That's such a weird juxtaposition of ideas - "promoting a new currency" by giving away "tens of millions of dollars". It just feels weird. I suppose it's ultimately no different than Google Checkout giving users $10 on their first purchase[1] but it just feels different when they say "currency" vs. "payment method". With the phrase "payment method", my brain does the mental switch, "Should I pay with my Visa or my Amex card? Or what about cash?" No worries - we do that often enough that it's second nature. But with the word "currency", my brain does a double take - "Wait - I have to learn a new currency?" and then there's all sorts of questions...

Oh well, nothing of value to my post here - just brain dumping.

[1] http://www.michikono.com/2007/03/23/the-importance-of-google...