Do you have some bitcoins burning a hole in your pocket? You're in luck. Several sites have joined forces for Bitcoin Black Friday, an online campaign that will offer discounts to those who pay in bitcoins.

"It's a one day extravaganza of deals for Bitcoin users that will allow tech-savvy shoppers to get all their holiday gifts purchased without spending a dime," organizers said. "Instead, they can spend their bitcoins, which have surged in value recently as they have become more and more widely adopted."

Bitcoins are a virtual currency created by users in their own computers with a Bitcoin "miner" application. It takes quite a while to "mine" one bitcoin, so it's not exactly a get-rich-quick scheme, but in recent weeks, the price of a bitcoin has skyrocketed; on Thursday night, it was over $1,000. Bitcoin is still in its infancy, so you can't exactly pay with bitcoins at the corner store - or even major retailers - but those who want to cash out will now have a few more options thanks to Bitcoin Black Friday.

The event is the brainchild of Bitcoin evangelist Jon Holmquist. Last year, he organized a Bitcoin Friday event with 75 merchants, which he said helped "gain much needed attention and legitimacy for Bitcoin." This year he teamed with Internet freedom activists Fight for the Future, and has signed on more than 250 merchants.

"Bitcoin Black Friday is an awesome way to bring the whole Internet community together at a time when Bitcoin needs as much mainstream attention as possible," Holmes Wilson, co-founder of Fight for the Future, said in a statement. "Even though it seems like Bitcoin is going strong, it won't be politically safe until it's widely used by average Internet users - that's already happening, but we're speeding things up with Bitcoin Black Friday, and making it fun in the process."

Among those who signed on are dating site OK Cupid, which will offer a discount to bitcoin users who sign up for its premium service. Reddit will also offer discounted Reddit gold to bitcoin users, while Humble Bundle - a charity-focused site that lets users pay what they want for games - will also let supporters pay with bitcoin.

Also participating in Bitcoin Black Friday is GSM Nation, which sells unlocked smartphones, travel site CheapAir.com, domain name seller Namecheap, VPN service Private Internet Access, gift card discount site Gyft, open-source hardware firm AdaFruit, organic coffee company Bitbrew, and Christmas tree site ChristmasTre.es.

GOOD Magazine will also offer $5 off on subscriptions to those who pay with bitcoins, while the Internet Archive will have discounted merchandise for the bitcoin faithful.

Users can also snag authentic Moroccan rugs from Beni Ouarain, bundled shaving gear from Shave like Dad, 35 percent off Web hosting from Exohosting, and even liquor discounts from CityWineCellar.

If you'd rather give away your bitcoins, the Bitcoin Black Friday website will also let users donate to a variety of charities and non-profits, including Sean's Outpost, Songs of Love, and the Boys and Girls Club of Santa Monica. The BitGive Foundation, a new non-profit that collects bitcoins and distributes them to public health and environmental charities, will also accept Bitcoin donations on behalf of Save the Children to aid in disaster relief efforts in the Philippines.

A full list of participating retailers is on the Bitcoin Black Friday site. For more, see Everything You Need to Know About Bitcoins, as well as PCMag's Best Deals Today.

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