BitShares Forum

Main => General Discussion => Topic started by: bytemaster on November 07, 2014, 08:08:45 am

Title: Draft Pitch for new BitShares.org
Post by: bytemaster on November 07, 2014, 08:08:45 am
I put this together as a PDF... CASS and Brian are working to tweak it and provide images/color/etc.... the idea is that this pitch will be the front and center of bitshares.org.

http://bitshares.org/BitSharesPitch.pdf

At the end of the pitch will be a "Download App"  and "Deposit Funds" link that will walk the user step by step through the process of getting funds.

We are working on a similar pitch for merchants.
Title: Re: Draft Pitch for new BitShares.org
Post by: gamey on November 07, 2014, 08:16:56 am
Glad to realize some of the benefits from all that has been going on the past couple  weeks.  Its quite obvious that is a better webpage for the most basic landing page.  Few words.  Simple.  Nothing misleading.   People should be able to get 90% of the point within moments.

+6%
Title: Re: Draft Pitch for new BitShares.org
Post by: xeroc on November 07, 2014, 08:24:01 am
+5% awesome .. looking forward to help with a german translation
Title: Re: Draft Pitch for new BitShares.org
Post by: julian1 on November 07, 2014, 08:44:46 am
Yes, excellent.

Simple visual images + accompanying feature statement.

And pegged assets get prominance right at the top.

The only bit missing is confirmation speed. But that's already available with debit/credit cards/paypal and therefore doesn't need to be listed as an advantage. Bitcoin/pow are kind of the exception in being so ridiculously slow.
Title: Re: Draft Pitch for new BitShares.org
Post by: Frodo on November 07, 2014, 08:49:05 am
I'm not sure, but I could see some confusion coming from the whole "loan" / "lending" terminology. I don't think that all users are aware how lending is connected to creation of USD or bitUSD. That might give some people the idea that we have something implemented like the lending DAC functionality.
Title: Re: Draft Pitch for new BitShares.org
Post by: davidpbrown on November 07, 2014, 08:57:28 am
Looks good.

It's an obvious point but one of the big liabilities is the user. BitShares needs to be foolproof not just fullproof. Given the complacency and competence of most potential users, I wonder that "Rest assured your money is safe" is not sufficient and there need to be clear statement about the responsibility the user has for their own wallet and explicit descriptions of what needs to be done to secure that - to the point of assuming they are not familiar with Bitcoin. Perhaps that is already the next step as they look into how to proceed.
Title: Re: Draft Pitch for new BitShares.org
Post by: luckybit on November 07, 2014, 11:20:17 am
Looks good.

It's an obvious point but one of the big liabilities is the user. BitShares needs to be foolproof not just fullproof. Given the complacency and competence of most potential users, I wonder that "Rest assured your money is safe" is not sufficient and there need to be clear statement about the responsibility the user has for their own wallet and explicit descriptions of what needs to be done to secure that - to the point of assuming they are not familiar with Bitcoin. Perhaps that is already the next step as they look into how to proceed.

I don't see why there needs to be a new Bitshares.org. Nothing is particularly wrong with the website except it maybe needs more social integration.
Title: Re: Draft Pitch for new BitShares.org
Post by: speedy on November 07, 2014, 11:25:19 am
Looks nice, but how about giving a rough estimate of what interest rate could be expected? This is the obvious question that would arise from claiming that its the best rate around.
Title: Re: Draft Pitch for new BitShares.org
Post by: xeroc on November 07, 2014, 11:30:51 am
Looks nice, but how about giving a rough estimate of what interest rate could be expected ?
You just can't as it mainly depends on the markets volumes
Title: Re: Draft Pitch for new BitShares.org
Post by: GaltReport on November 07, 2014, 11:32:15 am
 +5% Looks good.  Not sure about the "loan" part though.  It will for sure increase the number of people that download and create an account...thinking that they can apply for a loan...but they may feel like they have been "baited and switched" unless their are plans to provide loan functionality, which would be awesome.

Title: Re: Draft Pitch for new BitShares.org
Post by: betax on November 07, 2014, 12:26:04 pm
+5% Looks good.  Not sure about the "loan" part though.  It will for sure increase the number of people that download and create an account...thinking that they can apply for a loan...but they may feel like they have been "baited and switched" unless their are plans to provide loan functionality, which would be awesome.

ditto
Title: Re: Draft Pitch for new BitShares.org
Post by: Rune on November 07, 2014, 12:48:43 pm
I think it needs to be a lot more clear what bitshares actually is. If bitshares was just an iteration or improvement of some existing tech that the average consumer knows about, then it would be feasible to sell it mainly on emotions through pictures. But the closest we can get to that is to write that bitshares "is like bitcoin" or "bitcoin 2.0". That will probably still not be enough to prevent the average user from bouncing from confusion.

It sucks, but I think we will have to explain some fundamentals of the the system right on the first page, and will thus need to use a lot more text. Unless people are buying into a third party centralized service that holds bitUSD for them, they need to understand that bitshares are distributed and decentralized with no issuer or owner, so there's no risk of an owner running away with their money, but also no official support, insurance or guarantees.

I had an idea that one of the ways we can communicate the public key crypto that powers our system, is to market to our users as "owners". So you're not a bitUSD user, you're a bitUSD owner. An owner can never have his funds seized, frozen, snooped on or restricted in any way. You're only an owner if you control the private key. We can do an emotional sell by playing on this as something that should be a fundamental human right: if you've earned something through honest work NO ONE should be allowed to take it from you.

I think a good source of inspiration for the visual style would be the style of graphics used in the weusecoins video. I especially like the pacifying colors and that each feature has its own unique icon (and even sound), it quite amazingly done.

Here are some random ideas for how I think it could be done in the current style. These are just quick suggestions and written in haste, but maybe some of the ideas are useful.

BITSHARES - a bank without bankers

DECENTRALIZED (picture: stylized drawing of a meshnet) - Bitshares is powered by all its owners, who work together to run the software that maintains the system across thousands of computers. This ensures that there are no intermediaries between owners and that no one have the ability to change or steal from the system.

