# Lifestyles & Discussion > Bitcoin / Cryptocurrencies >  Free bitcoins to the first 50 Ron Paul Forums users

## Elwar

Hi all, I have not been around here for a while as I have been focusing on seeking liberty in my own life and finding alternatives to our failed system mainly through the technology of Bitcoin.

As an early adopter, I wish to give to the Ron Paul community and provide a tool that should help with future campaigns for things like pooling money to run ads, create videos, anything that would require many individuals getting together to fund something. As such I have created BitPools.

BitPools allows many individuals to pool their money with others toward common goals. 
Once a solution is proposed, the pool members use the Bitcoin Blockchain to vote securely for the winning solution.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETCP8NeXasY

*For the first 50 Ron Paul Forum users BitPools will be paying out 10 mBTC* (the minimum required to participate) to each user that signs up at http://www.bitpools.com


Register, create a Bitcoin Address and save it in your user profile.


Then come post a message in this thread with your BitPools username and your BitPools address will be filled with 10 mBTC (.01BTC).


You can create a unique address in many ways, two easy solutions are:
Create a blockchain.info wallet: (https://blockchain.info/wallet/new)
Download and run VanityGen (https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Vanitygen)


(One per person, only accounts created before June 2014)
Please allow 24 hours for your account to be filled.

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## Elwar

*How To Register*


To create a user on BitPools you must first register. Go to http://www.bitpools.com and click on the Login/Register button on the left panel. This will display a window with a login and password field. Click the button on the bottom that says Register a new account




*Create Bitcoin Address*


In order to confirm that each user has enough bitcoins to pledge for the pools you must set a Bitcoin address that you own. *BitPools will not store any of your bitcoins.*




In order to verify that you are the owner of the Bitcoin address you must create an empty address. This can be done several ways. One of the easiest ways is to create a new Blockchain.info wallet used soley for BitPools. (You can also create an address using vanitygen, on the Bitcoin Core client you can click File -> Receiving addresses -> New. For this example we will create a new wallet at https://blockchain.info/wallet




Click on the New Wallet button and enter the required information. Be sure to write down your pass phrase and save your Identifier and password. Once you log into your wallet you will see a zero balance wallet. Your Bitcoin address is toward the bottom below the QR code.




*Set Your Bitcoin Address*


Copy your new Bitcoin Address and paste it into the Bitcoin address box on your BitPools profile.




After you set your Bitcoin address click on the V button to save your address. This will display your current zero balance.

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## dannno

> Note: BitCoin address must have a zero balance when submitted. Your account will be confirmed after the address is filled with at least 10 mBTC.


When I try to add a bitcoin address with zero balance, it gives me the error that it must have at least 10 mBTC.




> You must have at least 10 mɃ in your address to participate


When I try to add a bitcoin address with a larger balance, it gives me the error that it must be zero balance. 




> Your Bitcoin address must have a zero initial balance (to prove the address belongs to you).


The buttons for submitting/verifying/confirming the bitcoin addresses are not clear (V , X)

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## evilfunnystuff

I signed up with the same name as here, evilfunnystuff

Cool site, I like the idea.

Did you code it yourself, or do you have a team?

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## Elwar

> When I try to add a bitcoin address with zero balance, it gives me the error that it must have at least 10 mBTC.


The red message saying you need 10 mBTC is the right message after you have a zero balance address.

It will look like this:

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## evilfunnystuff

> When I try to add a bitcoin address with zero balance, it gives me the error that it must have at least 10 mBTC.
> 
> When I try to add a bitcoin address with a larger balance, it gives me the error that it must be zero balance. 
> 
> The buttons for submitting/verifying/confirming the bitcoin addresses are not clear (V , X)


You want zero balance and click the v

The 0.01 is what he is going to send you, if I'm understanding correctly.

I think the thing with sending the coin, is to prove you have control of the address. You start with a fresh 0 balance, then when asked you make a specified deposit, and he is going to make the deposit for you.

