspect he abandoned it due to lack of interest.

Maybe they turned out to be crooks lol. I never understood how can their currency be backed up by insurance companies when they never specified which companies! How can this even happen when the bank's operators are unknown?

everytime i try to access the eCahce site it is down ... hmm.

For several months, I've tried to reach the eCache website. Only once did it work! (and only through meshmx.com, the .onion did not succeed). eChache is a beautiful currency, but an unreliable website, makes it hard to trust/use.

I've seen a TorBank on the onion-layer of the Internet, but I don't know what currency it uses. Their site stated that TorBank should become the number one paymentservice in onionland. But it is in beta/alpha/whatever-status.

Sure.

http://ffij33ewbnoeqnup.onion/

or

https://ffij33ewbnoeqnup.onion.meshmx.com/

eCache is an anonymous bank operating through interfaces in the Tor network. The bank issues cryptographic certificates, Digital Bearer Certificates, that can be exchanged among the bank's users. The certificates can be bought and sold for real money through the bank. The owners and operators of the bank are unknown, and the bank is said to operate outside the laws of any country.



Oh, looks like it might be 'down' atm, good job this can't happen to Bitcoin 

Can you give me working link of an eCache interface or something like a homepage ?
Can't find a working link of eCache in the .onion network

[Edit: Most of these suggestions should've been directed to NewLibertyStandard not Satoshi. At the time I made the post, I didn't realize that they were actually two separate people:)]

Hi Satoshi. I like the bitcoin concept a lot, and I think implementing one or more of these ideas will significantly increase your fan base!

1. Bitcoin cannot survive with only one exchanger. You need to raise your buy/sell margin to at least 1%-2% to give others an incentive to "compete" with you. With more exchangers offering their services (perhaps through a reputation system posted on the site?), more people will be attracted to the "global" project as it's not solely based on you anymore.

2. Automate the exchange operation. Professionals don't trade with emails on a one-to-one basis! You can make it personal for huge operations only (eg. >$100)

3. keeping with the anonymous theme, ditch paypal. Or at least, use other anonymous services in addition. I suggest eCache (tor-based virtual currency), Unlinq.com (provides virtual debit cards), Pecunix, C-gold, and Liberty Reserve. This might even be safer for you to avoid legal problems which will inevitably arise sooner or later if you use paypal or other non-private services.

4. Force-https your site, and redirect from bitcoin.com

I wish I'd see bitcoin grow in the near future. Thanks and good luck!