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.
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!
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.
Quote
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.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.
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.
