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100 sats \ 2 replies \ @pillar OP 25 Sep 2023 \ parent \ on: Operation Saylor - Episode 15/120 bitcoin
Well, swallowing a premium (both by discounting yourself or adding a tip) definitely creates an incentive. It's a sacrifice that each of us must decide to take or not. The % itself is also a factor. I'm sure almost no bitcoiner would mind throwing in a 1% tip to an upcoming bitcoin-accepting business, but I would also assume most people wouldn't be willing to put a 300% one.
To be honest, I'm not that fond of it. I am of the thought that we need Bitcoiner businesses, not simply businesses accepting Bitcoin. The distinction is in the knowledge and conviction. A bitcoiner business to me is a business where the property has fallen through the rabbit hole to some degree and accepts the Bitcoin because of that. A business that simply accepts Bitcoin to me is one that doesn't care about Bitcoin or the ethos and just wants to get more customers through the door. No bad feelings, I'm just missing a distinction.
Okay, going back to your idea: Bitcoiner businesses don't really need an incentive, they are already onboard. Your idea might be interesting to bait new businesses to become Bitcoin-accepting businesses. But there is more effort required for that seed to grow and, without more effort, things probably won't follow through. If you put a hefty tip, you are at risk of attracting pure opportunists that won't be there the moment that bonus is gone. That's why I don't like it so much. It can lead to start-and-crash situations which are not truly good to promote sticky adoption.
Thanks for the thoughtful reply.
My main objection to this is a pretty foundational one: I don't think most of the world cares, or ever will care, about the "conviction" part of the btc movement. Lots of bitcoiners talk about btc-related things like a crusade, and that's fine, I even agree with elements of it. But I don't think the world will ever share the religion.
So, in place of mutual conviction, having the more convicted party take advantage of greed seems like a more plausible and historically-precedented approach to scaling past the current sliver of people who've made btc a way of life. But that strategy could clearly backfire, for some of the reasons that you mentioned.
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I agree most people will join with a utilitarian mindset and not an ideological one. Still, I think the world will give them reasons to join Bitcoin for practical purposes.
The most basic one will simply be to watch a chart where Bitcoin has been steadily (ignoring short term volatility) going up in value for decades.
Another one could be Bitcoiners being willing to only give/take payment in Bitcoin. That's a predicable thing that will probably happen gradually more and more and would force nocoiners to jump onboard to get what they want.
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