OPEN SOURCE (picture of whatever people positively associate with open source) - The open source software uses the most reliable proven cryptography to ensure that an owners funds are always safe and spendable only by him. Every line of code is public and can be audited by anyone at any time.

STORE OF WEALTH (gold bars) - You can deposit money into bitshares in many forms: bitUSD, bitEUR, bitGOLD... Each of these tokens always hold the value of their underlying asset, and pay an interest rate (currently x%). Everything is collateralized at 300% of its value by the highly liquid backbone currency bitshares.

LOW FEES, NO RESTRICTIONS (stylized broken or frozen bank)- Using bitshares you can send money in any form, directly to any other user anywhere on the planet within 10 seconds for 2 cents. You can also exchange currencies and assets instantly and at low fees. There are no restrictions, requirements or authorization needed for the owner to send and spend his money as he wishes. Transactions are private and no one will know how you spend your money.

BE YOUR OWN BANK (picture of sympathetic person) - these features allows anyone to store their money with total privacy in the way they decide, out of reach of getting stolen, frozen or seized. Finally you can own what you own.
Title: Re: Draft Pitch for new BitShares.org
Post by: teenagecheese on November 07, 2014, 02:27:17 pm
I agree!! That page is slick, but just too vague because most people have no idea how digital currencies work and definitely no idea how bitshares works.

I feel most other people's comments above are pretty accurate as well and should be addressed.

We definitely need a new website though, gotta re-brand entirely. This our one and only shot to start clean. Get rid of the old one's and make one, clean, integrated, OFFICIAL, website
Title: Re: Draft Pitch for new BitShares.org
Post by: toast on November 07, 2014, 02:50:27 pm
I think it needs to be a lot more clear what bitshares actually is. If bitshares was just an iteration or improvement of some existing tech that the average consumer knows about, then it would be feasible to sell it mainly on emotions through pictures. But the closest we can get to that is to write that bitshares "is like bitcoin" or "bitcoin 2.0". That will probably still not be enough to prevent the average user from bouncing from confusion.

It sucks, but I think we will have to explain some fundamentals of the the system right on the first page, and will thus need to use a lot more text. Unless people are buying into a third party centralized service that holds bitUSD for them, they need to understand that bitshares are distributed and decentralized with no issuer or owner, so there's no risk of an owner running away with their money, but also no official support, insurance or guarantees.

I had an idea that one of the ways we can communicate the public key crypto that powers our system, is to market to our users as "owners". So you're not a bitUSD user, you're a bitUSD owner. An owner can never have his funds seized, frozen, snooped on or restricted in any way. You're only an owner if you control the private key. We can do an emotional sell by playing on this as something that should be a fundamental human right: if you've earned something through honest work NO ONE should be allowed to take it from you.

I think a good source of inspiration for the visual style would be the style of graphics used in the weusecoins video. I especially like the pacifying colors and that each feature has its own unique icon (and even sound), it quite amazingly done.

Here are some random ideas for how I think it could be done in the current style. These are just quick suggestions and written in haste, but maybe some of the ideas are useful.

BITSHARES - a bank without bankers

DECENTRALIZED (picture: stylized drawing of a meshnet) - Bitshares is powered by all its owners, who work together to run the software that maintains the system across thousands of computers. This ensures that there are no intermediaries between owners and that no one have the ability to change or steal from the system.

OPEN SOURCE (picture of whatever people positively associate with open source) - The open source software uses the most reliable proven cryptography to ensure that an owners funds are always safe and spendable only by him. Every line of code is public and can be audited by anyone at any time.

STORE OF WEALTH (gold bars) - You can deposit money into bitshares in many forms: bitUSD, bitEUR, bitGOLD... Each of these tokens always hold the value of their underlying asset, and pay an interest rate (currently x%). Everything is collateralized at 300% of its value by the highly liquid backbone currency bitshares.

LOW FEES, NO RESTRICTIONS (stylized broken or frozen bank)- Using bitshares you can send money in any form, directly to any other user anywhere on the planet within 10 seconds for 2 cents. You can also exchange currencies and assets instantly and at low fees. There are no restrictions, requirements or authorization needed for the owner to send and spend his money as he wishes. Transactions are private and no one will know how you spend your money.

BE YOUR OWN BANK (picture of sympathetic person) - these features allows anyone to store their money with total privacy in the way they decide, out of reach of getting stolen, frozen or seized. Finally you can own what you own.
+5%
Title: Re: Draft Pitch for new BitShares.org
Post by: carpet ride on November 07, 2014, 02:56:30 pm

I think it needs to be a lot more clear what bitshares actually is. If bitshares was just an iteration or improvement of some existing tech that the average consumer knows about, then it would be feasible to sell it mainly on emotions through pictures. But the closest we can get to that is to write that bitshares "is like bitcoin" or "bitcoin 2.0". That will probably still not be enough to prevent the average user from bouncing from confusion.

It sucks, but I think we will have to explain some fundamentals of the the system right on the first page, and will thus need to use a lot more text. Unless people are buying into a third party centralized service that holds bitUSD for them, they need to understand that bitshares are distributed and decentralized with no issuer or owner, so there's no risk of an owner running away with their money, but also no official support, insurance or guarantees.

I had an idea that one of the ways we can communicate the public key crypto that powers our system, is to market to our users as "owners". So you're not a bitUSD user, you're a bitUSD owner. An owner can never have his funds seized, frozen, snooped on or restricted in any way. You're only an owner if you control the private key. We can do an emotional sell by playing on this as something that should be a fundamental human right: if you've earned something through honest work NO ONE should be allowed to take it from you.

I think a good source of inspiration for the visual style would be the style of graphics used in the weusecoins video. I especially like the pacifying colors and that each feature has its own unique icon (and even sound), it quite amazingly done.

Here are some random ideas for how I think it could be done in the current style. These are just quick suggestions and written in haste, but maybe some of the ideas are useful.

