16
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17
General Discussion / A thought experiment
« on: April 25, 2015, 12:20:33 pm »
I was doing some thinking into the value proposition bitshares has for the average non crypto user. Which is prob around 99.9% of the population.
Most people wont care that the solution is decentralized, the assets unseizable and requires no trust. Infact many people prefer a centralized, solution that requires regulation.
To work out what the value proposition of bitshares for the majority of people, we need to compare it to the current centralize services.
And we need to pretend for a moment we are providing a centralized service and then ask why people would use it.
lets pretend:
- We are a centralized service, like PayPal.
- We are providing a service for the exchange of IOUs dollars/gold and other commodities and currencies.
- People can put money onto the system and exchange IOUs with other users at low transaction costs.
- People can trade IOUs for IOUs of a different kind to gain exposure to different commodities and currencies.
- Transactions are fast and global.
This looks like a decent traditional centralized service but, regulation aside, is not too difficult to create.
So lets pretend we have created this centralized service and we are direct competitor to the likes of PayPal. What are the next steps to gain user adoption.
- there needs to be a very small barrier to entry (paypal users can easily link their credit card).
- users need to be able to draw their cash back into their bank accounts quickly and easily.
- merchants need to start using bitshares as a way for their customers to pay them (this is different from saying they need to accept bitUSD).
- user conversion should involve zero need to understand the mechanisms of how the system works.
I thought this would be an interesting way of looking at things as we need to be better or at least as good as current centralized services (and being decentralized and trust free doesnt count
Most people wont care that the solution is decentralized, the assets unseizable and requires no trust. Infact many people prefer a centralized, solution that requires regulation.
To work out what the value proposition of bitshares for the majority of people, we need to compare it to the current centralize services.
And we need to pretend for a moment we are providing a centralized service and then ask why people would use it.
lets pretend:
- We are a centralized service, like PayPal.
- We are providing a service for the exchange of IOUs dollars/gold and other commodities and currencies.
- People can put money onto the system and exchange IOUs with other users at low transaction costs.
- People can trade IOUs for IOUs of a different kind to gain exposure to different commodities and currencies.
- Transactions are fast and global.
This looks like a decent traditional centralized service but, regulation aside, is not too difficult to create.
So lets pretend we have created this centralized service and we are direct competitor to the likes of PayPal. What are the next steps to gain user adoption.
- there needs to be a very small barrier to entry (paypal users can easily link their credit card).
- users need to be able to draw their cash back into their bank accounts quickly and easily.
- merchants need to start using bitshares as a way for their customers to pay them (this is different from saying they need to accept bitUSD).
- user conversion should involve zero need to understand the mechanisms of how the system works.
I thought this would be an interesting way of looking at things as we need to be better or at least as good as current centralized services (and being decentralized and trust free doesnt count
18
General Discussion / Officially launched: What do people think of bitGold.com?
« on: April 23, 2015, 11:18:38 pm »
I have tried out the service and was given a 'free' 20USD worth of bitGold to play with.
The registration flow is user friendly.
The UI is easy to navigate and fun to use.
The 20USD makes me want to play around with the system and send some bitGold to a friend.
The only reason I would not make use of it is because, aside from having fun sending gold i.o.u's to a friend, there is no utility and the centralized solution where I had to show a copy of my ID put me off. Its just another PayPal.
But for people who like PayPal, it is a rather cool and fun service.
The registration flow is user friendly.
The UI is easy to navigate and fun to use.
The 20USD makes me want to play around with the system and send some bitGold to a friend.
The only reason I would not make use of it is because, aside from having fun sending gold i.o.u's to a friend, there is no utility and the centralized solution where I had to show a copy of my ID put me off. Its just another PayPal.
But for people who like PayPal, it is a rather cool and fun service.
19
General Discussion / Post general project updates here for frequent newsletter purposes.
« on: March 25, 2015, 05:33:17 pm »
1. Provide small updates below for frequent newsletter.
2. Include a link and very short description, a relevant picture would also be great.
3. For non-update comments please go here https://bitsharestalk.org/index.php?topic=15228.0
4. Vote on how frequently you think a newsletter should go out (I included bi-weekly, but we already have a monthly newsletter so this option would not make much sense)
I know that I get almost daily updates from Ripple and therefore would never question that they are slacking, abandoning project etc.
While I dont think this to be true of Bitshares in any way, others may need more frequent reminders of what is going on.
See the below Ripple email http://us4.campaign-archive2.com/?u=245dbc1c47849f034390dc5bf&id=3a199e0e66&e=09eb5019cd to get an idea on what could be an update.
There could be a separate subscription for this, or we could use the current mailing list and allow users to unsubscribe from the frequent updates newsletter.
Things like:
Peertracks tester shares released, testing begins in preparation for Notes being made liquid.
New Mumble talk release on Beyond bitcoin, X and Y was discussed.
Moonstone reaches X amount on its campaign.
