[hackerspaces] Hackerspaces and alternative/crypto-currency (Was: How to make money to sustain a hackerspace)

[Edward L Platt]

>
> Sounds similar to how Disney Dollars (https://en.wikipedia.org/
> wiki/Disney_dollar) and other gift card / certificate systems work.
>

Quite similar. The key difference is that hackerspaces regularly provide
goods and services to their members, so such a currency would have a more
consistent value. I'd compare it more to grocery stores that have done
similar things, backing currency based on their stocked goods.


> Also, wouldn't having hackerspaces acting as hubs for cryptocurrency
> transfer and/or exchange obviate a good number of the anonymity aspects of
> such a system?
>

Depends. Mark's proposal and the one I described could both be done using
anonymous paper or crypto currency, you'd just know that participants are
part of a specific community. But you also have to ask when you want
anonymity. Cryptocurrencies like bitcoin focus on solving problems that
arise in the absence of trust. I'm more interested in currencies that help
communities build trust, in which case you don't want anonymity. There's
probably a place for both.

-Ed

-- 
Edward L. Platt
http://elplatt.com
http://civic.mit.edu/users/elplatt
http://i3detroit.com
@elplatt <http://twitter.com/elplatt>

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