BITSHARES - a bank without bankers

DECENTRALIZED (picture: stylized drawing of a meshnet) - Bitshares is powered by all its owners, who work together to run the software that maintains the system across thousands of computers. This ensures that there are no intermediaries between owners and that no one have the ability to change or steal from the system.

OPEN SOURCE (picture of whatever people positively associate with open source) - The open source software uses the most reliable proven cryptography to ensure that an owners funds are always safe and spendable only by him. Every line of code is public and can be audited by anyone at any time.

STORE OF WEALTH (gold bars) - You can deposit money into bitshares in many forms: bitUSD, bitEUR, bitGOLD... Each of these tokens always hold the value of their underlying asset, and pay an interest rate (currently x%). Everything is collateralized at 300% of its value by the highly liquid backbone currency bitshares.

LOW FEES, NO RESTRICTIONS (stylized broken or frozen bank)- Using bitshares you can send money in any form, directly to any other user anywhere on the planet within 10 seconds for 2 cents. You can also exchange currencies and assets instantly and at low fees. There are no restrictions, requirements or authorization needed for the owner to send and spend his money as he wishes. Transactions are private and no one will know how you spend your money.

BE YOUR OWN BANK (picture of sympathetic person) - these features allows anyone to store their money with total privacy in the way they decide, out of reach of getting stolen, frozen or seized. Finally you can own what you own.
+5%

DECENTRALIZED could be COOPERATIVE


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Title: Re: Draft Pitch for new BitShares.org
Post by: betax on November 07, 2014, 02:57:13 pm
Can we sell BitShares in one sentence?

IE: Earn % interest on USD, GBP, GOLD, EURO, CNY with Bitcoin 2.0 

^ Note: This is a quick random example, but hopefully you get the idea.

Edit: How it works and all the other benefits, etc can come after.

Other example: Subscribe to all the porn you want anonymously!! Bitshares you know you love it.
Title: Re: Draft Pitch for new BitShares.org
Post by: dannotestein on November 07, 2014, 03:10:19 pm

I think it needs to be a lot more clear what bitshares actually is. If bitshares was just an iteration or improvement of some existing tech that the average consumer knows about, then it would be feasible to sell it mainly on emotions through pictures. But the closest we can get to that is to write that bitshares "is like bitcoin" or "bitcoin 2.0". That will probably still not be enough to prevent the average user from bouncing from confusion.

It sucks, but I think we will have to explain some fundamentals of the the system right on the first page, and will thus need to use a lot more text. Unless people are buying into a third party centralized service that holds bitUSD for them, they need to understand that bitshares are distributed and decentralized with no issuer or owner, so there's no risk of an owner running away with their money, but also no official support, insurance or guarantees.

I had an idea that one of the ways we can communicate the public key crypto that powers our system, is to market to our users as "owners". So you're not a bitUSD user, you're a bitUSD owner. An owner can never have his funds seized, frozen, snooped on or restricted in any way. You're only an owner if you control the private key. We can do an emotional sell by playing on this as something that should be a fundamental human right: if you've earned something through honest work NO ONE should be allowed to take it from you.

I think a good source of inspiration for the visual style would be the style of graphics used in the weusecoins video. I especially like the pacifying colors and that each feature has its own unique icon (and even sound), it quite amazingly done.

Here are some random ideas for how I think it could be done in the current style. These are just quick suggestions and written in haste, but maybe some of the ideas are useful.

BITSHARES - a bank without bankers

DECENTRALIZED (picture: stylized drawing of a meshnet) - Bitshares is powered by all its owners, who work together to run the software that maintains the system across thousands of computers. This ensures that there are no intermediaries between owners and that no one have the ability to change or steal from the system.

OPEN SOURCE (picture of whatever people positively associate with open source) - The open source software uses the most reliable proven cryptography to ensure that an owners funds are always safe and spendable only by him. Every line of code is public and can be audited by anyone at any time.

STORE OF WEALTH (gold bars) - You can deposit money into bitshares in many forms: bitUSD, bitEUR, bitGOLD... Each of these tokens always hold the value of their underlying asset, and pay an interest rate (currently x%). Everything is collateralized at 300% of its value by the highly liquid backbone currency bitshares.

LOW FEES, NO RESTRICTIONS (stylized broken or frozen bank)- Using bitshares you can send money in any form, directly to any other user anywhere on the planet within 10 seconds for 2 cents. You can also exchange currencies and assets instantly and at low fees. There are no restrictions, requirements or authorization needed for the owner to send and spend his money as he wishes. Transactions are private and no one will know how you spend your money.

BE YOUR OWN BANK (picture of sympathetic person) - these features allows anyone to store their money with total privacy in the way they decide, out of reach of getting stolen, frozen or seized. Finally you can own what you own.
+5%

DECENTRALIZED could be COOPERATIVE


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
+5%
 And I think change from decentralized to cooperative is a good idea. It makes me think of "credit unions" with their lower fees versus banks and I think it's a better description of what's going on.
Title: Re: Draft Pitch for new BitShares.org
Post by: bytemaster on November 07, 2014, 03:15:39 pm
I'm not sure, but I could see some confusion coming from the whole "loan" / "lending" terminology. I don't think that all users are aware how lending is connected to creation of USD or bitUSD. That might give some people the idea that we have something implemented like the lending DAC functionality.

When people think of "banking" they normally think:  I deposit money, the bank lends money to others, and I get a cut of the interest.   

More sophisticated above average "normal" people might consider whether or not a bank is holding subprime loans and over leveraged or whether it is holding high quality loans and thus solvent. 

If people ask about getting a loan the answer is very clear, "we only lend against BTS" do you have any collateral?   As a result the average man will say, oh I guess I cannot get a mortgage with you.   Which is FINE!   If you go to average bank and ask for a loan collateralized by something non-standard such as stocks, gold, silver, etc they will make it very clear.

If BitShares is working as intended then there is very little difference between BitUSD and USD other than the name of the institution that is promising to pay a USD worth of value.   So for the primary value proposition we want to avoid introducing unfamiliar terms or concepts.   

