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Topic: What to expect from Bitcoin Magazine (Read 13904 times)

hero member
Activity: 756
Merit: 522
December 12, 2012, 07:24:15 PM
There is a reason why "joint venture" structures (LLC, Corporations, Partnerships) exist.  Still your larger point is a good one.  Know your partners completely and don't take on more than you absolutely need.  The more owners there are the more complicated it gets.

Especially for over-the-Internet stuff. I'm willing to bet a majority of "partnerships" started on the grounds of "I met this guy online half an hour ago, he seems cool because we both like Linkin Park". Well....
donator
Activity: 1218
Merit: 1079
Gerald Davis
December 12, 2012, 06:51:08 PM
It is called hiring people.  You don't have to give everyone and his mom an ownership stake in a business.  When you go into a partnership with another person you are basically marrying that person, their spouse and any family members they have.  If your partner unexpectedly dies, now you have one of their family members as your new partner.  Your partner decides to get a divorce.  Well now your business is being torn apart by divorce lawyers.

Joining a partnership only increases risks involved with starting a business.  The only exception to this rule is if you are joining a firm for attorneys, accountants, or doctors.

Well a partnership makes it a lot easier to raise capital.  A small business can be quite a capital sink.  Unless you have the hundreds of thousands of dollars you can personally lose it can be very difficult to expand without either a partnership, LLC, or corporate structure.  Given the success rate of a small biz simply having $100K+ isn't sufficient the startup capital has to be a small enough % of one's net worth that a complete loss (which is probable even likely) won't be damaging.  

There aren't that many people with millions of spare dollars just laying around who suddenly also happen to come up with a great idea, and have the entrepreneurial spirit so they can startup a brand new company hire talent for pure salary only, and keep all ownership and management decisions to themselves.

There is a reason why "joint venture" structures (LLC, Corporations, Partnerships) exist.  Still your larger point is a good one.  Know your partners completely and don't take on more than you absolutely need.  The more owners there are the more complicated it gets.
hero member
Activity: 868
Merit: 1000
December 12, 2012, 06:35:49 PM
Well, although I may have based some opinions from this thread, I'd suggest you take your arguments outside this forum. Whatever has happened, I'm sure the magazine can continue in the future, if there's a will to do so. If you need to raise capital, I'm sure the community would be able to contribute.

As for anyone that has done anything wrong, this is something they'll probably not stop doing in the future, and eventually it will bite them in the ass. This always happens in the end.
hero member
Activity: 756
Merit: 522
December 12, 2012, 03:30:21 AM
It is called hiring people.  You don't have to give everyone and his mom an ownership stake in a business.

Hiring people runs into this problem known as having to also pay them.
hero member
Activity: 532
Merit: 500
December 11, 2012, 09:21:54 PM
Here is another reason NEVER to form partnerships with other people.

That's sorta like saying "trust no one."  Follow that rule religiously, and you will lead a barren, lonely life.

Sure, some humans are fallible and will let you down.  But other humans are wonderful and will boost you up.



It is called hiring people.  You don't have to give everyone and his mom an ownership stake in a business.  When you go into a partnership with another person you are basically marrying that person, their spouse and any family members they have.  If your partner unexpectedly dies, now you have one of their family members as your new partner.  Your partner decides to get a divorce.  Well now your business is being torn apart by divorce lawyers.

Joining a partnership only increases risks involved with starting a business.  The only exception to this rule is if you are joining a firm for attorneys, accountants, or doctors.
legendary
Activity: 1400
Merit: 1005
December 11, 2012, 04:30:04 PM
IMO Vladamir made poor monetary decisions.  If this is eventually qualified as "stealing" I would not be surprised.  The nature of the relatively large personal payments towards the end of the business relationship certainly does not look good.  His statements in this thread I will qualify in my head as net negative to his case.  Having said that, it also appears to me that Mihai acted quickly and possibly breaking the former bitcoin magazine corporate laws.  However it is also my belief that Mihai did this for the good of the company, so Bitcoin Magazine could be in the safe hands of well-funded champions of bitcoin industry.  Bit-Pay satisfies this and I personally do not think Mihai's actions were for personal gain or anything other than an altruistic love of the project and the bitcoin idea. 
I completely agree with this.  Vlad's actions seem focused on his own personal gain - what the magazine could do for him, rather than what he could do for the magazine.  But Mihai is very much focused on the success of the magazine.  To me, it seems as though he cares much less about what money he can "make" from the magazine, and much more about the success of the magazine and the well-being of the people involved in producing it.
Quote
1 gambler's thoughts only.  I will continue to write for Bitcoin Magazine if would like my articles.
I very much enjoyed your article, and hope you do write more for the mag!  Smiley
legendary
Activity: 1232
Merit: 1014
FPV Drone Pilot
December 11, 2012, 04:05:49 PM
1)  Thread delivers much:  

1a) accusation of theft or otherwise funny fiat finances
1b)  possible shareholder shenanigans in the sale
1c) the BTCtalk 1-liner of the year (deserves the applause IMO)
1d) even BurtW came up for air.  (how's the pirate bet going?  still think "it's not a Ponzi" as you once advertised in your sig?  I hear the Kansas City Chiefs are looking for a pass-through operator to sell superbowl shares and your name came to the top of the list)

2)  I wrote a BTC gambling article for Bitcoin magazine, I think it's supposed to be in issue #4, which I bought for around .8 btc around 2 weeks ago.   (just love to see my name in print & to show my mother: "see mom! I'm not wasting my life, someone printed my thoughts once") My first 3 that I ordered had long shipping delays like everyone else, still waiting on the 4th.  I do not fault a young BTC-facing organization for delays in it's infancy.  This is not be taken as a support statement for BFL, which I am highly questioning at this point along with many others - they have had a lot of time and a whole bunch of community money - I think it's wrong to keep sending them money at this point but that's a rant-post for another thread. I interacted with some of the magazine staff, and I will post my thoughts:

2a) I used a very friendly, intuitive, and easy to use software interface for collaboration that I kept thinking was fucking awesome and must cost alot of $.  