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## dannno

> When I try to add a bitcoin address with zero balance, it gives me the error that it must have at least 10 mBTC.
> 
> 
> 
> When I try to add a bitcoin address with a larger balance, it gives me the error that it must be zero balance. 
> 
> 
> 
> The buttons for submitting/verifying/confirming the bitcoin addresses are not clear (V , X)



Even though it is a bit confusing, I'm pretty sure my address is still saved properly.

My username is dannnoRPF

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## Elwar

> Did you code it yourself, or do you have a team?


Coded from scratch myself with a few hired developers for help here and there.

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## torchbearer

> Coded from scratch myself with a few hired developers for help here and there.



I like. Just signed up as torchbearer.

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## torchbearer

Tried to upload an avatar sized photo, got the uploading status bar, then no picture. logged out and back in, no photo.

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## torchbearer

BitCoin money bombs? that is a news story in itself.

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## Elwar

> Tried to upload an avatar sized photo, got the uploading status bar, then no picture. logged out and back in, no photo.


Hmm, it's in there. Most likely a refresh thing. I need to go hit every command and refresh after a change due to the way it uses your browser as the client.

It will probably show up in your profile after you reload the page. And you should see your new balance of 10 mBTC.

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## Elwar

> BitCoin money bombs? that is a news story in itself.


A Rand Paul 2016 funding pool would be great. Plenty of time to plan for some big grassroots promotions while the bitcoin price rises.

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## evilfunnystuff

BTC arrived safe and sound, now to come up with an idea.

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## torchbearer

//

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## KEEF

Don't know if I did it correctly, but my BitPool profile name is keef

I also started a wallet on blockchain, but am still getting the message that danno is getting.  I am fairly new to bitcoin, and so is the bitcoin address needed somewhere?

I tried putting the address in the BitPool page.  PM me if I am doing something incorrect.  I don't feel comfortable about sharing the address on an open forum.

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## Shane Harris

My profile name is shaneharris

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## FSP-Rebel

Can't I just take an empty wallet I have on BTC-e and upload it or do I have to create a new one from scratch on blockchain?

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## Aratus

cool idea...

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## Barrex

I tried it just for fun and it worked:
User name: Barrex
Address: 1PdirPHXJeuvHiBz3DR4hZARcpocoJ89eb
Easy.
Do not give me your bitcoins!



> Can't I just take an empty wallet I have on BTC-e and upload it or do I have to create a new one from scratch on blockchain?


You can add new address to your existing wallet.

This is really brilliant idea and you are very generous person. Cudos to you. Keep in mind: *You need to make sure that people that you are giving your bitcoins are US citizents!!!!!!!!!!!* Because people like me are not legally allowed to donate to campaigns.

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## evilfunnystuff

> Can't I just take an empty wallet I have on BTC-e and upload it or do I have to create a new one from scratch on blockchain?


Any empty wallet adress should probably "work", but for the voting aspect of the site I think a full featured wallet is probably the way to go. 

When you send coin from BTC-e can you choose wich address to send from, when you deposit to BTC-e does it stay in that same addy till withdrawn, or does it go to a larger common wallet and possibly into cold storage?

It is a good idea to have a wallet that isn't an exchange based one anyways, if you are not activly trading it is safer to keep your money off the exchanges for security purposes, and blockchain is a nice for a web based solution you have full control of the wallet and can make backups, so if the site ever disappears you are not SOL. 

Also it is secure as they never really have your private key so it makes them secure, whereas on an exchange typically only the exchange holds the private key and thus they have full control of your wallet.




> Blockchain.info uses industry standard AES encryption to protect your wallet from thieves and hackers. The amazing part is the encryption is all done within your browser, before it is saved on our servers, so not even we have access to your account!
> 
> My Wallet builds on the security of bitcoin by providing a host of features to help you keep your money safe including Paper Wallets, Offline Transactions, https:// and Remote Backups.


It's also pretty easy to get set up

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## evilfunnystuff

> I also started a wallet on blockchain, but am still getting the message that danno is getting.  I am fairly new to bitcoin, and so is the bitcoin address needed somewhere?
> 
> .


If the message you are talking about is the one that says you need 1 mbtc and the adress you entered is empty? 

If so you have it right and he makes the deposit to the address for you.