Bitcoin has NOTHING to do with the service provided by BitShares and thus we should not sell BitShares based on this.  There will need to be a "Technology" page that describes the power of the technology and mentions bitcoin.  This page would mostly be for "investors" and "very curious" individuals. 

Title: Re: Draft Pitch for new BitShares.org
Post by: Method-X on November 07, 2014, 03:44:11 pm
I think it needs to be a lot more clear what bitshares actually is. If bitshares was just an iteration or improvement of some existing tech that the average consumer knows about, then it would be feasible to sell it mainly on emotions through pictures. But the closest we can get to that is to write that bitshares "is like bitcoin" or "bitcoin 2.0". That will probably still not be enough to prevent the average user from bouncing from confusion.

It sucks, but I think we will have to explain some fundamentals of the the system right on the first page, and will thus need to use a lot more text. Unless people are buying into a third party centralized service that holds bitUSD for them, they need to understand that bitshares are distributed and decentralized with no issuer or owner, so there's no risk of an owner running away with their money, but also no official support, insurance or guarantees.

I had an idea that one of the ways we can communicate the public key crypto that powers our system, is to market to our users as "owners". So you're not a bitUSD user, you're a bitUSD owner. An owner can never have his funds seized, frozen, snooped on or restricted in any way. You're only an owner if you control the private key. We can do an emotional sell by playing on this as something that should be a fundamental human right: if you've earned something through honest work NO ONE should be allowed to take it from you.

I think a good source of inspiration for the visual style would be the style of graphics used in the weusecoins video. I especially like the pacifying colors and that each feature has its own unique icon (and even sound), it quite amazingly done.

Here are some random ideas for how I think it could be done in the current style. These are just quick suggestions and written in haste, but maybe some of the ideas are useful.

BITSHARES - a bank without bankers

DECENTRALIZED (picture: stylized drawing of a meshnet) - Bitshares is powered by all its owners, who work together to run the software that maintains the system across thousands of computers. This ensures that there are no intermediaries between owners and that no one have the ability to change or steal from the system.

OPEN SOURCE (picture of whatever people positively associate with open source) - The open source software uses the most reliable proven cryptography to ensure that an owners funds are always safe and spendable only by him. Every line of code is public and can be audited by anyone at any time.

STORE OF WEALTH (gold bars) - You can deposit money into bitshares in many forms: bitUSD, bitEUR, bitGOLD... Each of these tokens always hold the value of their underlying asset, and pay an interest rate (currently x%). Everything is collateralized at 300% of its value by the highly liquid backbone currency bitshares.

LOW FEES, NO RESTRICTIONS (stylized broken or frozen bank)- Using bitshares you can send money in any form, directly to any other user anywhere on the planet within 10 seconds for 2 cents. You can also exchange currencies and assets instantly and at low fees. There are no restrictions, requirements or authorization needed for the owner to send and spend his money as he wishes. Transactions are private and no one will know how you spend your money.

BE YOUR OWN BANK (picture of sympathetic person) - these features allows anyone to store their money with total privacy in the way they decide, out of reach of getting stolen, frozen or seized. Finally you can own what you own.

 +5% Rune has the right idea here. While the OP is taking a step in the right direction, I don't think the copy conveys anything unique about BitShares. How about you let me do my own version and you can A/B test it against the control?
Title: Re: Draft Pitch for new BitShares.org
Post by: carpet ride on November 07, 2014, 03:44:36 pm


I think it needs to be a lot more clear what bitshares actually is. If bitshares was just an iteration or improvement of some existing tech that the average consumer knows about, then it would be feasible to sell it mainly on emotions through pictures. But the closest we can get to that is to write that bitshares "is like bitcoin" or "bitcoin 2.0". That will probably still not be enough to prevent the average user from bouncing from confusion.

It sucks, but I think we will have to explain some fundamentals of the the system right on the first page, and will thus need to use a lot more text. Unless people are buying into a third party centralized service that holds bitUSD for them, they need to understand that bitshares are distributed and decentralized with no issuer or owner, so there's no risk of an owner running away with their money, but also no official support, insurance or guarantees.

I had an idea that one of the ways we can communicate the public key crypto that powers our system, is to market to our users as "owners". So you're not a bitUSD user, you're a bitUSD owner. An owner can never have his funds seized, frozen, snooped on or restricted in any way. You're only an owner if you control the private key. We can do an emotional sell by playing on this as something that should be a fundamental human right: if you've earned something through honest work NO ONE should be allowed to take it from you.

I think a good source of inspiration for the visual style would be the style of graphics used in the weusecoins video. I especially like the pacifying colors and that each feature has its own unique icon (and even sound), it quite amazingly done.

Here are some random ideas for how I think it could be done in the current style. These are just quick suggestions and written in haste, but maybe some of the ideas are useful.

BITSHARES - a bank without bankers

DECENTRALIZED (picture: stylized drawing of a meshnet) - Bitshares is powered by all its owners, who work together to run the software that maintains the system across thousands of computers. This ensures that there are no intermediaries between owners and that no one have the ability to change or steal from the system.

OPEN SOURCE (picture of whatever people positively associate with open source) - The open source software uses the most reliable proven cryptography to ensure that an owners funds are always safe and spendable only by him. Every line of code is public and can be audited by anyone at any time.

STORE OF WEALTH (gold bars) - You can deposit money into bitshares in many forms: bitUSD, bitEUR, bitGOLD... Each of these tokens always hold the value of their underlying asset, and pay an interest rate (currently x%). Everything is collateralized at 300% of its value by the highly liquid backbone currency bitshares.

LOW FEES, NO RESTRICTIONS (stylized broken or frozen bank)- Using bitshares you can send money in any form, directly to any other user anywhere on the planet within 10 seconds for 2 cents. You can also exchange currencies and assets instantly and at low fees. There are no restrictions, requirements or authorization needed for the owner to send and spend his money as he wishes. Transactions are private and no one will know how you spend your money.

