Onboard people to Bitcoin individually – Bitcoin Magazine
This is an opinion editorial by Mark Maraia, an entrepreneur, author of “Rainmaking Made Simple” and a Bitcoiner.
The Bitcoin price is not the main driver of the meeting of the minds.
I want to issue some challenges to all bitcoiners who profess to strongly believe in the value of bitcoin. I have always considered myself an outsider until I discovered Bitcoin. That said, I’m a boomer – not exactly a beloved demographic of Bitcoin advocates. I also trained as a lawyer. What does that mean? Twice cursed. Lawyers are educated and trained to look for the disadvantages. What are the downsides or weaknesses or blind spots in the Bitcoin community? I see several blind spots and feel moved to share some.
A blind spot for Bitcoiners is that most of us fail to understand the full power of peer-to-peer human networks as a tool for adoption. It means person-to-person. Bitcoiners as a group are quite willing to teach those curious about Bitcoin one-on-one. My only request is that we all do more of it.
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Establish a reasonable goal
How many people can you show how to come from zero and get some bitcoin every day, week, month and year? Don’t just let them download a wallet, teach them why Bitcoin is so awesome. We’ve already seen Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady and recently Gwyneth Paltrow give away bitcoin. Why not you? What are you waiting for?
If you really believe that bitcoin’s purchasing power will grow, then sharing some of your satoshis with friends and family is no big deal. If you’re a pleb who doesn’t have a lot of bitcoin, give away some satoshis via the Lightning Network. Give to the most curious and educate them through hands-on experience. Is a local economy more robust if all adults can trade and transfer value using the Bitcoin network? Absolutely. Even if only a small percentage learn, it is much better than the current reality. The more energy spent teaching people one-on-one, the better and more lasting the success of bitcoin adoption.
What I’ve learned from giving away bets to friends and family is that it’s fun and it radically reduces people’s skepticism and mistrust of bitcoin. The subtlety helps them interact with the Bitcoin network and is a positive experience because it’s so easy! The aim is to stimulate curiosity. Easy transfer – without permission from a bank, company or government – is not lost on anyone I’ve done this with, many of whom are financially privileged.
Almost all people are impressed by how easy it is. Sometimes I give my friend $5 worth of bitcoin and have them return $1 via Lightning Network. If we have one million bitcoiners giving away stakes 20 times a year to nocoiners, that will add another 20 million people to the network every year.
Network adoption requires people to use it. But they have to understand that too. Be strategic about who you give bitcoin to. I find that many waiters and waitresses are hungry to learn about bitcoin, and the pitch is simple. I usually start with a question: “Have you ever gotten a tip in bitcoin?” or “Have you ever had a customer offer you a tip in bitcoin?” If they jump out of their shoes and ignore other tables, you know they can be taught.
Inflation is running rampant, and every time Jerome Powell prints more Monopoly money, we see it show up in the prices we pay for food, energy, housing and other goods and services. Help those who want to see bitcoin as insurance against money printing and help them learn about the most amazing savings technology that preserves purchasing power. Encourage them to stick with it for at least a year, if not several years. I hope some of you will take up this challenge. If you don’t get positive feedback, try something new.
Telling people to “have fun staying poor” is not a good recruiting tool.
Call to action
Reach out to one person in the next 48 hours who wants to learn more about Bitcoin and see how it feels to educate them on the Bitcoin network. If you get rejected, it’s probably because you were too preachy or arrogant.
Find out where their financial pain lies. No pain, no bitcoin. Each person’s financial pain will be different depending on the country, region, state and family. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to onboarding people.
This is a guest post by Mark Maraia. Opinions expressed are entirely their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of BTC Inc. or Bitcoin Magazine.
