Topic: [Interviews] with Bitcointalk members - page 14. (Read 30762 times)

Hi,

First of all, I'd like to thank you for reaching out to me. Although i have been an active member in the forum, i mostly post in the Portuguese subforum, where i am well known to the community and used to spread technical knowledge about bitcoin and cryptos in general. So thank you again for giving the Portuguese speaking community to take part in the series of interviews.

1. When and why did you become interested in cryptocurrencies?

I always had an interest in cryptography. In 1999 i had already studied all i could get from the books we were able to import in brazil or find on local libraries, and also followed any cryptography discussion groups I could find on usenet or mailing lists. But there was nothing professionally for me in it, so I distanced myself from cryptography, only reading once in a while some other news or article about it in tech sites and forums. In 2010 I read an article (i think it was on slashdot) about this new cryptographic protocol capable of implementing a fully functioning trustless digital currency called Bitcoin. I even shared the article in Google Reader (which was my social network of choice at the time) and followed some discussions and news about it. I downloaded the source code, managed to compile it, and ran it for a few minutes. The damn thing was using all my CPU and my laptop fans started to "scream", so i just turned it off and finished by giving up on it.

Then, a few years later, in 2012, my brother who lived abroad came home for the holidays, and while we were catching up before dinner he asked me:
- Do you remember Bitcoin, the cryptographic currency you talked to me about a few years ago? There's this friend of mine who is mining it and he is buying some machines that specialize in mining it.

I had to confess i didn't remember talking about it, and went back to google to find more about it (that's when i found this forum, btw). His friend sent me some links and i ended up buying my first ASIC: a Sapphire Block Erupter that took so long to arrive by mail that when i got hold of it it wasn't profitable anymore. I started then using my GPU to mine (still profitable at the time), and studied about mining and GPU programming. And that's when bitcoin finally grew into me!

2. When and why did you buy your first bitcoin?

It was in the early days of 2013. Bought about 20 dollars worth of it just to figure out how to do it. I used some exchange that sold second life coins (VirWoX i think it was, couldn't find anything from the time that confirmed it). It was the only way to buy bitcoins with a credit card i could find at the time. I had to buy second life coins, wait for a few days and then buy bitcoin with those coins. In the and, with all the fees and spread, i ended up with less than 15 USD worth of coins. But i took it as a lesson: read the small print and pay attention to hiden fees!

Later that year i bought 100 dollars worth of bitcoin to buy a new batch of block erupters. This time i had a friend living abroad who collected them and brought them to me, so i got them fast enough to barely make a profit. I have them still hanging somewhere around here.

3. How did you get on the forum?

Well, that was during my quest about bitcoin mining (see question 1). Most information about bitcoin and sales of bitcoin mining equipment was done through the forum. So that's where i ended up.

4.1. What prevents mass adoption of cryptocurrencies?

I used to talk at bitcoin events and meetups in brazil, and in 2018 in an event in Rio de Janeiro, someone asked me a similar question. My answer was similar to this: Well, those of us who grew up in Brazil during the 1990s, and saw the "debut" of the internet, will remember that the government had several "digital inclusion" programs. You probably had similar initiatives in other parts of the world. They aimed to bring as much people online as they could. They had tax benefits for companies with internet presence, and municipalities would give tax breaks to internet companies that create jobs in their cities. Schools would buy computers and give "internet classes" to kids and adults alike. There was even a Ministry position created just for that: Ministry of digital inclusion.

The results were an utterly failure. Older people didn't know how to use it. Poor people had very little access to a computer outside of schools. School computers would stand gathering dust because no one new how to operate them. Internet kept being a "niche" product for the middle-class youth.

But then, in 2007, some tech CEO from Cupertino, using a black T-shirt and jeans, announced a new product: the iPhone. It was not the first smartphone. Also not the first touch screen device. Not the first pocket internet device either. But it was nonetheless a revolution. In less than 5 years the iPhone and it's successors did what the Brazilian government had tried for 13 years without success: made the internet present in every home, every business in the country.

And that's what we need: an "iPhone" like technology (not necessarily a device) that will start the revolution. I am no Steve Jobs, so i can't predict what it will look like, but there will be a product that transforms cryptocurrencies from a niche technology into something so essential people can't live without it.

4.2. How do you think mass advertising of gambling projects has a positive effect on the development of the forum or harms the community?

It goes both ways. Gambling is a big an lucrative industry. Having them using cryptocurrencies is a great incentive for adoption. OTH, many countries make gambling illegal, and it is usually associated with mobsters and gangsters in those countries. So having people learn about cryptocurrencies for evading the laws of their country is not very good for their image. In the forum, i think gambling is already well segregated into their proper subforums. This in some way prevents excessive spamming by gamblers and gambling companies. The only advertising that goes beyond the subforum borders are the "signature campaigns". Having participated in several myself, we have so many advertisement on the internet today that my brain is already well trained to ignore them most of the time. OTH, when i am in a campaign, i have an incentive to do many posts, and try to answer as many people i can. So i see them as a mostly positive influence to me, but i know it is a pretty personal view.

4.3. How do you consider whether 2-3 years of experience in cryptocurrency is enough to successfully invest or does an investor need to receive special education?

I have now 9 years of experience and still can't invest successfully. Knowledge is not enough, you need to have it in you. Some people have it easier than others. Some are just luckier, I don't know. I ended up broke every single time i tried to apply my knowledge to invest in crypto. So i mostly just use it on my day to day and save part of it (HODL) for the future.

5. What do you think of the current Merit system and signature campaigns?  Do they harm the forum?

Oh, i already answered part of it in 4.2. So i guess I'll just repeat it: It is personal, but for me, signature campaigns are good influence. About merits, I've seen several users being hacked and losing their accounts because they had the required status to enter campaigns. And for some unknown guy from Brazil to claim back his account or even give it some negative trust was almost impossible. So the merit system solved that problem for us, underdogs of the community. After the merit system went online I haven't heard of accounts being stolen, at least not in the Brazilian/Portuguese community.

6. The most useful forum topic? Most helpful users?

That's a hard one. I keep mostly to the local forum, and know almost no one outside it. When i started in the Portuguese subforum, the guys that most helped me where @algorista and @adriano. Adriano is still the moderator for the Portuguese subforum. @algorista lost some money to a failed project some years ago and mostly disappeared from the forum after that.

7. 3 things you would implement on the forum?

Mostly nerdy things that only i would need, like "latex" formulas and easier linking to other posts. Being able to easily quote external sites would also be nice. Oh, and footnotes. I love footnotes!

8. Do you trade on exchanges or invest in projects?

I did invest in several local projects in brasil. We had an educational coin called "Dilmacoin" that i maintained for several years (until it became easier to create tokens than maintain a coin with it's proper blockchain). I usually help either with money or with work to charities and crowdfunds created by the Brazilian community.