BE YOUR OWN BANK (picture of sympathetic person) - these features allows anyone to store their money with total privacy in the way they decide, out of reach of getting stolen, frozen or seized. Finally you can own what you own.
+5%

DECENTRALIZED could be COOPERATIVE


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
+5%
 And I think change from decentralized to cooperative is a good idea. It makes me think of "credit unions" with their lower fees versus banks and I think it's a better description of what's going on.

Curious which term BM sees value in


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Title: Re: Draft Pitch for new BitShares.org
Post by: myhometalk on November 07, 2014, 03:47:53 pm
"earning yummy interest while pocket has money  "  ---bitUSD

I'm not sure, but I could see some confusion coming from the whole "loan" / "lending" terminology. I don't think that all users are aware how lending is connected to creation of USD or bitUSD. That might give some people the idea that we have something implemented like the lending DAC functionality.

When people think of "banking" they normally think:  I deposit money, the bank lends money to others, and I get a cut of the interest.   

More sophisticated above average "normal" people might consider whether or not a bank is holding subprime loans and over leveraged or whether it is holding high quality loans and thus solvent. 

If people ask about getting a loan the answer is very clear, "we only lend against BTS" do you have any collateral?   As a result the average man will say, oh I guess I cannot get a mortgage with you.   Which is FINE!   If you go to average bank and ask for a loan collateralized by something non-standard such as stocks, gold, silver, etc they will make it very clear.

If BitShares is working as intended then there is very little difference between BitUSD and USD other than the name of the institution that is promising to pay a USD worth of value.   So for the primary value proposition we want to avoid introducing unfamiliar terms or concepts.   

Bitcoin has NOTHING to do with the service provided by BitShares and thus we should not sell BitShares based on this.  There will need to be a "Technology" page that describes the power of the technology and mentions bitcoin.  This page would mostly be for "investors" and "very curious" individuals.
Title: Re: Draft Pitch for new BitShares.org
Post by: GaltReport on November 07, 2014, 04:00:21 pm
I'm not sure, but I could see some confusion coming from the whole "loan" / "lending" terminology. I don't think that all users are aware how lending is connected to creation of USD or bitUSD. That might give some people the idea that we have something implemented like the lending DAC functionality.

When people think of "banking" they normally think:  I deposit money, the bank lends money to others, and I get a cut of the interest.   

More sophisticated above average "normal" people might consider whether or not a bank is holding subprime loans and over leveraged or whether it is holding high quality loans and thus solvent. 

If people ask about getting a loan the answer is very clear, "we only lend against BTS" do you have any collateral?   As a result the average man will say, oh I guess I cannot get a mortgage with you.   Which is FINE!   If you go to average bank and ask for a loan collateralized by something non-standard such as stocks, gold, silver, etc they will make it very clear.

If BitShares is working as intended then there is very little difference between BitUSD and USD other than the name of the institution that is promising to pay a USD worth of value.   So for the primary value proposition we want to avoid introducing unfamiliar terms or concepts.   

Bitcoin has NOTHING to do with the service provided by BitShares and thus we should not sell BitShares based on this.  There will need to be a "Technology" page that describes the power of the technology and mentions bitcoin.  This page would mostly be for "investors" and "very curious" individuals.

Respectfully disagree (bolded part).  Most people don't think like that.  They will think they can get a loan.  I think your view is just as close to thinking like "most people" that you can get. :)  You have to dumb yourself down some more.  I know it's hard...Plus it says "All Loans", not "Banking".  When people think of "Loans", they think they can get a loan.


Title: Re: Draft Pitch for new BitShares.org
Post by: monsterer on November 07, 2014, 04:02:12 pm
Can we sell BitShares in one sentence?

For early adopters:

All the advantages of bitcoin with the added stability of the US dollar.
Title: Re: Draft Pitch for new BitShares.org
Post by: Method-X on November 07, 2014, 04:03:37 pm
Can we sell BitShares in one sentence?

For early adopters:

All the advantages of bitcoin with the added stability of the US dollar.

Headline: BitUSD is Bitcoin with the stability of real USD.
Tagline: Anything Bitcoin can do, BitUSD does better.

Title: Re: Draft Pitch for new BitShares.org
Post by: CLains on November 07, 2014, 04:53:14 pm
We want to pitch differently to different people. We don't want to dilute our page rank. We want to do a/b testing. We want to sniff out promising demographics. We have limited time and resources.
Title: Re: Draft Pitch for new BitShares.org
Post by: bytemaster on November 07, 2014, 05:05:18 pm
I think we will probably say "deposits are collateralized 300%" rather than loans.
Title: Re: Draft Pitch for new BitShares.org
Post by: Frodo on November 07, 2014, 05:07:50 pm
I think we will probably say "deposits are collateralized 300%" rather than loans.

 +5% I would prefer that.
Title: Re: Draft Pitch for new BitShares.org
Post by: GaltReport on November 07, 2014, 05:19:48 pm
I think we will probably say "deposits are collateralized 300%" rather than loans.

 +5% I would prefer that.

Yes, that's much better. 
Title: Re: Draft Pitch for new BitShares.org
Post by: bitmarket on November 07, 2014, 06:13:18 pm
I dont think most people know what collateralized  is.
Title: Re: Draft Pitch for new BitShares.org
Post by: fluxer555 on November 07, 2014, 06:24:29 pm
I dont think most people know what collateralized  is.
+5% I think most ads use the words 'backed' or 'insured', as in "insured up to $100,000 by the FDIC".
Title: Re: Draft Pitch for new BitShares.org
Post by: bytemaster on November 07, 2014, 06:39:31 pm
I dont think most people know what collateralized  is.
+5% I think most ads use the words 'backed' or 'insured', as in "insured up to $100,000 by the FDIC".

Good... that was bugging me too.  I will used "backed"
Title: Re: Draft Pitch for new BitShares.org
Post by: donkeypong on November 07, 2014, 06:52:30 pm
"Backed by" is good.

