Should we kill the DACronym?

[starspirit]

For right or wrong, whether there is justification or not, if the SEC or other regulator did come after one or more entities associated with bitShares, what power would they have to stop it? What are their control points?

[Thom]

Off the top of my head too -

I think the 'Bitshares is to corporation as Bitcoin is to currency' is going to be a helpful paradigm for the press to explain Bitshares when the time comes. Keep DAC.

The last thing we want is for the press to say BitShares is a corporation.

Translation: you want to change up all the language used in BitShares because you realized you might get in trouble with the feds for using language like corporation, shares, interest, investment, securities etc and you are scared. Seems like a cop out to me, you should have just stayed anonymous man. All you are doing is just confusing people even more.
...
Yeah sure, until they change their mind spontaneously. What do you do when they come after people involved in BitShares even though you insist that it is purely "community" and not business and investment? Just shut the whole project down to prevent any harm to yourself? It sounds like this project is *very* prone to censorship and regulator interference if pre-emptive moves like this are being made. There is a good reason Satoshi is anonymous you know...

Actually with the SEC what you call it matters more than what it is... I originally adopted the company metaphor based upon the "duck is a duck" mentality... but sadly that is not the case with regulators.   They care about whether or not you are attempting to use terms the public places trust in to persuade others to part with their money.  If you can convince someone to part with their money for a stake in a community then it is very different than selling a share in a company despite the economic result being the same.

Why do we care about the SEC? Bitshares is a decentralized worldwide platform which they cannot really stop.
Why must we conform to their regulations?

if bitshares will be a threat they will fight us!

i agree to take this SEC etc. into our consideration, but if the old bankcartels feel threaten, they will attack us. But would this bad? i don't think so. Much publicity without 1 bitUSD spend - great!

C'mon bytemaster - are you telling us you never thought "they" wouldn't feel threatened if you succeeded in furthering satoshi's vision? Have you not thought through the ramification of what you started here?

I don't believe it, not for a second. But you really do make me wonder!

1) You decided to keep the name BitShareSZZZZZZZZZZZZ but are worried  about the ambiguous C of DAC??
2) Regulators will change language to suit their violent needs and your word games are powerless to theirs
3) Put fear in it's place and get back on track and in touch with your vision and don't be overly concerned with these word games - don't let your fear destroy your passion to end the violence!
 
If you hadn't before thought of when the financial powers would awaken to counter threats like blockchain technology you've picked a bad time to think of it now. The quotes above are very similar to my own sentiments.

You know you're doing something right when your adversaries begin to attack you. If you're at war what do you do when the enemy attacks? You fight harder! You find more effective strategies or you employ camouflage or flee to fight another day in another way.

Got your passport ready? Spoken to the team on these matters?  G e t  y o u r  d u c k s  b e h i n d  y o u !

[joele]

Isn't BitShares more like a decentralized operating system (core software or KERNEL) and things like bitAssets/VOTE/keyID .. are DApps ontop of it?

or Decentralized System

[Murderistic]

Also, almost no one outside of this tiny world knows what a DAC is. Heck, most don't really know what bitcoin is. Words like decentralized, distributed, autonomous, open-source, etc. have little meaning in this context to them. So it all depends on who this statement is aimed at.

Is this something a member of my blockchain-clueless family would potentially be seeing or is it aimed at crypto nerds?

Positioning Bitshares as an alternative to traditional banking potentially reaches both groups.

Pretty much the way I continue to view it.

Why Bank, When You Can BitShare?

Or

"You Can Bank, Or Can BitShare"

"There's Banking, And Then There's BitShares"

[aftw]

Also, almost no one outside of this tiny world knows what a DAC is. Heck, most don't really know what bitcoin is. Words like decentralized, distributed, autonomous, open-source, etc. have little meaning in this context to them. So it all depends on who this statement is aimed at.

Is this something a member of my blockchain-clueless family would potentially be seeing or is it aimed at crypto nerds?

Positioning Bitshares as an alternative to traditional banking potentially reaches both groups.

[aftw]

I'm of the opinion that Bitshares should be positioned as an alternative/replacement to traditional banking. It communicates a lot without requiring a lot be said. It also serves as a kind of action statement to those looking for freedom from traditional banking or those who are unbanked.

I vote for decentralized over distributed and like app and application. I also like platform as it is more accurate and gives Bitshares more gravitas than just app or application alone.

Maybe something like:

Bitshares is a global decentralized app platform that functions as an alternative to traditional banking.

[xh3]

Subtract until it breaks.

 I fully support DA -decentralized application.  Everyone understands these terms, they are accurate, and they are in use by others for similar products.