I also lost lots of money trying to trade or invest in all kinds of things. That's not for me. I'm a tech guy, finance is not my thing.

9. Tell a story about your big profit or big loss?

Well, my biggest profit was also my biggest loss. In 2013 I specialized in optimizing GPU miners for several new coins. most of them never became profitable. But then in 2014 i developed a miner for DASH (called Darkcoin at the time) that was 40% faster than the previous ones. My "mistake" was using a GPL licensed miner as base for my work. So i couldn't sell it and had to publish the code. In a few weeks, most miners were already operating using my code. I still made about 30 BTC worth of Darkcoin at the time. The big loss was: i didn't believe in Darkcoin and sold it immediately, and since than it's price increased 100 fold at it's highest. I could have 3000 BTC now instead of only 30. How's that for a loss?

10. What do you think about the DEFI ecosystem?

I see DEFI as a "buzzword" for things that are neither new nor revolutionary. It's mostly a hype. But the good thing about hypes is that they incentivize the building of helper technologies and products for building DEFI products. Those technologies will outlast the hype and will help increase the technological pool available for future developments. It also  helps do popularize the use of cryptocurrencies. Many will try to surf the DEFI wave and create crappy products. Those products will diem but the technological improvements used to build them will last and help evolve the next step in the cryptocurrency ecosystem, and maybe some day, to technological dominance.

11. Is your anonymity a vital necessity or precaution?

For several years my anonymity (or pseudonymity) was an essential part of my internet persona. But then Facebook tricked me into revealing my real identity and now it became too easy to associate my pseudonym with my real identity. But for all purposes, i do really value my anonymity, and try to preserve it whenever possible. Maybe just out of social awkwardness, maybe as a political principle. Not really sure.

12. The last cryptocurrency book you read?

That's a hard one. I think i never read a cryptocurrency book. Most of my information comes from this forum and other online sources. I really learned a lot from the bitcoin wiki too. When i need information about a specific technology or coin i just go the the specific forum or website of their project.

13. Advise 3 cryptocurrencies/tokens for investment in the next 1-2 years?

Bitcoin, Bitcoin and Bitcoin. One should also take a look at bitcoin!

Now, really, other than bitcoin the only projects i invested that had some success were Ethereum and Decred. I still believe in the Decred project and think that much will come from the project in the next few months.

14. How much will Bitcoin cost at the end of 2020?

My guess is it wont fall bellow 12K before the end of the year. An optimistic scenario will have it valuating 1000 USD/month for the next 2 months and reach 16K before Dec 31. But that's just guess. Trading is not really my thing.

15. P.S. (Optional)

I'll use this space to thank you again for opening this space to people from local and non-english speaking communities. Thanks again for reaching out to me and asking for this interview.

1. When and why did you become interested in cryptocurrencies?

I've witnessed, devoted, created, lead, innovated and shared, I've virtually done everything in a righteous manner, all specific to alt-coins. I've been on these forums for over 5 years, with brief hiatus periods in-between. In total, I've invested 94days in total logged in specifically for altcoins only (some afk ofc), but that should give some indication on my enthusiasm and dedication towards altcoins.

This all begun back in 2013, during the silk-road incident and first Bitcoin climb to 1100-1200 usd, i was amazed. My memory has slipped on how i was introduced to Bitcointalk, but i believe it was through an exterior money-making forum, where Goldcoin was being promoted. Through my time on these forums, I've never strayed away from one core concept, community. Community is everything central to these forums and often I've gone to great lengths to support that community: calling out scams, sharing my wisdom (more recently), and analyzing coins to a greater extent. My intent has always been simple, to help new members gain the insight and wisdom on what crypto-currency truly is, where it's been and where it's potentially going.

The reason for alt-coins is simple, it's dynamic and much more in-depth than Bitcoin. Not only are you exposed to one particular blockchain, but you're proactively analyzing the progress of Bitcoin through the lens of broader audiences. Watching the evolution of crypto-currency and being apart of that evolution was the greatest gift that has not stopped giving.

I consider myself a very-well versed, an expert on altcoins. Not necessarily with technical, but with virtually all other aspects that incorporates them. I consistently learn, educate myself and share that knowledge with others and have advised, lead countless crypto start-ups to success through CTE Advisor, my company that assists virtually any stage cryptocurrency grow and succeed on the highest levels.


2. When and why did you buy your first bitcoin?

In late 2013 (or very early 2014), I took out 2 loans for $400 and purchased NXT. I did not purchase my first Bitcoin directly until maybe 2016-ish, before the major bull-run in 2017.


3. How did you get on the forum?

It's hard to exactly recall how I ended up on Bitcointalk in 2013, but at the time I was researching money-making methods online. I was on a random forum and there was a thread about Goldcoin and they linked back to Bitcointalk. I knew about Bitcointalk since about mid-2013, but didn’t get directly involved until Bitcoin started making significant headlines with the Silk-road incident.


4.1. What prevents mass adoption of cryptocurrencies?

Ease-of-access and trust. The first is steadily becoming a non-issue, but trust in a cryptocurrency will take years, if not decades more to cross. It will begin with Bitcoin and Ethereum, no other alt-coin has a chance to see any mass-adoption.


4.2. How do you think mass advertising of gambling projects has a positive effect on the development of the forum or harms the community?

I’m not going to comment directly on gambling and cryptocurrency to a full-extent, but gambling is heavily inter-linked with cryptocurrency. This is the dark-side of crypto that few rarely will ever talk about and that’s gambling with investments or by conventional means.


4.3. How do you consider whether 2-3 years of experience in cryptocurrency is enough to successfully invest or does an investor need to receive special education?

2-3 years of experience doesn’t mean or tell anyone a whole lot. I can spend a total of 1 hour per year in cryptocurrency, for 2 or 3 years and claim that I have “2-3 years of experience.” There are many individuals who like to stretch the truth in their experiences in crypto.

An investor does not need to receive special education to invest, but there’s definitely a tremendous barrier to understanding what the hell you’re actually doing in this industry. There are many who know exactly what they are doing, but the vast majority do not.

From a regulatory standpoint, it makes perfect sense to require crypto investors to have some sort of certification or license to invest in start-ups. This is the POV from myself being in the United States.


5. What do you think of the current Merit system and signature campaigns?  Do they harm the forum?

As a merit source for the altcoin sections, I’m not a fan of the system but I know why it exists. There is tremendous spam in the alt-coin sections still and it makes it very difficult to understand who’s actually giving their valid opinion or who’s just spamming the forum with other individual’s comments.

Often, I find the same statements or very similar statements being spread by multiple users, across various topics, over many months.