2b) I interacted with Mihai a handful of times and believe him to want the best for bitcoin.  He is very passionate about his work.  I interacted only briefly with Vladamir.  I have no knowledge of the inter-workings of their business but love speculating with incomplete information:  

IMO Vladamir made poor monetary decisions.  If this is eventually qualified as "stealing" I would not be surprised.  The nature of the relatively large personal payments towards the end of the business relationship certainly does not look good.  His statements in this thread I will qualify in my head as net negative to his case.  Having said that, it also appears to me that Mihai acted quickly and possibly breaking the former bitcoin magazine corporate laws.  However it is also my belief that Mihai did this for the good of the company, so Bitcoin Magazine could be in the safe hands of well-funded champions of bitcoin industry.  Bit-Pay satisfies this and I personally do not think Mihai's actions were for personal gain or anything other than an altruistic love of the project and the bitcoin idea.  

1 gambler's thoughts only.  I will continue to write for Bitcoin Magazine if they want my articles.

2c) IMO check out the Cardplayer poker magazine and website for a great example of a mature, extremely successful industry-focused content-based product.  Their focus is on the online component, as it should be IMO for bitcoin mag.  A handful of journalistic organizations that I respect (Vice, Wired) have made fun of the fact that there even is a physical bitcoin mag.  I don't agree with them and believe there is a place for the physical version, but maybe 4x per year, or 2x.  Make that website *the* source of btc info IMO



 
edd
donator
Activity: 1414
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hero member
Activity: 952
Merit: 1009
December 11, 2012, 01:21:05 PM
Yeah, two out of three for me. International shipping is likely the problem.


I worked at a company library once. We had about 500 subscriptions to journals from outside of our country.

Let me tell you something about international shipping of journals.






It works flawlessly, what are you talking about?
donator
Activity: 1736
Merit: 1014
Let's talk governance, lipstick, and pigs.
December 11, 2012, 10:53:43 AM
Clearly a magazine with lots of issues.
Grin

Bitcoinmag was a scam anyways....  I paid for two copies, got 1.

There is hundreds of people like me..
Yeah, two out of three for me. International shipping is likely the problem.
hero member
Activity: 756
Merit: 522
December 11, 2012, 08:29:49 AM
Clearly a magazine with lots of issues.

I laughed, have a cookie.
hero member
Activity: 952
Merit: 1009
December 11, 2012, 04:01:53 AM
Clearly a magazine with lots of issues.

full member
Activity: 136
Merit: 100
December 11, 2012, 02:44:12 AM
God damn it. I am so disappointed  Cry I read only the first 3 pages and I know taht this is another drama in a small and fragile bitcoin economy. So guys, are you happy with yourself? Is this the result of greed or another "company" run by cryptocurrency geeks? For god sake why do you discusing this publicly on bitcointalk? Do you think that it has been a long time since last debacle?
I am tired of this, please, stop it...
legendary
Activity: 1500
Merit: 1022
I advocate the Zeitgeist Movement & Venus Project.
December 11, 2012, 02:33:57 AM
Clearly a magazine with lots of issues.
hero member
Activity: 770
Merit: 500
You're fat, because you dont have any pics on FB
December 11, 2012, 01:42:35 AM
Bitcoinmag was a scam anyways....  I paid for two copies, got 1.

There is hundreds of people like me..
hero member
Activity: 756
Merit: 522
December 10, 2012, 06:40:52 PM
Here's a prediction: Vlad will never actually file any lawsuit.

Maybe he'll ask the judges of the MPEx Rota to make a determination instead.

http://polimedia.us/trilema/2012/the-mpex-rota/

 Tongue

That will be...interesting.
hero member
Activity: 868
Merit: 1000
December 10, 2012, 04:31:49 PM
Here's a prediction: Vlad will never actually file any lawsuit.

Maybe he'll ask the judges of the MPEx Rota to make a determination instead.

http://polimedia.us/trilema/2012/the-mpex-rota/

 Tongue
legendary
Activity: 1500
Merit: 1022
I advocate the Zeitgeist Movement & Venus Project.
December 10, 2012, 04:28:14 PM
Here's a prediction: Vlad will never actually file any lawsuit.

Is that on bets of bitcoin yet?
hero member
Activity: 740
Merit: 500
Hello world!
December 10, 2012, 04:18:32 PM
Here's a prediction: Vlad will never actually file any lawsuit.
hero member
Activity: 630
Merit: 500
December 10, 2012, 04:13:08 PM
I can always count on nonsensical replies on this forum.  Not sure how "I did not get a magazine issue" spawned a legal advice thread

Your balance is slightly off kilter, fyi.

Thanks for providing a perfect example of my point.

The point is that the original topic was not about missed magazine issues - which you'd know if you actually read it - and it's very obvious how the thread got derailed.  It's bullshit to claim that you're "not sure" how that happened when you can read the thread and see that it was Vladimir storming in with accusations of fraud and threats of legal action which started the derail.

What is nonsensical is taking an obvious lighthearted comment and using it as a jump point for the typical vitriol filled bullshit that permeates this forum and is the usual cause of the derailment you speak of.
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