2. Include a link and very short description, a relevant picture would also be great.
3. For non-update comments please go here https://bitsharestalk.org/index.php?topic=15228.0
4. Vote on how frequently you think a newsletter should go out (I included bi-weekly, but we already have a monthly newsletter so this option would not make much sense)
I know that I get almost daily updates from Ripple and therefore would never question that they are slacking, abandoning project etc.
While I dont think this to be true of Bitshares in any way, others may need more frequent reminders of what is going on.
See the below Ripple email http://us4.campaign-archive2.com/?u=245dbc1c47849f034390dc5bf&id=3a199e0e66&e=09eb5019cd to get an idea on what could be an update.
There could be a separate subscription for this, or we could use the current mailing list and allow users to unsubscribe from the frequent updates newsletter.
Things like:
Peertracks tester shares released, testing begins in preparation for Notes being made liquid.
New Mumble talk release on Beyond bitcoin, X and Y was discussed.
Moonstone reaches X amount on its campaign.
20
General Discussion / Good news posts should go to many emails every second day
« on: March 25, 2015, 01:39:15 pm »
I get an email every day from Ripple to provide good news about what they are doing.
We should do the same.
Very simple two or three pointers with a link.
This could do a lot to calm down people who make posts like 'where is bytemaster'
We should do the same.
Very simple two or three pointers with a link.
This could do a lot to calm down people who make posts like 'where is bytemaster'
21
Technical Support / [solved] Wallet cant get past password stage
« on: March 23, 2015, 07:18:25 pm »
My wallet was barley working on my mac.
It is now not working at all.
It asks for the password, when I type in a password it just shows loading and is stuck on the password screen.
Any suggestions?
Thanks
It is now not working at all.
It asks for the password, when I type in a password it just shows loading and is stuck on the password screen.
Any suggestions?
Thanks
22
Technical Support / Some issues I am having with the wallet
« on: March 14, 2015, 08:44:33 pm »
Using Mavericks and downloaded the latest client.
I need to restart it each time to see a new balance when making transfers to the account.
When trying to buy bitAssets, it says my BTS balance is 0 (which it is not). I therefore cannot trade.
Am I doing something wrong here?
EDIT: my balance now shows and I was able to place a trade. For some reason I keep needing to restart the client. Also the client keeps disconnecting from the network. My internet connection is working fine.
Really enjoying the client UI though!
I need to restart it each time to see a new balance when making transfers to the account.
When trying to buy bitAssets, it says my BTS balance is 0 (which it is not). I therefore cannot trade.
Am I doing something wrong here?
EDIT: my balance now shows and I was able to place a trade. For some reason I keep needing to restart the client. Also the client keeps disconnecting from the network. My internet connection is working fine.
Really enjoying the client UI though!
23
General Discussion / Bitshares bridge for South Africa
« on: March 11, 2015, 02:16:05 pm »
Hi Community,
I hope to create the first Bitshares bridge for South Africa.
I have created a highly bootstrapped website service with a wizard of oz back end (lean startup in full swing here).
http://www.bitsharesbridgesa.co.za/
In order to launch the bridge in South Africa I would like to ask the community for some initial funding in the form of bitUSD.
Most of this funding will go to the initial float with which to make transactions from. The main form of transactions will be in the form of ZAR coming in and bitUSD going out. Once the bitUSD supply runs low, the ZAR collected will be used to replenish the supply.
For legal reasons I will be running the service in my own name. This way I am functioning as a trader and not a financial services provider.
If after a year or sooner, the service is not providing a needed or used service in South Africa the service will be shut down and the float returned to the community (to an appropriate delegate for example).
The idea is to run a basic service and if viable seek venture capital to run the service as a registered company with an automated and scalable backend.
South Africa is 'leading' the way for Africa in the way of virtual currencies and Cape Town is fast becoming an IT hub for the Country. I believe their is potential for this service if Bitshares takes off (which we all believe it will).
The total set up fee is very low (about 1 months delegate pay). I look forward to hearing your thoughts.
Reserve float for transactions: $2000 (1500bitUSD and about 5500ZAR)
Banking account holding fees for 1 year: $120
Website hosting with SquareSpace for 1 year: $96
Gmail for business for 1 year: $60
Google adwords for year: $500
Total: bitUSD 2776
I hope to create the first Bitshares bridge for South Africa.
I have created a highly bootstrapped website service with a wizard of oz back end (lean startup in full swing here).
http://www.bitsharesbridgesa.co.za/
In order to launch the bridge in South Africa I would like to ask the community for some initial funding in the form of bitUSD.
Most of this funding will go to the initial float with which to make transactions from. The main form of transactions will be in the form of ZAR coming in and bitUSD going out. Once the bitUSD supply runs low, the ZAR collected will be used to replenish the supply.
For legal reasons I will be running the service in my own name. This way I am functioning as a trader and not a financial services provider.
If after a year or sooner, the service is not providing a needed or used service in South Africa the service will be shut down and the float returned to the community (to an appropriate delegate for example).
The idea is to run a basic service and if viable seek venture capital to run the service as a registered company with an automated and scalable backend.