Signature campaigns should be restricted to full-members. I would personally remove them, but Bitcointalk would lose a tremendous amount of traffic.


6. The most useful forum topic? Most helpful users?

There are many, you just have to seek them out. I can’t think of any single one on the top of my head, because the threads I seek differ from the vast majority of BTT users in the alt-coin section.


7. 3 things you would implement on the forum?

- Profile stats
- Better moderation of altcoin sections
- Major clean-up of the bounty system

8. Do you trade on exchanges or invest in projects?

Not anymore. I run my own business that’s very successful. I assist several cryptocurrency teams with the core fundamentals, growth of communities and overall strategy to succeed.


9. Tell a story about your big profit or big loss?

NEM Airdrop. Enough said.


10. What do you think about the DEFI ecosystem?

It’s terrible, almost as bad as any gambling crypto. Crypto as a whole has taken a major step backwards with the DeFi boom and thankfully it was very short-lived until the next alt-coin boom occurs. But there’s a lot of money to be made if you know what you’re doing.


11. Is your anonymity a vital necessity or precaution?

Anonymity is becoming a necessity, but currently it’s a precaution


12. The last cryptocurrency book you read?

I’ve never read a cryptocurrency book. But I’m currently reading The Critique of Practical Reason by Emmanuel Kant.


13. Advise 3 cryptocurrencies/tokens for investment in the next 1-2 years?

Do not listen to anyone’s investment choices or what to trade/invest ever. You’ll lose almost every time.


14. How much will Bitcoin cost at the end of 2020?
I do not speculate on any crypto prices.


15. P.S. (Optional)

"Invest in Your Knowledge."


I’m one of the top leading experts for alt-coins and cryptocurrency. I’m always here to assist individuals and continue to do what I do best, assisting quality projects and making them succeed. Learn more at: CTE Advisor - Crypto Strategists & Growth Marketers | My Telegram: @tk808

I forgot the exact date and year, maybe it's around 2013/2014, why?
In the beginning, in the past I kept looking for ways to earn income through the online world, until finally my friend told me about bitcoin and then I continued to explore it and until now I stay here, while my friend who introduced me to bitcoin is no longer active in the cryptocurrency world.

Maybe it was in 2015/2016 the first time I bought bitcoin and I bought bitcoin not only for investment, because I also use it for gambling.

Because there is an invitation from a friend.

Due to differences in regulations in each country.

Gambling is a big industry and I don't think it hurts the community because the gambling advertisements themselves are placed on the right market.

How high your experience in cryptocurrency still does not guarantee you will be successful in investing, because we don't know what he did during those 2-3 years or how many years they were in the cryptocurrency circle. Because if they don't explore how to invest properly, the length of time you have been in cryptocurrency, it will still not be easy for you to successfully invest in cryptocurrency. So, special education or not depends, because if an investor has the desire to be successful, then of course he will continue to learn from the many available sources.

That's fine, it's just that those who trade merits are of course harm forums.

I guess it depends, because every user has different needs.

I think it has been regulated by the higher ups in this forum, so it is inappropriate for me to organize or implement anything else on this forum.

Both I do, but for now I'm only focused on holding a few coins for investment.

Big profits and losses only occur in gambling and for investing and trading, I don't consider it a big gain and loss. Maybe just want to give advice to be careful and always control yourself in all things.

I didn't really follow it, maybe it will get better or another surprise later, I can't say it's bad either because the development so far looks fine.

No more anonymity.

I forgot the name of the book, but it's a book about cryptocurrency trading.

There's nothing else to suggest, because Bitcoin remains a priority.

$15k - $20k

Well... I guess I have to post this by myself.



It was in the Spring of 2013. Why? I thought it's a great concept.


Hm... I think I did it only once some 3 years ago. Needed about $200 in Bitcoin, but I didn't want to sell any alts.


I actually started with CryptoCoinTalk and later registered on BitcoinTalk.


There are still millions of people who refuse to believe in them. Also, we've had a lot of scams going on... especially in 2014-2015.


I don't care to be honest. Anyone is free to choose what to read and where to invest.


I guess it depends on the person, but I'd say that cryptocurrencies may be compared to life - you never stop learning.


I am not very active lately so I don't know how this works.


Can't say, but maybe "Scam Accusations". I was relatively active until couple of years ago and I've seen some very active members throughout the years. I think it will be fair to say that they saved millions of dollars in potential lost investments.


No idea. For me it was/is good enough to participate in discussions. Changes are not always good.


I trade on a daily basis (day trading).


Uh... there are more than just one story. I failed big time with 10s of different digital currencies. My first big failure was with Fedora/TIPS. Others? BlackCoin, Viacoin, Einsteinium, SaffronCoin and many more...


Crap...


I never cared about it. I believe I was one of the first (if not the first) who posted a picture of his ID.


Not my thing. I do read, but not books related to cryptocurrency.


I like BAT and Aragon.


I thought it can reach $25,000 by 2021, but I won't be surprised if it happens this year...


Stay safe all!

This is a cool thread thanks for inviting.

Questions:
1. When and why did you become interested in cryptocurrencies?

I saw it being talked about in precious metals forums. The challenge to central banking and limited pre-determined supply instantly grabbed my interest. That was in 2011

2. When and why did you buy your first bitcoin?

I had fear of missing out instantly but struggle d to find ways to get some. I tried mining on cpu but even then it was already very hard to get anything substantial. There also weren't many exchanges around. They were deflating from a huge bubble up to about $32. I think I bought my first on an exchange called intersango for about 17 british pounds.  

3. How did you get on the forum?

I don't remember any specific about that

4.1. What prevents mass adoption of cryptocurrencies?

Nothing, its slowly happening

4.2. How do you think mass advertising of gambling projects has a positive effect on the development of the forum or harms the community?

I don't have an opinion on that. It shows bitcoin is desired and valuable. To each their own.

4.3. How do you consider whether 2-3 years of experience in cryptocurrency is enough to successfully invest or does an investor need to receive special education?

You can educate yourself. Controlling emotions is key.

5. What do you think of the current Merit system and signature campaigns?  Do they harm the forum?

I'm not a fan. It seems to be used to reward people being popular rather than the quality of the post.

6. The most useful forum topic? Most helpful users?

I don't follow the forum much these days but speculation section  has always been where I lurk. I sometimes read the last few pages of Wall Observer to see what the chat is.

7. 3 things you would implement on the forum?

Its fine how it is. Just make sure no censorship

8. Do you trade on exchanges or invest in projects?

Some trading mostly hodling.

9. Tell a story about your big profit or big loss?

I have many big profits and losses. Losses include trusting exchanges. Be careful if you don't hold private keys you don't really own it. Some of my trades have been great, overall its been very profitable but not as much as it should have been considering how early I got in.  

