I started thinking about it, Bitshares isn't a stock or ownership over the company that is writing this software, right?

And it doesn't have any revenue stream associated with it. Right? The delegates are the ones who get paid, right?

I'm not saying it doesn't, I'm just trying to figure it out, what gives BitShares value?

I've been looking for an opportunity to make my first real contribution to the BitShares community, and you gave me it. Thank you.

Your question has a multi-dimensional answer so I've created a video in which to provide it:
https://youtu.be/AHUz3IwKLRQ

If you prefer a text based article version of the information please go here:
https://insightmaker.com/article/38351/What-Gives-BitShares-Value

Because it's a multi-dimensional answer, please watch the video all the way through (or read all of the article).

A witness is a elected person that signs blocks. They were called delegates in BTS 1.0

Perfect answer. That's exactly what I wanted, nice and precise

These transcripts are an ideal marketing tool.

If this amount of text were posted on a blog and we kept posting that amount of content regularly we'd generate a nice flow of organic search traffic.

That would help us acquire new users.

Also, can some please tell me what a witness is? I've never heard that term in the context of BitShares before.

I've been a marketeer in the UK since 2005. I've started 4 of my own marketing companies in that time and now consult, manage and execute marketing systems for 3 specific clients.

I am studying BitShares because it matches my personal values of securing life, liberty and property for all. For me it's not about the money. That's why they call me The Marketing Monk, I spend more time meditating than I do eating.

Marketing may seem a strange occupation for someone with a spiritual inclination but it's not when you consider how I see marketing. Marketing creates awareness, and with enough awareness a person can solve all their problems.

So marketing is something we do 'for' people. It's not something we do 'to' them.

There's nothing more valuable to a person than a marketing message which makes them aware of something that can greatly benefit them that they were not previously aware existed.

That's why I only engage in what I term 'conscious marketing' i.e. the marketing of products, services and businesses that existing to push humanity forward towards greater balance, harmony and prosperity.

My personal mission statement is "Leading People to Freedom". You can read my personal philosophy in more detail at http://www.chrisconey.com.

I'm at the point in my BitShares learning journey where I'm now beginning to create marketing ideas for it. The biggest barrier to that creative process is that I still have a lot of gaps in my own knowledge about BitShares.

In the context of making a business case for myself, I need to understand how the referral rewards system works so I can make my marketing efforts sustainable and scalable.

I'm only interested in profiting from the rewards program to the degree to which it enables me to sustain my marketing efforts. The longer I can sustain my marketing efforts and the more I can scale up, the more chance BitShares has in becoming the dominant platform.

Here's the truth about marketing BitShares...
"If everyone else knew what we knew about it, they'd jump right in."

Hence, to my mind, marketing and education go hand in hand.

The benefits on offer with BitShares means that it doesn't need to be promoted using the hard sell. Once people are educated and have the full awareness and understanding, I believe they'll naturally and automatically make the choice to get involved.

Thus my marketing challenge is to firstly understand BitShares myself at such a deep level that I personally could answer any question on it (barring the detailed coding questions) and then turning my understanding into an educational marketing funnel that would start with someone who is totally green and end with them buying some BTS and joining our new economy.

So far my study has been limited to YouTube videos, the BitShares website and this forum.

I would love for someone with greater knowledge than I to Skype with me so I can fill in my knowledge gaps.