It’s been a year since we launched the latest reincarnation of BTC Map, and the results so far are encouraging. We started with a legacy dataset of more than 8,000 Bitcoin-accepting merchants, then had to verify every single one. Turns out, over 90% of them were either out of business or no longer taking bitcoin.
Now we’re at about 8,500 verified merchants, and we’ve established a few solid ways to keep the data fresh. More importantly, we’ve encouraged people to form local, location-based communities. I was skeptical at first, but well-run groups can really help local bitcoin users and travelers. They’ll also become the rallying points when governments inevitably turn hostile toward Bitcoin.