10. What do you think about the DEFI ecosystem?

Not very interested in that. If it ends up being a success then thats great. Watch out for scams. Many or most will turn out to be pump and dump schemes.

11. Is your anonymity a vital necessity or precaution?

Its a human right.

12. The last cryptocurrency book you read?

I don't read crypto books. What good ones am I missing?

13. Advise 3 cryptocurrencies/tokens for investment in the next 1-2 years?

I went almost fully into Dash for quite a long time, seeing massive profit in 2017, almost all now gone through holding too  long. It has much going for it but ultimately I have finally concluded that the economics of masternodes aren't working as they currently stand. I believe dash needs to reward mining more. In the short term I like bitcoin, I don't have any others in mind just now.

14. How much will Bitcoin cost at the end of 2020?

I could easily see it reaching 20k in $US but who knows?

15. P.S. (Optional)

Bitcoin is still the king

Dash ?

1. When and why did you become interested in cryptocurrencies?
It was during a very boring maths lecture in early 2013. I was reading some tech news when I read something about generating money on your computer. I thought this can just be a joke so I started to read more about bitcoin. After that day I became addicted :-)

2. When and why did you buy your first bitcoin?
It was 2013 because my laptop was just able to generate about 0.16 BTC per day. I wanted more!

3. How did you get on the forum?
The more I read about bitcoin the more questions came up so I was looking for a community and found this forum.

4.1. What prevents mass adoption of cryptocurrencies?
I think there is nothing that prevents mass adoption. There a just a few points that slow it down, like technical challenges and missing trust. Ironically, bitcoin works without trust. Someday mass adoption will come.

4.2. How do you think mass advertising of gambling projects has a positive effect on the development of the forum or harms the community?
At first look maybe it could look like harming the community but, to be honest, gambling is a very important part of the mass adoption of cryptocurrencies.

4.3. How do you consider whether 2-3 years of experience in cryptocurrency is enough to successfully invest or does an investor need to receive special education?
Neither... nor. A potential investor has just to understand that his or her money is protected by the power of maths. No politicians, no lobbyists, no promises. Just incorruptible and simple maths.

5. What do you think of the current Merit system and signature campaigns?  Do they harm the forum?
Nope. I like it! Signature campaigns are a good possibility to stack some sats and the merit system can be used to reward good posts.

6. The most useful forum topic? Most helpful users?
Hmm that's tough. I don't if this topic is helpful but I love it. I'm talking about HODLING, of course! Most helpful user I would say it's fronti.

9. Tell a story about your big profit or big loss?
A stupid guy told me something about a coin which has master nodes and you can earn interest by hodling. Unfortunately this was one of my biggest mistakes. I'm today still -90% on that shitcoin. After a few years...

10. What do you think about the DEFI ecosystem?
I don't like it.

11. Is your anonymity a vital necessity or precaution?
Possible anonymity is absolutely necessary. But you should always be able to decide not to be anonymous.

12. The last cryptocurrency book you read?
Mastering Bitcoin - Andreas Antonopoulos

13. Advise 3 cryptocurrencies/tokens for investment in the next 1-2 years?
Bitcoin, bitcoin and maybe ... some bitcoin.

14. How much will Bitcoin cost at the end of 2020?
I think about $20k +- 3k

15. P.S. (Optional)
Don't let shitcoins fool you!

Hey zasad@

I was both surprised and happy that you pm'd me to ask some interesting questions.
That's why I took the time to answer them seriously.

And you know what ? I liked that  

(Please excuse my imperfect use of the English language, but this is not my first one).

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1. When and why did you become interested in cryptocurrencies?

Being curious about a lot of things and new technologies in particular, i obviously heard of Bitcoin since the beginning.

2. When and why did you buy your first bitcoin?

I have to confess i bought my first bitcoins to purchase some cool items on the internet.  
It was around 2015. (Yes it took a while for me to move from theory to practice).
Then i learned (and still continue to discover) how to use it and how it works.
And finally, my apologies to the maximalists, i quite quickly discovered some interesting altcoins.

3. How did you get on the forum?

When looking for info about Bitcoin, it is very hard not to come across Bitcointalk.
I still some memories of my visits here in 2010/2011 . Ha ...what a pity not to have created an account at the time.
I missed so many things: have the chance to interact (even from far away) with Satoshi, then much later and to come back to less tech and more greedy things i also missed some fabulous signature campaigns and airdrops .

4.1. What prevents mass adoption of cryptocurrencies?

Hard to say. A set of several things probably: need for a more regulated market (therefore less risky), greater ease of use and above all a real incentive to use cryptos.

4.2. How do you think mass advertising of gambling projects has a positive effect on the development of the forum or harms the community?

I don't really have an opinion on this. Especially since I am not personally interested in gambling.
I nevertheless think that (moderated) gambling is not a defect and therefore if there is a public for these products then a market exists.
Why not try to meet the demand? On the other hand, it must be done according to clearly defined and healthy rules.

4.3. How do you consider whether 2-3 years of experience in cryptocurrency is enough to successfully invest or does an investor need to receive special education?

Again, it is difficult to give a clear cut answer. Everyone is different and some learn quickly.
And what does 'invest' mean? If it's being able to spot some good projects, I think it already takes a little time.
If it includes notions of markets and trading then the learning may take even longer.
For my part, I humbly admit that after 3 years of intensive practice I still have a big lack of knowledge in some areas, even if I have made a lot of progress.


5. What do you think of the current Merit system and signature campaigns?  Do they harm the forum?

To me, merit system is a double-edged sword: necessary following the abuses of 2017/2018 but
this can unfortunately slow down the evolution of some people on the forum. Either way, the system exists then .... you have to deal with it.

Signing campaigns don't bother me. More than this it can happen i participate into some nice ones.
It seems to me the seriousness of the manager is one of the key elements as best of them rarely promote scams and avoid harmful profiles.
Managed in a good way, i don't think it can hurt the forum. (However I admit that the crazy proliferation of these campaigns can sometimes affect readability).


6. The most useful forum topic? Most helpful users?

I like to read the discussions concerning altcoins, Bitcoin ones of course, as well as collectibles thread.
The wall oberserver is also a must !!
I generally avoid family tragedies   (reputation, accusation ...).

There are some fabulous people on this forum. i don't have to specify any names, it doesn't matter, since you will recognize them.

7. 3 things you would implement on the forum?

After thinking about the question nothing comes to my mind ...
There are certainly improvements to be made but nothing i really complain about on a daily basis.

8. Do you trade on exchanges or invest in projects?

Yes I do a lot. In particular on Binance, Bitfinex Kucoin and recently (for 1 year) on Uniswap.
Another exchange I appreciate (how fast !!) is Coinex but I rarely use it anyway. I hope it will eventually develop.