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## evilfunnystuff

Elwar you might wanna put some more descriptive text where that message comes up, as it does kind of seem confusing at first.

Maybe something along the lines of...  

Address entry complete.

To create, pledge to, and vote in Bit Pools, please prove you control this address and any funds contained within it by making a deposit.

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## RonPaulGeorge&Ringo

How much is that worth in FRNs?

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## FSP-Rebel

> Any empty wallet adress should probably "work", but for the voting aspect of the site I think a full featured wallet is probably the way to go. 
> 
> When you send coin from BTC-e can you choose wich address to send from, when you deposit to BTC-e does it stay in that same addy till withdrawn, or does it go to a larger common wallet and possibly into cold storage?


I have a handful of wallets but none of them are empty aside from this exchange wallet which works like one would expect it to. My thing is I have so many usernames and different passwords (for email accounts, exchanges, wallets, etc) that adding another one is just going to pile on extra work and thinking power if it's not needed.

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## evilfunnystuff

> I have a handful of wallets but none of them are empty aside from this exchange wallet which works like one would expect it to. My thing is I have so many usernames and different passwords (for email accounts, exchanges, wallets, etc) that adding another one is just going to pile on extra work and thinking power if it's not needed.


You should be able to just create a fresh address within one of your existing wallets, that adress will start with a zero balance, no new credentials required. 

Check under any tabs such as receive funds, for a generate new address button.

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## evilfunnystuff

> How much is that worth in FRNs?


Roughly $6 to each of the 50 people.

Still trying to think of something cool to put up, maybe a pool for a liberty forest ad?

Anyone have any ideas?

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## Barrex

> Roughly $6 to each of the 50 people.
> 
> Still trying to think of something cool to put up, maybe a pool for a liberty forest ad?
> 
> Anyone have any ideas?


Foundation for all future money-bombs. Every single one of them starts from zero and all previous work gets lost.

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## Elwar

> Can't I just take an empty wallet I have on BTC-e and upload it or do I have to create a new one from scratch on blockchain?


BitPools has two major functions.

1. Verifying users have enough bitcoins to fill their pledge.
2. Secure voting through the Bitcoin blockchain.

The point of creating an empty address and then filling it with bitcoins is to verify that you own the funds in that address. This allows you to join pools and coordinate with other people with the knowledge that everyone is not just talking about funding something, they actually have the funds to back up their talk.

With so many moneybombs people would pledge by filling in their e-mail address but there's no way to confirm that they have the funds to come through on the moneybomb date.

If you use an empty address on an online wallet or even your bitcoin core wallet you will be able to fill that address briefly but the next time you send funds from that wallet the funds could be pulled from that address. The reason for creating a separate address with something like blockchain or vanitygen is to ensure that you have those funds set aside for whatever pool you join and participate in.

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## Elwar

> Keep in mind: *You need to make sure that people that you are giving your bitcoins are US citizents!!!!!!!!!!!* Because people like me are not legally allowed to donate to campaigns.


BitPools is not just for campaigns, I hope BitPools can become international and will work toward supporting different languages.

The beauty of bitcoins is that it is a world currency. Pooling your money together with others is something anyone in the world can do.

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## Elwar

> Elwar you might wanna put some more descriptive text where that message comes up, as it does kind of seem confusing at first.
> 
> Maybe something along the lines of...  
> 
> Address entry complete.
> 
> To create, pledge to, and vote in Bit Pools, please prove you control this address and any funds contained within it by making a deposit.



Good idea, I will try to make that message more clear.

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## Elwar

> Roughly $6 to each of the 50 people.
> 
> Still trying to think of something cool to put up, maybe a pool for a liberty forest ad?
> 
> Anyone have any ideas?


The pool itself can be as generic as you want. Once a pool is created there can be unlimited proposals within that pool.

So if you had a pool like "Liberty Activism", you could have specific proposals within the pool such as "let's fund an ad on Liberty forest". That proposal would detail the goal of the funding, how much is needed, what will be done etc.

Like the USA Today ad done in 2008. It was just a thread on here asking for funds. There could have been a "Ron Paul 2008" pool and one proposal within that pool would be "USA Today ad". People could fund that and still support other proposals in that same pool. The key is bringing people with similar goals together backed by the knowledge that the funding is available.