How about using the term "like a bank" or "like a credit union" or "fully online version of your bank" or "secured equivalent of a bank" so there's a comparison made, but the word "like" (etc.) distances it from defining itself as a bank or credit union. That way, you don't have to fit the whole thing into one misleading noun.

Title: Re: Draft Pitch for new BitShares.org
Post by: hadrian on November 07, 2014, 07:00:41 pm
I dont think most people know what collateralized  is.
+5% I think most ads use the words 'backed' or 'insured', as in "insured up to $100,000 by the FDIC".

Good... that was bugging me too.  I will used "backed"

We could make it even easier to understand. Something along the lines of:

"Your money is safe - three times its value is held in reserve"
Title: Re: Draft Pitch for new BitShares.org
Post by: bytemaster on November 07, 2014, 07:03:50 pm
I dont think most people know what collateralized  is.
+5% I think most ads use the words 'backed' or 'insured', as in "insured up to $100,000 by the FDIC".

Good... that was bugging me too.  I will used "backed"

We could make it even easier to understand. Something along the lines of:

"Your money is safe - three times its value is held in reserve"

I like it.
Title: Re: Draft Pitch for new BitShares.org
Post by: Vizzini on November 07, 2014, 07:05:36 pm
Napster knocked up your bank!

And BitShares is their spawn!


BitShares: Better than your bank. --Faster --Easier --Better "interest" --Send funds anywhere --More secure
Title: Re: Draft Pitch for new BitShares.org
Post by: Ander on November 07, 2014, 07:28:28 pm
Maybe more like uTorrent knocked up your bank? :p

Napster was centralized, and some users got into trouble with it.
Title: Re: Draft Pitch for new BitShares.org
Post by: donkeypong on November 07, 2014, 07:40:24 pm
Maybe more like uTorrent knocked up your bank? :p

Napster was centralized, and some users got into trouble with it.

Has the mighty Tor been cracked?
http://www.coindesk.com/day-reckoning-dark-markets-hundreds-illicit-domains/ (http://www.coindesk.com/day-reckoning-dark-markets-hundreds-illicit-domains/)
Title: Re: Draft Pitch for new BitShares.org
Post by: Vizzini on November 07, 2014, 07:43:11 pm
'Twas a lousy marketing line anyhoo, just for a laff or three.
Title: Re: Draft Pitch for new BitShares.org
Post by: julian1 on November 07, 2014, 07:53:24 pm
You don't need to understand contract law to buy groceries, or javascript to do a Google search, or PKI to understand blockchain ledgers.

The simpler the metaphors required to explain the features + make use of a minimal viable product the better. 

Techy types/traders are the exception in wanting to know more, for which other resources already exist.
Title: Re: Draft Pitch for new BitShares.org
Post by: hpenvy on November 07, 2014, 07:57:49 pm
I think it needs to be a lot more clear what bitshares actually is. If bitshares was just an iteration or improvement of some existing tech that the average consumer knows about, then it would be feasible to sell it mainly on emotions through pictures. But the closest we can get to that is to write that bitshares "is like bitcoin" or "bitcoin 2.0". That will probably still not be enough to prevent the average user from bouncing from confusion.

It sucks, but I think we will have to explain some fundamentals of the the system right on the first page, and will thus need to use a lot more text. Unless people are buying into a third party centralized service that holds bitUSD for them, they need to understand that bitshares are distributed and decentralized with no issuer or owner, so there's no risk of an owner running away with their money, but also no official support, insurance or guarantees.

I had an idea that one of the ways we can communicate the public key crypto that powers our system, is to market to our users as "owners". So you're not a bitUSD user, you're a bitUSD owner. An owner can never have his funds seized, frozen, snooped on or restricted in any way. You're only an owner if you control the private key. We can do an emotional sell by playing on this as something that should be a fundamental human right: if you've earned something through honest work NO ONE should be allowed to take it from you.

I think a good source of inspiration for the visual style would be the style of graphics used in the weusecoins video. I especially like the pacifying colors and that each feature has its own unique icon (and even sound), it quite amazingly done.

Here are some random ideas for how I think it could be done in the current style. These are just quick suggestions and written in haste, but maybe some of the ideas are useful.

BITSHARES - a bank without bankers

DECENTRALIZED (picture: stylized drawing of a meshnet) - Bitshares is powered by all its owners, who work together to run the software that maintains the system across thousands of computers. This ensures that there are no intermediaries between owners and that no one have the ability to change or steal from the system.

OPEN SOURCE (picture of whatever people positively associate with open source) - The open source software uses the most reliable proven cryptography to ensure that an owners funds are always safe and spendable only by him. Every line of code is public and can be audited by anyone at any time.

STORE OF WEALTH (gold bars) - You can deposit money into bitshares in many forms: bitUSD, bitEUR, bitGOLD... Each of these tokens always hold the value of their underlying asset, and pay an interest rate (currently x%). Everything is collateralized at 300% of its value by the highly liquid backbone currency bitshares.

LOW FEES, NO RESTRICTIONS (stylized broken or frozen bank)- Using bitshares you can send money in any form, directly to any other user anywhere on the planet within 10 seconds for 2 cents. You can also exchange currencies and assets instantly and at low fees. There are no restrictions, requirements or authorization needed for the owner to send and spend his money as he wishes. Transactions are private and no one will know how you spend your money.

BE YOUR OWN BANK (picture of sympathetic person) - these features allows anyone to store their money with total privacy in the way they decide, out of reach of getting stolen, frozen or seized. Finally you can own what you own.

I love this breakdown. I don't mind the mention of open source and decentralized, however, I believe the other points are much stronger for Joe Average. If you were to ask your parents what matters to them most, that's always a good place to start.
Title: Re: Draft Pitch for new BitShares.org
Post by: zerosum on November 07, 2014, 08:10:25 pm
I dont think most people know what collateralized  is.
+5% I think most ads use the words 'backed' or 'insured', as in "insured up to $100,000 by the FDIC".

