What do you say when asked this question from a friend who has only heard its name mentioned a few times in the news and has no clue. I find myself lately taking the easy way out and suggesting google. I would prefer to give a clearer answer, but usually saying something leads to more questions and more confusion.
If someone could point me to a twitter type answer that would inform and twig their curiosity, i think it would be a better outcome.
Bitcoins are electronic currency, otherwise known as 'cryptocurrency'. Bitcoins are a form of digital public money that is created by painstaking mathematical computations and policed by millions of computer users called 'miners'.