Original Air Date — May 4, 2014
NEW site: https://www.worldcryptonetwork.com/
WCN CLIPS: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClCE3eOYr4pQ1CTMGZPNt1w/videos
WCN MERCH: http://shop.worldcryptonetwork.com/
Subscribe to the WCN Audio Podcast on Itunes:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-world-cryp...
## The Bitcoin Group #28: Yelp, MIT Bitcoin, and the Future of Adoption
This episode of The Bitcoin Group dives into the current landscape of Bitcoin adoption, focusing on recent developments like Yelp's new business listing feature and MIT's ambitious initiative to distribute $100 in Bitcoin to every student. The panelists explore the motivations behind these moves, discuss strategies to encourage wider acceptance of Bitcoin, and consider the potential impact on local businesses and the broader cryptocurrency ecosystem. While excitement surrounds these developments, the group also maintains a pragmatic perspective, acknowledging the challenges and potential pitfalls of widespread adoption. They emphasize the importance of practical functionality, community engagement, and the crucial role of younger generations in driving Bitcoin's future.
Main Topics Discussed:
- Yelp's Bitcoin Acceptance Checkbox: The addition of a "Do you accept Bitcoin?" checkbox on Yelp and the motivations behind it, including potential attempts to appear trendy.
- Local Business Adoption: The critical need to encourage local, brick-and-mortar businesses to accept Bitcoin, particularly to alleviate credit card fees.
- MIT's $100 Bitcoin Giveaway: Discussion surrounding MIT’s initiative to distribute $100 in Bitcoin to each student and hopes for how the funds will be used.
- Strategies for Bitcoin Outreach: Exploring methods to promote Bitcoin adoption through platforms like Yelp and Craigslist, including positive reviews and incentivization through ChangeTip.
- University Interest & Education: Growing interest in Bitcoin among universities, faculty, and students, and the potential for future adoption.
- Upcoming Mini-Conference: A free mini-conference hosted by the MIT Bitcoin Club featuring speakers and aimed at promoting Bitcoin education on college campuses.
- The "Pied Piper Effect": Referencing Fred Wilson’s concept of how younger generations can drive adoption and disrupt traditional institutions.
- Brief Mentions: Dark Wallet and Ohio’s ban on Bitcoin were briefly mentioned.
Key Quotes:
- Chris J.: "I think they've had a lot of controversy in the last few years and they kind of see this as an opportunity to make themselves look a little bit trendy and make themselves a bit more relevant."
- Chris J.: "I don't mean to sound so dower and cynical, it's just that the Bitcoin is more relevant to local merchants and it's more relevant to the small businesses because they're the ones that are penalized by all the credit card fees."
- "I wish they were doing this years ago. I’m going to give me $100 in Bitcoin. That would be great.”
- “I think this is great because this is going to show the interactive capabilities of Bitcoin and it's really going to show how easy it is to use, especially for younger people.”
People Mentioned:
- Chris J. (Feathercoin)
- Paige Peterson (San Francisco Bitcoin Meetup)
- Megan Lords (Bitcoin, not bombs)
- Kristoff Atlas (Anonymous Bitcoin Book)
- Will Pangman (Bitcoin, Milwaukee)
- Andreas (Reddit user)
- Dan Ellitzer (MIT Bitcoin Club Organizer)
- Thomas (Bitcoin Talk)
- Kenny (Audio issues)
- Will (Audio issues)
- Fred Wilson (Blog Post Mentioned)
- Gavin Wood (Speaker at Mini-Conference)
- Will Walkie (Twitter)
- Matt Bitcoins (Twitter)
Bitcoin Prices: No specific Bitcoin prices were mentioned during the episode.