Nice!  Finally a decent article on a "mainstream" crypto news site. 

Quote from: bitmarket on January 31, 2015, 10:48:25 pm

We are bitcoins killer app.   If we put our egos aside and make the best bitcoin wallet possible with built in hedging, millions will flow into bitUSD and the users will never have evenheard of bitshares.

The bitcoin headline reads....

"Receive and send bitcoin. Hedge bitcoin price without counter party risk.  Bitcoins killer app is here."

 

  - super idea

  for roadmap and financial report for existing development/marketing efforts.

I have been actively talking with partners for over a month now. Everything from crypto to crypto exchanges, gateways,merchants anyone who will listen. I have noticed that everyone wants to add bts but no one wants to add the assets.

Lets take a recent partner for example. When talking to the head of their marketing department they immediately asked what features make bitshares different then other crypto's. To be honest I was a bit taken back and this question prompted me to ask if they were adding any bitassets. They paused for a min and I could immediately tell they had no idea what I was talking about. They then confirmed that they are not but that they would seriously consider adding them in the future.This is a nice way of saying probably never.

I suppose the funniest part of the above is that nubits which has nushares and is comparable in this case, has nubits (their product/asset) listed for over a month. I am pretty sure they didn't even know nubits was a asset and tbh doesn't care. The fail is on our part and the presentation of our products or lack their of. You see the truth of the situation is this, these partner businesses don't have the time or will to research every alt beating down their door to be added. They (often times) will not list many pairings (bts, bitUSD,bitBTC,bitCNY) etc.... They expect that when we come to them, the asset or share that we promote or suggest right out of the gate is the one they are going to add simple as that.

How do we fix it? If you read the above and agree that their is a problem then you should now be asking that very question. The answer is surprisingly simple. DON'T TALK ABOUT BITSHARES TALK ABOUT THE PRODUCT. Bitshares is for investors and investors will find us IF we have a good product that is being used. We do have a good product, it is not being used. Who wants to invest in shares of a company if they have no one using their product? A open email, reach out to a partner should be along the lines of

Hi such and such I am blah from blah and I would like the opportunity to sit down and talk with you about bitUSD and what it can do for you. You then meet with them on skype and talk their ear off about the assets not the company.......or let gentso sit and talk their ear off, your call.

Am I beating a dead horse yet?

Lot of good points and you have the credibility of actually talking with some of these people.

Quote from: Thom on January 12, 2015, 05:36:19 pm

Quote from: wasthatawolf on January 12, 2015, 04:22:23 pm

I wonder why Bytemaster was so confident the on-ramp would be available by the end of 2014...

That's the $1,000,000 question now isn't it?

That just illustrates the need to be cautious and take such statements with a grain of salt unless they are backed by factual evidence to support them. I'm beginning to learn that my optimism for BitShares progress may need to be dialed back a notch or 2. In far less than 6 months there have been some major changes and mistakes here such as with marketing. I remain optimistic but each of these cost a few points of confidence / optimism.

I feel much the same way. 

The best metaphor I could think of that helped me to better understand the issues that have come up is to view Bitshares as a ship and the dev team as the shipbuilders.  At the end of the day, you can't expect the shipbuilders to be experts at piloting the ship they're building, no matter how well it's built.  For the most part, all the missteps we've seen to this point have been on the business side of things. Until Bitshares finds an experienced captain and crew (business development team), it's going to be difficult to break through and gain any sort of traction in any market.

  to both. 

Thanks for all your kind words. 

My role on BitShares over the past 18 months has actually been quite modest. 

I work mostly behind the scenes.  My job involves dealing with business operations and other gatekeeper duties typically associated with a chief of staff role. I pay most of the crypto bills. I handle financial, legal and accounting interfaces, written communication functions, partnership negotiations and support, and helping people see the bright side whenever I can. 

Generally I try to take everything I can off Bytemaster’s hands
so he can focus on things that only he can do. 

Someday Bytemaster will find someone else he trusts to do those duties and I will be able to retire.  But it is hard to find someone you can trust to have your back in all situations, especially on the financial and legal fronts.  Until then, if I don’t do these functions he will have to find time to do them himself. 

If I’m the only one he trusts to walk his dog,
then by walking his dog I generate more Bytemaster time for the ecosystem. 

Thus, the value of my contribution is pretty much just the value of Bytemaster’s time saved for things that only he can do. 

**Full disclosure, BM does not own a dog.  I'm using another metaphor. 

This is pretty much what I expected Stan was doing but it's good to see it stated clearly.  I think the confusion is only in lumping him in with developers rather than explaining his role in more detail.  He is more like a chief of staff and the compensation seems fair for that role.

I would consider voting for him as well.