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## Barrex

> BitPools is not just for campaigns, I hope BitPools can become international and will work toward supporting different languages.
> 
> The beauty of bitcoins is that it is a world currency. Pooling your money together with others is something anyone in the world can do.


If it is not just for campaigns then it is ok.I own some Bitcoins and know what are they .

Once again: This is great idea.

P.s.
I can translate to Croatian and few others if needed.

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## muh_roads

Hi Elwar,

How are you?  Nice to see you here!  I remember seeing your name on bitcointalk for a while.  It struck me as an RPF name but I wasn't quite sure.  Glad you're back.  Fools need educating.  

I lack patience sometimes.  It just amazes me that a group of intelligent libertarian people who were inquisitive enough to check out Ron Paul despite what the media was saying won't apply the same curious nature to researching Bitcoin on their own.  Sometimes really gets under my skin.

Being an early adopter really does feel like Liberty, doesn't it?  I  would love to get more people involved before Paypal officially  announces so others can experience the same thing some day.  Things are going to ramp up this year big time.

So hey, I was allowed one thread on the General Board.  Maybe you want to bump it with your offer there?  I'll edit the OP with whatever you post.  If 50 new people exhausts quickly, I can match as well to help out.

http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthr...sed-Currencies

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## Elwar

> Hi Elwar,
> 
> How are you?  Nice to see you here!  I remember seeing your name on bitcointalk for a while.  It struck me as an RPF name but I wasn't quite sure.  Glad you're back.  Fools need educating.  
> 
> I lack patience sometimes.  It just amazes me that a group of intelligent libertarian people who were inquisitive enough to check out Ron Paul despite what the media was saying won't apply the same curious nature to researching Bitcoin on their own.  Sometimes really gets under my skin.
> 
> Being an early adopter really does feel like Liberty, doesn't it?  I  would love to get more people involved before Paypal officially  announces so others can experience the same thing some day.  Things are going to ramp up this year big time.
> 
> So hey, I was allowed one thread on the General Board.  Maybe you want to bump it with your offer there?  I'll edit the OP with whatever you post.  If 50 new people exhausts quickly, I can match as well to help out.
> ...


Yep, I am mainly on bitcointalk now. I have lost just about all faith in politics and even if we won the presidency and several house and senate seats there is no righting the ship. You cannot right a sinking ship.

I am always fine with liberals and statists ignoring Bitcoin because I would rather it be libertarians that inherent the new crypto world. That is why I am promoting my site on here and the Free State Project forums. 

I was the same when I first heard about cryptocurrencies on here. I was a big proponent of gold and felt like digital currency was like the next dot com IPO that would fail.

I'll help with your thread to try to help those who are still in the dark.

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## kpitcher

Interesting concept, looking forward to what this will be used for.

Username: linenoise
Address: 19dNbhJ4LeoThc5ck8GafN43xQ8EsVDPie

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## muh_roads

> Interesting concept, looking forward to what this will be used for.
> 
> Username: linenoise
> Address: 19dNbhJ4LeoThc5ck8GafN43xQ8EsVDPie


Should save it for new people.  You're already on board.

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## Suzu

OK - username=Suzu address=1AaPKU6q9cZf4cuU2YCz5Lk7NSazu5WhAb

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## Elwar

> Should save it for new people.  You're already on board.


I am fine with encouraging Bitcoin users to try out the site.

The point is to give people the initial 10 mB so they can join a pool or start their own.

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## nayjevin

> I have lost just about all faith in politics and even if we won the presidency and several house and senate seats there is no righting the ship. You cannot right a sinking ship.


I have no problem with the first statement, but I think the second statement is utterly false.  A president alone can do many things to improve humanity.

http://archive.lewrockwell.com/paul/paul647.html

Now, I understand the argument that it's not possible to win the presidency, I'm fine with that - so long as the person holding that opinion isn't prosthelatyzing.  And I understand the argument that the ship is not a ship, that will not float and make people happy cruisers even if it is righted.  But again, that's an opinion that is best followed by action outside the political realm that improves humanity - not by a crusade to convince people their efforts are fruitless.

