Trading bitcoins

This article first appeared in issue 239 of .net magazine – the world's best-selling magazine for web designers and developers.

Bitcoin, the startup online digital currency, has been making waves in the media. But what is it, and what makes it so special? Bitcoin is the first method of payment truly made by the internet, for the internet.

The most basic level of the internet’s architecture is client and server protocols. There is no centralised ‘server company’ to ask permission and register an account before you can start operating your own website. As long as you have a static IP address, you can simply plug in and do it. Email is similar: anyone can run their own SMTP server to send and receive mail. True, in many cases, we opt for centralised web hosting and email providers like Google, as well as additional services like Facebook. But we have a vibrant, competitive marketplace giving consumers options to choose from to suit their needs and start their own - at rock-bottom prices.

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The Creative Bloq team is made up of a group of design fans, and has changed and evolved since Creative Bloq began back in 2012. The current website team consists of eight full-time members of staff: Editor Georgia Coggan, Deputy Editor Rosie Hilder, Ecommerce Editor Beren Neale, Senior News Editor Daniel Piper, Editor, Digital Art and 3D Ian Dean, Tech Reviews Editor Erlingur Einarsson and Ecommerce Writer Beth Nicholls and Staff Writer Natalie Fear, as well as a roster of freelancers from around the world. The 3D World and ImagineFX magazine teams also pitch in, ensuring that content from 3D World and ImagineFX is represented on Creative Bloq. 

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