Bitcoin conferences and meetups are great expressions of the Bitcoin ethos and culture. They come in all varieties, from casual drinks meetups, to formalized talks and panels, to small-scale conferences, all the way up to the biggest events that see tens of thousands of attendees.
I’m a believer in building Bitcoin communities and meetup groups, because of the connections you make, the things you learn and the experiences you have. These are highly valuable for many reasons. Newcomers (newcoiners) often don’t even know what questions to ask, so they learn by coming and soaking up the discussion of regulars at the meetup. Regulars enjoy the discussion of various aspects of Bitcoin, whether that is technology, economics, the social and cultural impacts of fiat money or other aspects.
“Just See It For Free Online”
Now, when it comes to conferences with a ticket price, one argument that confuses me is the people who say, “Don’t pay for an overpriced conference ticket, you can just see the talks for free online.”
Yes, it’s true that many Bitcoin conference teams will live stream the event or post the videos online afterwards, but seeing this content is not the only or even the main reason to go. This is like arguing that “you shouldn’t go see that singer live, you can just listen to their music for free on YouTube or Spotify.” There is overwhelmingly an audience of people who want to see it live, and they will happily pay for this.
While there are some who argue that you should just consume material online for free, I think this is missing the point. The benefit for newcoiners is that they’re receiving guidance. It’s a steer in the right direction regarding who to follow, what hardware and software Bitcoin