South Africa is 'leading' the way for Africa in the way of virtual currencies and Cape Town is fast becoming an IT hub for the Country. I believe their is potential for this service if Bitshares takes off (which we all believe it will).
The total set up fee is very low (about 1 months delegate pay). I look forward to hearing your thoughts.
Reserve float for transactions: $2000 (1500bitUSD and about 5500ZAR)
Banking account holding fees for 1 year: $120
Website hosting with SquareSpace for 1 year: $96
Gmail for business for 1 year: $60
Google adwords for year: $500
Total: bitUSD 2776
24
General Discussion / Can we get South African Rands (ZAR) on Bitshares
« on: March 04, 2015, 04:56:13 pm »
Can we get ZAR on as a market issued asset on Bitshares.
There are no African currencies represented and South Africa is leading the way for Africa in activity and start-ups related to Bitcoin.
There are no African currencies represented and South Africa is leading the way for Africa in activity and start-ups related to Bitcoin.
25
General Discussion / Opportunities in red pocket money transmission, Chinese new years
« on: February 18, 2015, 07:55:59 pm »
"WeChat which allows users to send / receive the red pocket money by linking up their bank accounts to WeChat.
Going beyond a traditional festive greeting or sticker, the app went viral overnight. The number of WeChat users who linked up their bank accounts increased from 30 million to 100 million in just one day"
"iResearch. According to research firm Analysys, the total volume of transactions in China's third-party mobile payments market reached CN¥7.77m in 2014, which is a 500% increase over the last 12 months."
Thought the community may be interested in this. *cough cough bitCNY
http://asianinsight.racepointglobal.com/post/76181039647/did-you-get-your-red-pocket-on-your-wechat-this
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/chinese-new-year-2015-alibaba-challenges-tencent-wechat-188m-money-giving-lottery-1488460
Going beyond a traditional festive greeting or sticker, the app went viral overnight. The number of WeChat users who linked up their bank accounts increased from 30 million to 100 million in just one day"
"iResearch. According to research firm Analysys, the total volume of transactions in China's third-party mobile payments market reached CN¥7.77m in 2014, which is a 500% increase over the last 12 months."
Thought the community may be interested in this. *cough cough bitCNY
http://asianinsight.racepointglobal.com/post/76181039647/did-you-get-your-red-pocket-on-your-wechat-this
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/chinese-new-year-2015-alibaba-challenges-tencent-wechat-188m-money-giving-lottery-1488460
26
Muse/SoundDAC / How was the grammy awards?
« on: February 09, 2015, 07:25:07 am »
Made any new contacts?
Were people interested in the idea?
Were people interested in the idea?
27
General Discussion / Large on Bitshares exchange trade volume bitUSD
« on: February 08, 2015, 08:26:05 pm »
I noticed on coinmarketcap.com that 'on bitshares exchange' trade volume for bitUSD is very high. Such that total trade volume for bitUSD places it at number 5 when ranking 'currencies' on the site by trade volume.
Any ideas why this may be the case. Has it always been this high or is this recent. I cant find a chart to show trade volume over time.
Perhaps the new mine bitUSD pool?
Any ideas why this may be the case. Has it always been this high or is this recent. I cant find a chart to show trade volume over time.
Perhaps the new mine bitUSD pool?
28
General Discussion / The surveys we are receiving
« on: February 07, 2015, 12:36:50 pm »
While it is a good idea to keep questionnaires sent to a wider audience to a minimum to ensure greater number of responses.
I am sure that the community would be very willing to answer a lot more questions at a time.
If many more questions need answering, if links to such were posted on the forum I am sure there would still be good responses to questionnaires that take more time.
I am sure that the community would be very willing to answer a lot more questions at a time.
If many more questions need answering, if links to such were posted on the forum I am sure there would still be good responses to questionnaires that take more time.
29
General Discussion / What is the website countdown for?
« on: January 22, 2015, 09:19:33 pm »
Is this for the new website?
Exciting!
Exciting!
30
General Discussion / Bounty Delegate
« on: January 18, 2015, 08:58:02 pm »
Can we have a bounty delegate which would store 100% of transaction fees (have 100% pay).
On the forum people can post things that they want to have done and people can vote on what they feel is important and what the bounty amount should be.
The bounty delegate can then select someone to do the bounty and pay upon successful competition of the task.
The delegate could keep a small fee for doing this.
I would be interested in doing this myself, however I do not have the funds to register as a delegate and do not have the technical expertise to handle a delegate position, handle funds etc.
Would anyone be interested in partnering with to handle the delegate seat and incoming funds?
On the forum people can post things that they want to have done and people can vote on what they feel is important and what the bounty amount should be.
The bounty delegate can then select someone to do the bounty and pay upon successful competition of the task.
The delegate could keep a small fee for doing this.
I would be interested in doing this myself, however I do not have the funds to register as a delegate and do not have the technical expertise to handle a delegate position, handle funds etc.
Would anyone be interested in partnering with to handle the delegate seat and incoming funds?