[Ander]

Isn't BitShares more like a decentralized operating system (core software or KERNEL) and things like bitAssets/VOTE/keyID .. are DApps ontop of it?

DOS

Make it Delegated Decentralized Operating System, and then everyone will think our acronym is something else.

[xh3]

Isn't BitShares more like a decentralized operating system (core software or KERNEL) and things like bitAssets/VOTE/keyID .. are DApps ontop of it?

DOS

[mira]

Besides, the anacronym DAZ has more pizzazz!

I don't want to detract from your post, but "DAZ" reminded me of "The DAZ Doorstep Challenge" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeO0AhKPW5Y

Sorry...a bit of light relief 

lol! 

Well, since it has to do with laundry soap, I'll continue with the stream-of-consciousness links: "Instant Mix Imperial Democracy, Buy One Get One Free:     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLnMWZ_VQ5M

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article3441.htm

[hadrian]

Besides, the anacronym DAZ has more pizzazz!

I don't want to detract from your post, but "DAZ" reminded me of "The DAZ Doorstep Challenge" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeO0AhKPW5Y

Sorry...a bit of light relief 

[mira]

I think losing the word autonomous is a terrible idea, for a few reasons:

1) It's an opportunity to reintroduce the concept of autonomy (freedom from external control or influence; independence), to those in whom it is absent

2) "Decentralized Autonomous" speaks to the vision you articulated in A Philosophy of Freedom published on bitshares.org:  "The point of the Invictus Movement is to show a new way, the DAC way, of governing society in a decentralized voluntary way. A way that is entirely non-violent and yet inescapable in its ability to motivate just outcomes, fair trade, and enforcement of contracts." 

In relation to the idea of governance the word automated invokes in me, and I think it would for many others, a chilling dread.  The word automated feels dead, static.  The word autonomous is dynamic, requires action...

Automated/Application leaves room in the imagination for the Borg.  Autonomous leaves room in the imagination for non-violence and just outcomes.

3) While the blockchain is an automated application, a DAC by this or any other name requires the participation of people to be brought to life, so I'd emphasize the involvement aspect/benefits in your marketing.



“Words belong to those who use them only till someone else steals them back.”
― Hakim Bey, TAZ: The Temporary Autonomous Zone
 

If I were the benevolent dictator       I would go with Decentralized Autonomous Zone.   

Zone:  noun 1. any continuous tract or area that differs in some respect, or is distinguished for some purpose, from adjoining tracts or areas, or within which certain distinctive circumstances exist or are established.

Within a Zone you could have corporations, companies, communities, cooperatives, clowns, and all the other letters of the alphabet.

Besides, the anacronym DAZ has more pizzazz!

[merockstar]

Agree. Invictus is ending so that's no longer an attack vector. Bitshares has the ability to fund it's own growth in a decentralized way... I don't understand this constant fear of American regulators. Delegates can locate anywhere on Earth.

Do you want 10 dollar bitshares 5 years from now, or would you like them 30 years from now after a prolonged, worldwide prohibition?

A worldwide ban on BitAssets is unlikely because Bitshares can be described as a p2p company. If regulators are out to get us, they will "get us" no matter what language we use. Should BitUSD be rebranded because it might be confused with real USD?

I'm not so sure about that.

Look at marijuana. William Randolph Hearst spun it in a way that is completely ridiculous, calling a duck a tiger.

Next thing you know it's illegal worldwide.

The U.S. is not above making laws based on pedantic nitpicking. How we present this could well impact how accepting governments might be.

[starspirit]

A few suggestions:

1) Its not clear whether DAC is meant to be referring to the community of block-chain users or to the block-chain itself that it uses as a tool . One is automated, one is human.

2) If we are referring to the block-chain, the "C" in DAC could stand for Capital. Whether the metaphor of a company, country, currency is most useful at any point in time, the distinguishing feature of bitShares is that it produces something of value, and therefore is capital in nature.

3) While retaining the DAC terminology for legacy purposes may be useful, it already feels like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. Maybe in conjunction with this we need to think about the rebranding of bitShares from a marketing perspective and give it a powerful tagline telling people the space we plan to dominate - for example, bitShares - building the decentralised economy.

[Ander]

Yeah sure, until they change their mind spontaneously. What do you do when they come after people involved in BitShares even though you insist that it is purely "community" and not business and investment? Just shut the whole project down to prevent any harm to yourself? It sounds like this project is *very* prone to censorship and regulator interference if pre-emptive moves like this are being made. There is a good reason Satoshi is anonymous you know...

This is exactly why they are being proactive now, to ensure the survival of bitshares no matter what happens.

The move to make bitshares self funding is a big part of this.