j"1LAnZuoQdcKCkpDBKQMCgziGMoPC4VQUckMa<div class="post"><div class="quoteheader"><a href="https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=845.msg9937#msg9937">Quote from: epaulson on August 17, 2010, 06:45:18 PM</a></div><div class="quote"><br/>I think the most apt description of Bitcoins is that they are shares of stock in this communal Bitcoin enterprise we are undertaking. It is a lot like being part of a company (right now a very small company) and being paid in stock shares. There are a fixed number of Bitcoins, as there are a fixed number of shares in a company (barring new issues/etc.).<br/><br/></div><br/><br/>This is not quite right either, I think. However, I have heard the explaination that the US FRN is akin to a national stock with a reverse dividend, so if this manner of thinking about it helps some people wrap their heads around it, then I won't object. That is, other than to say that this is an analogy only.<br/><br/>Personally, I don't think that there is anything we really can compare Bitcoins to that anyone really would have any prior experience with. Bitcoin is something altogether new in the realm of trade. It is a solution to a set of problems, and (potentially) serves as a solution well. I don't, personally, think that it's a good idea to compare Bitcoin to *anything*. Expecially since most people, including most people that seem to post often on this forum, lack a true understanding of what these other comparitive things are. The best thing to say to describe Bitcoin is to talk about *Bitcoin*, and accurately describe how the system works as well as what it was designed to accomplish. <br/><br/><br/>Think about this, children have experience with money very young, but have you ever tried to explain what money actually is to a child? Complete understanding of a monetary system is not a requirement of it's successful use.</div> text/html
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