I sometimes trade for a few days but I am mostly a holder.

9. Tell a story about your big profit or big loss?

One of my biggest profit was done trading 'Railblocks' (Nano) and one of my biggest losses
happened when i fomo'd on a project as i was too tired.
I first sent a few ethers to a new platform and then finished reading the advice afterwards.
It was written : 'Warning ! never send funds from an exchange otherwise they will be lost forever '.
At the same time, my withdrawal from binance was validated.  

10. What do you think about the DEFI ecosystem?

This is probably a big innovation in domain of lending / borrowing without third party intervention and
i think Defi is here to stay. However , like anything new, it brings a flood of scams and abuses.
Time will do some cleaning

11. Is your anonymity a vital necessity or precaution?

Yes, anonymity is important in crypto, especially if you want to avoid being the target of scams or malicious behaviours.

12. The last cryptocurrency book you read?

I got not time to read some real books, unfortunately (or i don't take this time to be more precise).
But i do read n watch lots of videos on the internet.

In french we have a saying: 'qu'importe le flacon pourvu qu'on ait l'ivresse'. (which could be translated as : ''whatever the bottle as long as you access to euphoria")

13. Advise 3 cryptocurrencies/tokens for investment in the next 1-2 years?

I remain convinced that ethereum still has a bright future.
I also think the polkadot ecosystem is interesting.
Finally, to take more risks, i suggest taking a look at 'Lien'.

14. How much will Bitcoin cost at the end of 2020?

Uhm...Haha... Let's say 22000$ or 7000$ depending on the direction the markets will take.


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Thanks for the pertinent questions And also thanks to those who took the time to read my humble attempts at answering.

1. When and why did you become interested in cryptocurrencies?
During the summer in 2017 I got some news feed from Google about this technology and eventually venture into adoption which then has be part of me since. What exactly moved my interest into cryptocurrencies was the anonymity one possesses while enjoying freedom from the oppressors.
  
2. When and why did you buy your first bitcoin?
LMAO, during the bull-run in 2017 and wasn’t lucky enough to pick profit from my purchase because I bought at the pick $19,501 while waited for a good profit. The gains in Bitcoin through testimonies on the internet made me bought my first Bitcoin but couldn’t make profit thereafter.
 
3. How did you get on the forum?
Just why surfing the internet to get started with the internet money; I found this exalted crypto forum, ever since this has been my second thought after the family.
  
4.1. What prevents mass adoption of cryptocurrencies?
Fear of volatility: thousands of investors got stucked during the bullish event in 2017, and those who were hurt are those not taking side with cryptocurrencies. Personally, I was hurt and still living with the stigma of my loss during the 2017.
  
4.2. How do you think mass advertising of gambling projects has a positive effect on the development of the forum or harms the community?
Gambling advertisement doesn’t give negative lotion to the community, because millions around here are true gamblers who want to keep their privacy secret. I will suggest the community increase their means of gambling advertisement through external means, in doing this more investors around the globe will be part of the community.

4.3. How do you consider whether 2-3 years of experience in cryptocurrency is enough to successfully invest or does an investor need to receive special education?
Yeah, investors need to be educated before venture into this game of knowledge, cryptocurrency be a  new technology need education minimal of 3 years on how it work as technology, reasons I lost during the 2017 was about my shallow knowledge on cryptocurrency, how I wish I got the right  education then.

5. What do you think of the current Merit system and signature campaigns?  Do they harm the forum?
Merit system doesn’t hurt the forum but to some extent. There are thousands of forum members with little or no merit earned in the 120 days while some earned more with little efforts put into their postings while others with the same effort earned none.

6. The most useful forum topic? Most helpful users?
The all unofficial threads are the most helpful threads back in the days I registered my account on the forum.  

7. 3 things you would implement on the forum?
Relaxing the merit system for just 4 month: 4 month of be equal.

8. Do you trade on exchanges or invest in projects?
I am an investor base individual; I prefer investment on new projects especially #DEFI’s.
 
9. Tell a story about your big profit or big loss?
During the 2017 I lost hugely and the impact still lingers around my existence. I lost almost my savings which I invested into cryptocurrency during it all time high, though still holding for profit.
 
10. What do you think about the DEFI ecosystem?
The defi ecosystem is over hype and shouldn’t be so. This ecosystem follow suit with the days of ICOs, let be careful though.

11. Is your anonymity a vital necessity or precaution?
My anonymity is a necessity because of my reputation in the real world. Hope we keep safe as we continue to navigate the internet money.  

12. The last cryptocurrency book you read?
Bitcoin standard

13. Advise 3 cryptocurrencies/tokens for investment in the next 1-2 years?
Bitcoin
Ethereum

14. How much will Bitcoin cost at the end of 2020?
Bitcoin will end with $15k lovely.

15. P.S. (Optional)
The truth; only the truth saves.

interesting. first time seeing this thread. posting here to follow it. will read all the interviews in some free time.

BTW.
any chance to read an interview of CSW? that would be fun (ask him different questions. you know what I mean)

1. When and why did you become interested in cryptocurrencies?

1. I became interested in cryptocurrencies in 2014. Then I had a pretty serious loss and bitcoin gave me hope to get my funds back).

 
2. When and why did you buy your first bitcoin?

2. In 2016. I followed bitcoin for 2 years and at the beginning of 2016 I invested a significant amount of my funds. Practice has shown that I was not mistaken.



3. How did you get on the forum?

3. I stumbled upon it by accident on the Internet in mid-2017. I just read the forum for six months and only at the end decided to register.



4.1. What prevents mass adoption of cryptocurrencies?

4.1. Obviously, states and national governments are hindering the mass adoption of cryptocurrencies. They certainly see bitcoin as a threat to their sovereignty.


4.2. How do you think mass advertising of gambling projects has a positive effect on the development of the forum or harms the community?

4.2. Neither one nor the other. No significant benefit, no significant harm.


4.3. How do you consider whether 2-3 years of experience in cryptocurrency is enough to successfully invest or does an investor need to receive special education?

4.3. 2-3 years is not enough. Minimum 8-10 years old. This I can tell from my own experience. Education is not needed, but if you have it, it is unlikely to hurt.

5. What do you think of the current Merit system and signature campaigns?  Do they harm the forum?

5. Difficult question. Merit the way it was conceived is an interesting thing. I have not seen this anywhere else. Few people like it, but it has become very valuable. Let him stay, why not?


6. The most useful forum topic? Most helpful users?

6. The most useful topic is the one I haven't read yet. And I cannot single out useful users, since it will not be very beautiful.


7. 3 things you would implement on the forum?

