I am creating the course that I would have wanted to take when I
first became interested in Bitcoin, and writing and publishing a
companion e-book and zine entitled “BYOB: Using Bitcoin to Be Your
Own Bank.” After spending the last two years learning about bitcoin
from the brightest minds in the industry and teaching this knowledge
to others through my website bitcoinconsultant.me, I've decided to
bring this knowledge to Kickstarter, just in time for the holidays.
Whether you make it your New Year's Resolution to learn about bitcoin, or want to pass the gift of knowledge and monetary freedom
along to someone you care about, this course and e-book will be a
great way for beginners to learn about bitcoin.
What material will be covered?
Learn about what bitcoin is, how it works, why it's important, and
how to use bitcoin to take control of your money and “Be Your Own
Bank.” We will go step-by-step through the process of creating a
wallet, buying and selling bitcoins, and storing bitcoins in a way
that will protect them from online hackers. Students will also learn
how to use bitcoin for non-monetary purposes, such as the secure
timestamping of documents and other digital files.
How is this different than the courses and books already available?
While there are several great books and online courses out there that do a great job at explaining what bitcoin is and telling its story, none have been focused on practical uses for bitcoin (that I know of, anyway). This is where BYOB is unique. The BYOB online course and companion book will still introduce students to the basic history and technical concepts behind bitcoin just to provide some context, but will mainly be focused on using bitcoin in the real world as a way to transact and store value without relying on a third party - a way for people to "be their own bank."
Do I have to attend the online course at a specific time?
Students will be able to watch the videos that are posted on their
own time as many times as they want, and can contact me through the
course or my website for email support.
Why I am the right person to teach this course and write this
book:
-
I have been helping investors,
businesses, and casual users learn about bitcoin for over two years
through face-to-face and online education sessions.
-
Since opening
bitcoinconsultant.me to the general public in March 2013, I have
published blog posts that have reached thousands of people, and have
individually helped dozens of people who have contacted me through
the website.
-
On July 4, 2013, I started
Buttonwood SF, the first and only trading-focused cryptocurrency
meetup in San Francisco, which has over
250 members and has seen
notable figures in the Bitcoin and digital currency community stop
by to conduct trades and
teach attendees about the technology.
-
When I first got interested in bitcoin, it took me over six months to understand it and then buy my
first bitcoins. I want to cut this down from months to hours or days
for students.
Risks and Challenges
The biggest challenge will be
delivering the course content and e-book on time; the due-date is
currently set for January 15th. I will overcome this
challenge by setting aside several hours per day starting the day the
crowdfunding campaign ends to write content and film instructional
videos. I already have a course outline and have a lot of content
spread across multiple blog posts, presentations, and interviews I
have given which will be combined with the up-to-date content to
produce the book and the online course. Since Bitcoin is a constantly
evolving technology, after the course and book are finished I will
continue adding content as relevant information comes to light and
new insights are gained.
Other Ways You Can Help
Bitcoin donations accepted here: 1Pcnz9FdshVprHzCcy7g5dMoWj17XzwAuW
If you would like to pay for the e-book, physical zine, or online course via bitcoin, please send me a private comment and I will send you an invoice. After the invoice is paid, I will add you to the list of people to send access codes to.
Even if you can't contribute financially, you can help by sharing this Indiegogo campaign with others via email and social media. Additionally, if you have relevant experience and would like to help with the design of the cover, layout, and formatting for the e-book, please get in touch.
Thanks for your support!