RE: I Can't Explain What Bitcoin Is to my Friends!
I run into this issue all the time.. i find that most people can't really comprehend cryptocurrencies with out hours upon hours of watching videos or researching.. so i now say to people that explaining bitcoin and blockchain now would be like explaining the internet and email to someone in the 90's.. its mind boggling.. then i say these alt coins are like eBay, amazon and paypal, u never could really imagine what they are until after they have been built.. i tell them the only way to look at bitcoin is a new store of value much like gold for the digital age, even tho that is a shit description..
truth of the matter is if they are interested they HAVE to look into it themselves at this point in time to figure it out..
there is no good answer as far as i know, so if u do figure out an elvator pitch please let me know!
thanks for the insight - it's good to now that it's not just me! I really like your take on it - I have also found myself using the pay pal example as the closest thing that they could wrap their head around - but I think something you said was key - to paraphrase " if they are really interested - they will do the homework themselves" - this makes a lot of sense - so I guess my job is to make sure that I explain it in a way that is enticing enough for them to WANT to to take the time to look it up. I mean - you would go to a dinner party - talk to a doctor and then start researching brain surgery -
One way , I thought about was to give someone some bitcoin and tell them it is worth money - then they would have a vested interest in figuring out what it is and how to cash in on it.
Yeah, the problem is that most people aren't willing to put their money into something they cant touch or hold in their hands, because it scares them. Also you have to do so much research to understand it that most people dont even bother. But the biggest problem is not knowing how to start! The whole process could be much more user friendly.
So what i have done is prepare a saved email for the occasion when someone is actually interested in bitcoin, and then i just email them right there on the spot when they are excited. Cuz i know most wont go home and look it up because people get distracted so easily. So my email has a few youtube videos explaing bitcoin, blockchain and cryptos. It also has a link to coinbase with the free $10 of bitcoin after sign up and links to bittrex and coin indexes to point people in the proper direction if they want to continue going.. its basically a beginners tool set to get them started if they are interested i will send it to them.
However i am done trying to force people into seeing this amazing opportunity, no one held my hand when i started and it made me love it that much more in the end..
But yeah, this seems to work realatively well for me, you might want to give it a shot..
-cheers
those are some really great ideas you have - I'll have to give it a shot - thanks!