7. I would increase the number of ranks. I would increase the number of topics, sections and metrics. Plus I would do something for a more friendly atmosphere. For example, would prohibit multi-accounts.


8. Do you trade on exchanges or invest in projects?


8 Yes, I trade on stock exchanges and invest in projects, like most on this forum.


9. Tell a story about your big profit or big loss?

9. I have had several large profits associated with bitcoin, ripple and small obscure coins. The bitcoin I bought in 2016 went from $ 600 to $ 20,000. I poured some of it into Ripple for 20 cents, which sold for $ 2. True, I later lost part of this money on altcoins. But investments in young projects paid off again.


10. What do you think about the DEFI ecosystem?


10. DEFI as they currently exist have little chance of development. First, they are based on pledge (more often on air). This is bad. As soon as the collateral depreciates, then your asset turns to zero. Secondly, loans with highly liquid collateral are meaningless. Why do you need such a loan if you can just sell part of your collateral and get money?


11. Is your anonymity a vital necessity or precaution?


11. Rather, a precautionary measure. But it's like personal hygiene. No extra traces can be left. The cryptocurrency has an undefined status for now. Governments do not approve of our ownership of cryptocurrency.


12. The last cryptocurrency book you read?

12. How to defi.


13. Advise 3 cryptocurrencies/tokens for investment in the next 1-2 years?

13. I can advise, but I will not take responsibility for someone else's choice. So my picks are: Ferrum Network, TON_Crystal, Polkadot.


14. How much will Bitcoin cost at the end of 2020?

14. I don't know. Probably around $ 8,000 - $ 15,000. Maybe more or less.

Hmmm. Good timining. I am drinking some alcohol and no things to do


1. When and why did you become interested in cryptocurrencies?
I was into HYIP at the beginning and all over e-gold.com payments. Then in 2011 i suddenly saw bitcoin and was stressed saying WHE THE F I SEE THIS BITCOIN JUST NOW

2. When and why did you buy your first bitcoin?
I guess i did not buy it at all, i was mining it with HD 7970 using scrypt and LTC and those GPUs were overheating A LOT !

3. How did you get on the forum?
I think it was google.com

4.1. What prevents mass adoption of cryptocurrencies?
I think banks, gonvorments and correlation in countries plus big fluctuations in price.

4.2. How do you think mass advertising of gambling projects has a positive effect on the development of the forum or harms the community?
Positive. First people with gambling will come. Then the normal people.

4.3. How do you consider whether 2-3 years of experience in cryptocurrency is enough to successfully invest or does an investor need to receive special education?
Hmmm, Honestly crypto is like HYIP. Also crypto is evolving a lot. We had bitcoin which might fall, then ETH, and then maybe polkadot or other and another crypt generations.

5. What do you think of the current Merit system and signature campaigns?  Do they harm the forum?
I do not use it, hard to say.

6. The most useful forum topic? Most helpful users?
Hard to say, i was using only mining/alternative coins forum. Can't tell.


7. 3 things you would implement on the forum?
New forum engine.
More responsive mods.
Ability to edit own threads to get rid of trolls even they were added as unmoderated.

8. Do you trade on exchanges or invest in projects?
Yes. My idea is to invest small 1/100 part in 100 projects and wait for one to sky rocket.

9. Tell a story about your big profit or big loss?
Well, i lost in HYIP. I lost in crypto. I was hacked in MT GOX. Then i created simplemining.net and with work i got profit

10. What do you think about the DEFI ecosystem?
Right now it is another buble. In time it might make sense.

11. Is your anonymity a vital necessity or precaution?
Hmmm. Whatever, i will die anyway.

12. The last cryptocurrency book you read?
I dont read books. Like NONE. Last book i red was 15 years ago in order to get free pizza slice in 1-6 grade school

13. Advise 3 cryptocurrencies/tokens for investment in the next 1-2 years?
ETH, DOT, LINK, something newer - smarter yet to come.


14. How much will Bitcoin cost at the end of 2020?
15660 $

15. P.S. (Optional)
Please remember that money is not everything.
Please be kind to other. Do not run after money every single day.
And do not be workaholic like me !

Questions:
1. When and why did you become interested in cryptocurrencies?

Around 1st quarter of  2016

2. When and why did you buy your first bitcoin?

If I'm not mistaken it was mid of June 2016

3. How did you get on the forum?

2 factors lead me to join this forum, the 1st factor is when I research about  bitcoin and I found this forum but I didn't yet created account, the one that can I called as trigger is when my friend created account in this forum and he invited me.

4.1. What prevents mass adoption of cryptocurrencies?

Fear and ignorance. What do I mean by fear? A lot of people are afraid to take risks and it is the fear. When it comes to ignorance, a lot of people have no financial education so they do not care about cryptocurrencies.

4.2. How do you think mass advertising of gambling projects has a positive effect on the development of the forum or harms the community?

For me it can be harm in the community, why do I say so? I'm a gambler and I understand the risks that I'm taking. I have a high risk tolerance so I can accept huge losses but for the other people who do not have high risk tolerance then it will be a disaster because it can affect their mental health.

4.3. How do you consider whether 2-3 years of experience in cryptocurrency is enough to successfully invest or does an investor need to receive special education?

It does not need Special education to gain information about cryptocurrencies. We are now in information age wherein all of data are now uploaded in the internet. It just take courage and determination to learn the foundation and all of the information that are required to learn in order to have a successful investment. For me 2-3 years of experience is enough and it does not need special education.

5. What do you think of the current Merit system and signature campaigns?  Do they harm the forum?

Merit system is good in order to prevent the farming of accounts. I'm really agree that the forum implemented it.  In terms of signature campaign, I think it doesn't harm the forum and for me it is the reason why there are many active users here in the forum.

6. The most useful forum topic? Most helpful users?
Most of the forum topics are useful so I cannot choose any one of those. In terms of most useful person, I also cannot chose one because there are a lot of good people here in the forun who spreads financial education.

7. 3 things you would implement on the forum?

None

8. Do you trade on exchanges or invest in projects?

I don't usually invest in projects but I trade cryptocurrencies in a lot of exchanges

9. Tell a story about your big profit or big loss?

I have a big loss before and it happened last 2017 I, my estimated amount of loss is $60,000 that time I can really admit that I'm became super greedy. I also admit that I'm not yet good in trading and I let my greed to control me. But I finally overcome it and it is a lesson learned for me.

10. What do you think about the DEFI ecosystem?

"Free money" but this type of investment is a high risk and high return investment.

11. Is your anonymity a vital necessity or precaution?

Yes

12. The last cryptocurrency book you read?

None, I usually read stock market books and apply the concepts and ideas in the cryptocurrency market. Most of the concepts are applicable in cryptocurrency market.