But on topic - I like this project and hope the infrastructure is sound.  Could be the beginnings of a major paradigm shift in human association.  Thank you Elwar for dedicating yourself to this.

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## Suzu

What is the value of 10 mB again? I got 0.00000001 BTC, valued at 0.000005972 USD currently.

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## evilfunnystuff

I started liberty activism pool, I don't really have any good ideas yet though, hopefully someone who does will join it.

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## evilfunnystuff

> What is the value of 10 mB again? I got 0.00000001 BTC, valued at 0.000005972 USD currently.


Just about $6

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## Suzu

So how come if we're supposed to get 10 mBTC worth about $6, I got so much less? Did they run out of BTC to share?

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## Suzu

> So how come if we're supposed to get 10 mBTC worth about $6, I got so much less? Did they run out of BTC to share?


Disregard the above - the 0.00000001 BTC that I received earlier has vanished from my wallet now. I didn't know these payments were retractable....

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## Elwar

> Disregard the above - the 0.00000001 BTC that I received earlier has vanished from my wallet now. I didn't know these payments were retractable....


Strange, I could have sworn that I sent you 10 mBTC. It isn't showing up in my outgoing transactions and blockchain.info does not show it. I will send it again to your address.

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## Elwar

> I started liberty activism pool, I don't really have any good ideas yet though, hopefully someone who does will join it.


Nice, I'll be sure to spread the word. You may want to add an image and some sort of description so people have a better idea of what the goals of the pool are.

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## Elwar

> Now, I understand the argument that it's not possible to win the presidency, I'm fine with that - so long as the person holding that opinion isn't prosthelatyzing.  And I understand the argument that the ship is not a ship, that will not float and make people happy cruisers even if it is righted.  But again, that's an opinion that is best followed by action outside the political realm that improves humanity - not by a crusade to convince people their efforts are fruitless.


Definitely not on a crusade to convince people their efforts are fruitless. I am a big fan of leaving individuals to choose their own path. I have chosen my own way forward.


Who is John Galt?

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## Suzu

> Strange, I could have sworn that I sent you 10 mBTC. It isn't showing up in my outgoing transactions and blockchain.info does not show it. I will send it again to your address.


I just checked it again and here's what I see:

Jun 21, 2014	 You received bitcoin from an external account	PENDING	 +0.00000001 BTC
Jun 21, 2014	 You received bitcoin from an external account	COMPLETE	 +0.01 BTC

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## nayjevin

> Definitely not on a crusade to convince people their efforts are fruitless.


I didn't intend to claim that's happening, it's just common.




> I am a big fan of leaving individuals to choose their own path. I have chosen my own way forward.


I respect that greatly.  More important than choosing the right path?

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## Elwar

> I just checked it again and here's what I see:
> 
> Jun 21, 2014     You received bitcoin from an external account    PENDING     +0.00000001 BTC
> Jun 21, 2014     You received bitcoin from an external account    COMPLETE     +0.01 BTC


Good, I'm glad it went through

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## Elwar

> I respect that greatly.  More important than choosing the right path?


Just right for me. As Ron Paul said, some people should run for office, some should be activists, some should practice civil disobedience, etc.

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## twomp

I just registered. Twomp - 1G95fCPbg7HJga17FTyBBwPW9i1ekoYP68

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## Dianne

I registered moments ago.   Dianne - 1HT51eXFv7L4ffGBhgw5ZA2CVoPEZR8wCJ 

evilfunnystuff, I like "liberty activism pool".   Maybe you could do a "how to get started" mining guide for newbies like me.   I purchased a 24 hour mining contract on eBay once but it didn't pan out.   I would love to mine on my own, but have no clue what equipment I would have to buy and whether or not it is worth it.

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## Schifference

My Profile name is Schifference 1QFJT5dPLXDoN4HwJL2h1ipYMedwPMUHu

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## tangowhiskeykilo

Twkilo 1AAMh7SatSwWCDBxfH9a2LPHZ9w4kUXJzL

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## tangowhiskeykilo

Got it. Thanks!

