"It was created by the CIA and NSA"

"It's a fraud"

"I don't understand how it works"

"The price keeps changing and makes me feel uneasy"

Look, I couldn't care less what you think about bitcoin and altcoins. There is another BTC fork coming (cue the Steemit posters venting their worries)

You're not helping us get anywhere unless you pick a side and stay. I'm growing tired of the youtube and blog brigade sitting on the fence hemming and hawing about what may happen.

Let's go over this one more time

Blockchain is here to stay. It is the next most revolutionary technology in our species existence along with cloud computing and IoT. Each brand of coin will have its ups and downs along the way. The rest of this year will continue to show us volatility. Here is what we need to ask ourselves,  which one of the following are you?

1) Investor- you buy coins as a store of value because you believe that blockchain is the future of value exchange. You believe that moving your wealth to blockchain based currency will continue to preserve your wealth over time. You continue to diversify your wealth portfolio which already consists of other stores of value, and only sell coins if you need to relocate your wealth. You are not worried about small 20% dips because you want to buy more, and believe the price will rebound. In time, you may move your cryptocoins to another store of wealth, if the market dictates there is a good reason. The same thing would happen in real estate or gold, depending on the markets.

2) Trader- you could not care less about the future of the coin. You buy low and sell high and hold your wealth in whatever "currency" makes you feel the richest. ICO pump and dump, options trading, derivatives, credit swaps...Greed has forever been the bane of the economy, and if you feel that you need more and more, and you trade in order to increase your wealth. While there is nothing wrong with wealth preservation, greedy people often do not pick a side, and just make an exchange of value to benefit themselves or their stakeholders. 

3) User- this person may victimize themselves and complain that their wealth is changing over time. They may want to use bitcoins, but for now, the USD seems more stable. Most consumers want to use whatever is the most easily accessible and stable currency that holds its value over time. If it was silver coins or sharp rocks, people would use them, but if it is paper dollars, they will  use them.

I think we need some solidarity in the community. You're here for a reason. You bought the coins for a reason. If you were not willing to assume the risk of a total loss of investment, maybe reconsider your position. If you truly believe in the technology, get out there and start informing people. At the grocery store, at the liquor store, the deli. Ask to pay with bitcoin. If they say no, ask them to communicate to the point-of-sale merchant that the customers want to pay with crypto.

Thank you for your time,

JG