13. Advise 3 cryptocurrencies/tokens for investment in the next 1-2 years?

I do not usually give advises and recommendation because for me those both are only creating hype in the market. I advice to people to study and make investment on the coin that they understand. I rely on price action after all so I recommend to buy tokens that are trending

14. How much will Bitcoin cost at the end of 2020?

Between $14,000 -$15,000


-KnightElite

1. When and why did you become interested in cryptocurrencies?
Around 2013, the reason is decentralized currency.

2. When and why did you buy your first bitcoin?
Started mining and purchase bitcoin during those time to purchase the hardware.

3. How did you get on the forum?
Why wouldn't you if you are into bitcoin especially during those times.

4.1. What prevents mass adoption of cryptocurrencies?
Everyone knows about cryptocurrencies, if they are not aware they are living in a cave. You cannot expect everyone to adopt in a short period of time.

4.2. How do you think mass advertising of gambling projects has a positive effect on the development of the forum or harms the community?
Gambling projects have a net positive, we need to have fun and crypto gambling was the only place that provides privacy but now everyone enforces KYC but during the initial period it was fun.  


4.3. How do you consider whether 2-3 years of experience in cryptocurrency is enough to successfully invest or does an investor need to receive special education?
Just common sense and the ability to look back and study the market and that is the only thing required to be successful.

5. What do you think of the current Merit system and signature campaigns?  Do they harm the forum?
The forum needs activity and the merit system checks the spam level and users are putting an effort if they wanted to increase their rank.

6. The most useful forum topic? Most helpful users?

8. Do you trade on exchanges or invest in projects?
Trading depends upon the market situation and in the past i used to invest in projects but not anymore.

9. Tell a story about your big profit or big loss?
Everyone who started early made their profit, the level of profit varies, when i was mining i was accumulating the coins but then the ICO boom started and i started investing in those some gave me huge profits and some huge losses.

10. What do you think about the DEFI ecosystem?
We are already seeing the issues and the scams cannot be avoided, after the bitcoin halving i expecting some hype and that was DEFI.

11. Is your anonymity a vital necessity or precaution?
It is vital but i have friends in the crypto space who wants to be anonymous.

12. The last cryptocurrency book you read?
None

13. Advise 3 cryptocurrencies/tokens for investment in the next 1-2 years?
Bitcoin, Bitcoin, Bitcoin.

14. How much will Bitcoin cost at the end of 2020?
Expecting the market trying to reach the all time high valuation considering how the market is performing in the past few days.

ene1980

A bit late to put my answer about the interview, thanks for the invitation @zazad@.

All started in 2016 when my self randomly watching a video and try to search about cryptocurrency on the internet, after watching the video and a lot of article how the transaction can be happen, anywhere and anytime when doing a transaction really different with the bank work. Because I receive a transaction from another country need to wait 7 days to receive the transaction that's why my motivation to learn more about cryptocurrency work.

If not wrong when myself 15-16 years old, try to invest/trading even doesn't have money to invest from my own pocky. Because of that, try to become a captcha typer and the payment from the captcha work I used it to buy bitcoin and grow up my portfolio. I'm just following some a motivational video to managing your money not only stored in the bank, but also try used your money to generate more money so basically make your money work for you.

Some people suggest me to take a look at the forum for doing OTC trade between other users and a little bit of research about "bitcointalk" on Google.

Always, a government that wants to regulated and control bitcoin or cryptocurrency itself also some company or service who really scare interface their business because on the payment business. But, I believe soon or later everyone will know more about Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency we just need to educated with the right things because almost every person sometimes got educated with the wrong topic from "Ponzi", "Getting rich faster" and doesn't know the positivity about cryptocurrency.

Gambling industry was quite big, this will make more exposure to cryptocurrency at least they will use cryptocurrency as the payment transaction and make them learn more about cryptocurrency by themself.

There is no guarantee at all about these, even a professional trader still can be lost but the main point wants to share always how you manage the asset portfolio. So, even you are in the loss position, is not really disturb all to your asset or real life.

IMO there still not enough time, better to always learning no matter how good you are.

Is working, all the people who harm the forum by creating a spam post cannot create anymore again with a high rank because the merit system after all of their account got busted. I know, there still has some a big discussion about the merits system but in my opinion really thanks to the merits system to reduce a lot spam in the forum.

I believe, in every sub-forum we already have "Stinky Thread" just try to visit the sub-forum based the topic you want looking for. If still cannot find it, then using the greatest feature to looking some topic by "Search" function work for me every time.

For the helpful user, there are so many users who really helpful by creating a thread because of that can't mention all of the users in here but really thanks you to them.

I don't really have some suggestion for right now, since my self not getting any problem went accessing the forum.

Off course, everyone in here will always have some experience to trade on some exchange or investing in a project. But for right now, since we are on the corona virus condition make a rest for my self a little bit for not doing any trader/investment.

I'm not gonna tell the number how much my profit or loss, but just want to share experience from my side. No matter how much loss or profit i got since my self not spending any penny from my own pocket all of my investment from my freelance so when my self was profit than good for me but when losing not a problem may be just wasting my time because using my freelance payment for investment at least can learning from that.

Hype only and still could be the same as "Lending Project" in 2017, but the different almost every new DeFi offering an interest with an insane APY than Lending Platform on 2017. In the end, my self believes DeFi will end the same as Lending Project in 2017.

Since, my self was entering crypto with a young age and doesn't really have some educational for my identity. Right now, I more awareness of my Identity kinda scared when reading some thread or case about "How important your Identity".

Bitcoin Trading Z Generation from Oscar Darmawan.

Always Bitcoin for the first one, the other cryptocurrency is up to you everyone has their own tough/research. I really cant give another cryptocurrency, but always hold Bitcoin more than other assets because the first coin will move always Bitcoin then Altcoin.

Since we are on good condition could reach 13.000 - 15.000 USD as long there is no bad news at.

Best Regards,
ryzaadit

A little late to the party, but I have finally managed to answer all the questions asked by zasad@. Took me some time to elaborate the answers to be as grammatically correct and consistent as possible.

Interview questions and answers:


1. When and why did you become interested in cryptocurrencies?

It all started in late 2013. After hearing that Mt. Gox exchange suffered a hack where millions of dollars in Bitcoin were stolen, it came to my curiosity to learn about what Bitcoin was all about. At first, I was too skeptical as I believed Bitcoin to be another scam or Ponzi scheme. The hack made me afraid of using Bitcoin in the first place. A year later (2014), a friend of mine introduced me to the world of Bitcoin and Blockchain technology. He explained to me how Bitcoin was different from the traditional monetary system (powered by Fiat) backed by central banks and governments worldwide. It was not until late 2014 (early November to be exact), when I have decided to go all in Bitcoin.