Good... that was bugging me too.  I will used "backed"

We could make it even easier to understand. Something along the lines of:

"Your money is safe - three times its value is held in reserve"
That is very very good !!!
IMHO
Title: Re: Draft Pitch for new BitShares.org
Post by: starspirit on November 07, 2014, 09:02:01 pm
I dont think most people know what collateralized  is.
+5% I think most ads use the words 'backed' or 'insured', as in "insured up to $100,000 by the FDIC".

Good... that was bugging me too.  I will used "backed"

We could make it even easier to understand. Something along the lines of:

"Your money is safe - three times its value is held in reserve"
That is very very good !!!
IMHO
Agree it is good and simple. Just need to be careful its not misleading, and that the average person won't naturally read this as meaning the reserve is actual USD.
Another option is "Your money is safe - backed by an asset reserve of three times its value." I know it does not roll off the tongue as much...
Title: Re: Draft Pitch for new BitShares.org
Post by: Rune on November 07, 2014, 11:26:37 pm

I love this breakdown. I don't mind the mention of open source and decentralized, however, I believe the other points are much stronger for Joe Average. If you were to ask your parents what matters to them most, that's always a good place to start.

I think we are vastly overestimating how much the average non-tech savvy person will trust "some internet program" to hold their money. Practically the only cases where this has happened is when a bank that they already trusts pushes its mobile or online banking application to them. When they see the interest rates and the other flashy things we can advertise, their immediate reaction will be "oh so it's a scam. Got it.". I think our primary target for the early adopter segment should be people who understand tech, but don't understand bitcoin or hate it because they heard from someone it's a ponzi scheme and that its CEO got arrested. There are loads and loads of them, and I think they will be relatively quick to understand bitUSD, and will see that its better because it is stable. Telling this segment quickly that the system is decentralized (or whatever word is best for conveying this) and that it is open source is extremely important, as when they first see our claims their BS detector will go up and they will read a little further, but if all they see are vague promises then they will dismiss it as a scam.

Frankly if a person does not understand what open source is, or don't see the advantages it offers, they will probably never ever buy bitUSD no matter how we try to sell it to them - unless we're able to offer it to them in partnership with their current bank. They will simply not feel confident enough in their own technical skills to make the judgement call about whether to trust this scheme with their hard earned money.
Title: Re: Draft Pitch for new BitShares.org
Post by: aftw on November 08, 2014, 12:16:52 am

I love this breakdown. I don't mind the mention of open source and decentralized, however, I believe the other points are much stronger for Joe Average. If you were to ask your parents what matters to them most, that's always a good place to start.

I think we are vastly overestimating how much the average non-tech savvy person will trust "some internet program" to hold their money. Practically the only cases where this has happened is when a bank that they already trusts pushes its mobile or online banking application to them. When they see the interest rates and the other flashy things we can advertise, their immediate reaction will be "oh so it's a scam. Got it.". I think our primary target for the early adopter segment should be people who understand tech, but don't understand bitcoin or hate it because they heard from someone it's a ponzi scheme and that its CEO got arrested. There are loads and loads of them, and I think they will be relatively quick to understand bitUSD, and will see that its better because it is stable. Telling this segment quickly that the system is decentralized (or whatever word is best for conveying this) and that it is open source is extremely important, as when they first see our claims their BS detector will go up and they will read a little further, but if all they see are vague promises then they will dismiss it as a scam.

Frankly if a person does not understand what open source is, or don't see the advantages it offers, they will probably never ever buy bitUSD no matter how we try to sell it to them - unless we're able to offer it to them in partnership with their current bank. They will simply not feel confident enough in their own technical skills to make the judgement call about whether to trust this scheme with their hard earned money.

Shouldn't the target demographic be those who understand and like Bitcoin for what it is but want more than its current functionality offers?
Title: Re: Draft Pitch for new BitShares.org
Post by: aftw on November 08, 2014, 12:21:41 am
Some thoughts on the draft...

Most importantly, who do you expect to be reading this in the near term? Who is the target?

You will note I separated the two important things your were saying on page 4. Each is a significant benefit on its own. I think page 2, as it is currently written, is confusing.


Page 2

Deposit your money in whatever currency you choose.

You decide whether your account holds your preferred national currency, or other assets like gold and silver. It is simple to diversify with multiple currencies and assets.


Page 3:

Earn interest at rates well above traditional banks.

Minimal overhead means 100% of interest paid by borrowers is put directly in the pockets of depositors. (IF POSSIBLE YOU SHOULD NOTE A POTENTIAL RANGE OF RATES)


Page 4:

Bank on your schedule.

You can bank at any time and from anywhere. No more limited banking hours or bank holidays. Bank from the comfort of your home or on a flight over the Pacific.


Page 5:

You won't find transfer fees - or speed - like this at Western Union.

It costs just $.02 and takes only 10 seconds to transfer any amount of money anywhere in the world.


Page 6:

Take back your privacy!

Make purchases and transfers without revealing transaction details or your personal information to nosy third parties.


Page 7:

Rest assured your money is safe.

All deposits are backed by three times their value in reserve. No fractional reserve here!


Page X:

Your money. You're in control. 

No daily limits. No invasive questions to answer. No forms to fill out. No authorizations to seek. After all... it is YOUR money.
Title: Re: Draft Pitch for new BitShares.org
Post by: Rune on November 08, 2014, 12:30:17 am
Shouldn't the target demographic be those who understand and like Bitcoin for what it is but want more than its current functionality offers?

It should be, but currently almost every person who holds bitcoin and is a part of the community has this extreme "alt shield" that makes them instantly dismiss and irrationally hate everything in the crypto world that benefits anything else than the bitcoin blockchain. We will eventually get the bitcoin users, but it will not be through traditional marketing outreach - it will be by wiping our superiority in their face by headhunting all their best developers, and even actively avoid marketing to their stakeholders, but going only for the talent.