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## Schifference

> Got it. Thanks!


Not me. Nothing here on my end yet.

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## Elwar

> Not me. Nothing here on my end yet.


You need to set your BitPools Bitcoin address. I am seeing it as empty.

Let me know if you need help with that.

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## Dianne

Got it, thanks !!!

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## Schifference

bitpools.com not working? I cannot connect via Safari or Firefox

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## torchbearer

> bitpools.com not working? I cannot connect via Safari or Firefox



down

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## Elwar

> bitpools.com not working? I cannot connect via Safari or Firefox


Sorry about that. Everything should be back up and running now.

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## Schifference

Still Nothing on my end.

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## Elwar

> Still Nothing on my end.


Your page is probably cached. Try http://www.bitpools.com

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## Schifference

When I said still nothing I was referring to you transferring bitcoin to my account.

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## Schifference

OK I received the BTC. Thank you!
In regards to your endeavor or BTC in general. Now that I have my first wallet with some BTC in it what is the simplest easiest way to convert FRN to BTC into my wallet or visa versa? For Bitpools or BTC to be effective people need to be able to easily take their cash or that number that is in the bank account and turn it into BTC. I think you have a good idea with Bitpool. I have had 4 children and my youngest is now 15. I think Americans spend more money on their kids & pets than anything else. It saddens me that school fundraiser are always linked to a middleman profiting from the fundraiser. Kids have fund raisers all the time. Who wants to purchase an overpriced years subscription to some magazine so a fundraiser can make some minuscule amount of $??
A newer trend is for a local enterprise to donate an undisclosed % of sales to a fundraiser effort. Lets say Moes diner will donate a % to xxx fundraiser to anyone that comes in on Tuesday between 5&7 pm with a piece of paper saying they are there for the fundraiser. It would be much simpler to purchase a certain meal online and be able to use it anytime and have the funds go to the fundraiser instantly.

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## Elwar

Easiest way to convert FRN to BTC is at http://www.coinbase.com

Just put in your bank info and buy some bitcoins.

I like the idea of paying for a meal and having a percentage go to a fundraiser's bitcoin address. You would be able to verify that the money goes there directly.

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## evilfunnystuff

> Nice, I'll be sure to spread the word. You may want to add an image and some sort of description so people have a better idea of what the goals of the pool are.


I don't see a way to add a pic or description anywhere. The only place I seemed to be able to add anything was under the messages section.

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## evilfunnystuff

> evilfunnystuff, I like "liberty activism pool".   Maybe you could do a "how to get started" mining guide for newbies like me.   I purchased a 24 hour mining contract on eBay once but it didn't pan out.   I would love to mine on my own, but have no clue what equipment I would have to buy and whether or not it is worth it.


Generating income through mining seems like a very risky venture these days. 

I would not recommend it to someone who doesn't know what they are getting into, or doesn't have money to gamble with as it is expensive and risky.

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## Elwar

> I don't see a way to add a pic or description anywhere. The only place I seemed to be able to add anything was under the messages section.


Hmm, something I need to tweak. When you log in, go to pools and scroll down to your pool instead of clicking the link to your pool it should show you edit buttons for the title, description and an upload/submit button for a picture. (icons are 100x100, 200x200 on the main page)

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## Brian4Liberty

Free bitcoins bump!

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## Elwar

> Free bitcoins bump!



Nice. Unfortunately the site never took off. Nobody wanted to pool their bitcoins to crowdfund things.

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## Elwar

However, something that would be relevant to all the folks here is this:

http://seacoin.global/

I haven't been on Ron Paul Forums in a long time but since then I accumulated enough bitcoins to retire and I am living in Tahiti working on getting the world's first seastead built.

We'll have our ICO in May and get to work on making it happen from there.

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## oyarde

My favorite bar used to have a sign hanging up that said Free Beer Tomorrow .

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## Aratus

Nostalgia. It was fun checking out 2o14's prices...
Think of ten bitcoins back then verses last summer.

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## timosman

> Nostalgia. It was fun checking out 2o14's prices...
> Think of ten bitcoins back then verses last summer.

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## Mordan

what is this old thread doing on the top lol?

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