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I started investing in bitcoin about a year ago, did minor research and decided mining wasn't worth it because of the odds against finding a bitcoin. Lately I've started wanting to verify peoples transactions because of the high price of bitcoin and because from my understanding if you verify a transaction you get a small cut for the work of your computer.
The thing is I still don't know if I want to mine, I can't leave my computer connected to the internet all day and have it's processor tied, but from the research I've done I am under the impression that in order to verify transactions I need to be mining as well. So I guess my question is, can I verify transactions without trying to mine bitcoin, can I do it here and there when my computer is free and connected to the internet, and is there any resource I should read to help get me started? Thanks for the help, sorry for the noob question.

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Verifying the validity of transactions is not the same as mining. Verifying transactions means that you are just running a full node; mining is taking those transactions and putting them in blocks so they are committed to the blockchain. You can run a full node and verify transactions, but you won't get compensated for it. Only miners can earn money as they are spending the energy and work required to generate blocks.

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  • Doesn't that .001 bitcoin that gets taken out of my transaction go to the people verifying it? if not who does it go to?
    – Isak Jones
    Commented Jul 5, 2017 at 20:35
  • Transaction fees go to the miners.
    – Ava Chow ♦
    Commented Jul 5, 2017 at 20:39
  • Is that for taking the transaction and putting it into a block? I thought miners where the ones getting the new bitcoin, if not, am I looking to become a minor then?
    – Isak Jones
    Commented Jul 5, 2017 at 20:42
  • Yes. Miners receive all transaction fees and the newly generated coins too. If you want to earn money from "verifying transactions", then you have to be a miner.
    – Ava Chow ♦
    Commented Jul 5, 2017 at 20:46
  • Ok, I will look into that more than, I didn't grasp that with the research I had done. Thanks for the info and are there any sources you would suggest I dig into before starting?
    – Isak Jones
    Commented Jul 5, 2017 at 20:48

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