Only by lowering their alt shield  by not trying fanatically to directly sell or pitch bitshares to them, and not allowing them to brand us as "pump n dump shitcoin" by advertising heavily to them, will we finally be able to get them into a state where they can look rationally at the technology and decide that it is superior.
Title: Re: Draft Pitch for new BitShares.org
Post by: toast on November 08, 2014, 12:30:26 am

I love this breakdown. I don't mind the mention of open source and decentralized, however, I believe the other points are much stronger for Joe Average. If you were to ask your parents what matters to them most, that's always a good place to start.

I think we are vastly overestimating how much the average non-tech savvy person will trust "some internet program" to hold their money. Practically the only cases where this has happened is when a bank that they already trusts pushes its mobile or online banking application to them. When they see the interest rates and the other flashy things we can advertise, their immediate reaction will be "oh so it's a scam. Got it.". I think our primary target for the early adopter segment should be people who understand tech, but don't understand bitcoin or hate it because they heard from someone it's a ponzi scheme and that its CEO got arrested. There are loads and loads of them, and I think they will be relatively quick to understand bitUSD, and will see that its better because it is stable. Telling this segment quickly that the system is decentralized (or whatever word is best for conveying this) and that it is open source is extremely important, as when they first see our claims their BS detector will go up and they will read a little further, but if all they see are vague promises then they will dismiss it as a scam.

Frankly if a person does not understand what open source is, or don't see the advantages it offers, they will probably never ever buy bitUSD no matter how we try to sell it to them - unless we're able to offer it to them in partnership with their current bank. They will simply not feel confident enough in their own technical skills to make the judgement call about whether to trust this scheme with their hard earned money.

Rune is one fire today.
The reality is that right now the second most common reaction (after #1: immediate dismissal) is "this seems scammy and they are trying to sell me something."

It is a recurring failure mode in recent months to assume we are ready for anyone but motivated individuals who actually get it

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk

Title: Re: Draft Pitch for new BitShares.org
Post by: CLains on November 08, 2014, 10:05:20 am
I can say that after 12 months of trying to convince my brother of the potential BitShares holds, his BTC shield is finally starting to crack. While he did trust me enough to invest (in AGS) he was always ideologically rooting for BTC to the point where it was clouding his understanding of BitShares.

I believe the clue to this crack is that PoS altcoins have been absorbing hundreds of millions of dollars over the past 12 months, and a ton of that has been going to development that is only now beginning to come to light.

BTC fanatics will not have caught up with all this development, and it will come to them somewhat as an irrefutable surprise: PoS 2.0 is extremely powerful to incentivize growth.
Title: Re: Draft Pitch for new BitShares.org
Post by: kisa on November 08, 2014, 10:10:01 am
the average person doesn't have to risk much by getting involved into bitUSD - the point is to persuade them to take time and effort to play with small amounts... maybe even telling them someting like

"by learning how to use bitUSD you will gain crucial experience for your advancement - get prepared for the future and make the best investment of your time with no financial risk"...
Title: Re: Draft Pitch for new BitShares.org
Post by: Tuck Fheman on November 08, 2014, 10:11:57 am
Napster knocked up your bank!
And BitShares is their spawn!

 :)
Title: Re: Draft Pitch for new BitShares.org
Post by: pendragon3 on November 09, 2014, 05:56:43 am
On the first slide, instead of saying "the future of banking," you could say something in the imperative mood like "Welcome to the Future of Banking", or "Be your own bank." This would make the first slide more engaging to the viewer. It would also help make the grammar on slide #1 more consistent with the imperative mood that is being used on all the other slides (e.g, "Earn the best interest rates", "Choose your preferred money", and so on).
Title: Re: Draft Pitch for new BitShares.org
Post by: bytemaster on November 09, 2014, 03:34:21 pm
On the first slide, instead of saying "the future of banking," you could say something in the imperative mood like "Welcome to the Future of Banking", or "Be your own bank." This would make the first slide more engaging to the viewer. It would also help make the grammar on slide #1 more consistent with the imperative mood that is being used on all the other slides (e.g, "Earn the best interest rates", "Choose your preferred money", and so on).

I like this recommendation.
Title: Re: Draft Pitch for new BitShares.org
Post by: cass on November 09, 2014, 07:34:29 pm
On the first slide, instead of saying "the future of banking," you could say something in the imperative mood like "Welcome to the Future of Banking", or "Be your own bank." This would make the first slide more engaging to the viewer. It would also help make the grammar on slide #1 more consistent with the imperative mood that is being used on all the other slides (e.g, "Earn the best interest rates", "Choose your preferred money", and so on).

I like this recommendation.

yup  +5%
Title: Re: Draft Pitch for new BitShares.org
Post by: speedy on November 11, 2014, 10:13:23 pm
Looks nice, but how about giving a rough estimate of what interest rate could be expected ?
You just can't as it mainly depends on the markets volumes

In the market page I can see a list of interest rates people are offering to short BitUSD, so isnt it possible to get a weighted average rate from the currently active shorts ?
Title: Re: Draft Pitch for new BitShares.org
Post by: starspirit on November 11, 2014, 10:17:18 pm
Looks nice, but how about giving a rough estimate of what interest rate could be expected ?
You just can't as it mainly depends on the markets volumes

In the market page I can see a list of interest rates people are offering to short BitUSD, so isnt it possible to get a weighted average rate from the currently active shorts ?
I agree - it would be better to construct a measure of the the current variable rate of yield that longs are earning today. People are familiar with that concept from traditional banks.
Title: Re: Draft Pitch for new BitShares.org
Post by: speedy on November 11, 2014, 10:33:34 pm
Looks nice, but how about giving a rough estimate of what interest rate could be expected ?
You just can't as it mainly depends on the markets volumes

In the market page I can see a list of interest rates people are offering to short BitUSD, so isnt it possible to get a weighted average rate from the currently active shorts ?
I agree - it would be better to construct a measure of the the current variable rate of yield that longs are earning today. People are familiar with that concept from traditional banks.

Exactly - this statistic is easily doable and would be great for marketing.