---

2. When and why did you buy your first bitcoin?

I bought my first Bitcoin on mid-2015. The reason I did it was because I wanted to invest on the digital currency for the long term (as a sort of retirement fund). I had spent $60 (USD) for 0.17 BTC (at a price of $361.87). During that time, I have created my first BIP-38 cold storage wallet which has been in use until today. Never thought that my investment would grow tenfold a couple of years later, as Bitcoin went all the way to $20k per coin in 2017. Who knew that $60 would grow into thousands of dollars two years later? It shows us how amazing Bitcoin is as a store of value that’s often better than Gold and even mainstream banks.

---

3. How did you get on the forum?

I got on the forum after looking for things related to Bitcoin across the web (using Google search engine). Upon reading one of Gavin Andresen’s early threads on “BitcoinTalk”, I immediately became interested in digging for more information related to Bitcoin and Blockchain technology. After being a couple of years learning my way through crypto, I can say that I dominate most of the subject thanks to prominent members’ guidance on the forum. Up to this point, I am still learning about crypto and Blockchain technology as new things pop up every day.

---

4.1. What prevents mass adoption of cryptocurrencies?

I think that what prevents mass adoption of cryptocurrencies is price volatility. A currency with a volatile price only brings speculation, instead of utility. With stable prices, people will be able to adopt cryptocurrencies like they would with traditional Fiat currencies (like the US Dollar, the Euro, etc.). Besides unstable prices on the market, crypto requires a certain level of technical knowledge for people to be able to use it properly for mainstream payments. That is not the case with Fiat, as anyone can easily perform physical cash or credit card transactions without any technical background. While I admit that crypto wallets have been improving their user-friendliness, they still have a long way to go before they are as easy to use as PayPal, VISA, or MasterCard.

---

4.2. How do you think mass advertising of gambling projects has a positive effect on the development of the forum or harms the community?

I think mass advertising of gambling projects have a positive effect on the development of the forum. This helps the crypto industry achieve mainstream adoption at a fast pace, since gambling is extremely popular in the mainstream world. Gamblers will be presented with a wide array of options to choose from, with each gambling site or online casino accepting different kinds of cryptocurrencies from the other. The more gambling projects advertised, the more this forum will gain exposure to gamblers online. At least, that is my point of view.

---

4.3. How do you consider whether 2-3 years of experience in cryptocurrency is enough to successfully invest or does an investor need to receive special education?

In my opinion, 2 to 3 years of experience in crypto is enough to successfully invest in this emerging industry. Trading crypto is no different than trading stocks. The only difference is that crypto is extremely volatile while stocks are much more stable. Whenever you invest in a crypto or non-crypto project, you need to do your own research to determine what is best for your money in the long run. There is no special education required other than knowing the basics of crypto (which is sending/receiving coins across the Blockchain). By doing a research on the project you are willing to invest into, you will be able to achieve peace of mind in your financial life.

---

5. What do you think of the current Merit system and signature campaigns?  Do they harm the forum?

Believe me, the Merit system was the first thing this forum needed to prevent abuse from “bounty hunters”. Back in the day, many people used to do “account farming” to reap rewards from signature campaigns. Thanks to Theymos, the new merit system has encouraged members to provide quality content on the forum.

As far as signature campaigns go, I think they are quite beneficial to the forum. It encourages members to learn more about crypto and Blockchain technology while getting paid for providing quality content (posts) to the forum. When there was no merit system, there were a lot of trash posts by members who wanted to reap the rewards from signature campaigns. Now things have settled a bit, as most signature campaigns have changed their participation requirements. I have seen campaigns where you need a certain number of merit points and rank (position) to be able to participate in them. This keeps away spammers from the forum, making it much more attractive to the public.

---

6. The most useful forum topic? Most helpful users?

I consider most forum topics to be particularly useful, especially those in the “Development and Technical Discussion” section of the forum. You get to learn about how Bitcoin works from the “inside/out”, while at the same time, you get to ask questions and clear doubts about anything related to the technical aspects of the cryptocurrency. Basically, the whole forum serves as a useful resource that you can use alongside other educational materials to expand your knowledge in all things crypto/Blockchain related. There are many helpful members in this forum including (but not limited to): Carlton Banks, o_e_l_e_o, and LoyceV. They have helped me clear doubts about anything related to Bitcoin, especially in the field of second-layer scalability solutions like The Lightning Network. I admire the number of knowledgeable members available on this forum willing to give you a hand when you need it the most.

---

7. 3 things you would implement on the forum?

The three things I would implement on the forum are: Two-Factor Authentication (extra security), a tipping system (to reward members with BTC for certain posts), and a mirror hosted on the TOR network (in case governments decide to shut this site down sometime in the future). I would really like to see Two-Factor authentication implemented on the forum soon, to bring much-needed security to members' accounts. Maybe Theymos will integrate this nifty feature into the forum sometime in the future?

---

8. Do you trade on exchanges or invest in projects?

I invest in crypto projects I believe will have a bright future. Sometimes I trade altcoins in exchange for Bitcoin across popular crypto exchanges like Binance and Bittrex. But I do not do it often since trading is extremely risky. Back in my early days in crypto, I have lost a lot of money by trading altcoins to Bitcoin and vice versa. Prices move up and down at a much quicker rate than the traditional stock market. Volatility is a double-edged sword that could leave you either rich or poor in an instant. It is this reason why I have chosen to invest in crypto projects directly instead of trading crypto on mainstream exchanges.

---

9. Tell a story about your big profit or big loss?

The only time I had big profits was back in 2017, when Bitcoin went from $1k to $20k by the end of the year. My BTC holdings since 2015, were worth a ton of money two years later. While I did manage to multiply my initial investment (my first Bitcoin purchase of 0.17 BTC) during Bitcoin’s “Golden Days” in 2017, I have to admit that I have also lost a considerable amount of money investing in cloud mining platforms during my early days in crypto. GAW Miners’ “Hashlets” seemed to be an incredibly attractive investment. Little did I knew that the whole cloud mining operation was a scam. Sadly, I have lost nearly $300 USD worth in BTC after GAW Miners shut down its operations. I also became a victim of the Cloudminr.io cloud mining scam. At least, I have learned from my mistakes. It is up to this point where I earn more than what I lose in all my crypto investments. Diversifying your investment and doing an extensive research of any crypto project or company are the keys to minimizing risks as much as possible. With the crypto/Blockchain space experiencing legitimate use cases in the mainstream world, the number of scams in the industry will reduce by a large margin.

---

10. What do you think about the DEFI ecosystem?

The “De-Fi” ecosystem is very promising as it brings many banking features to the “unbanked” people. But I must admit that there is a lot of hype surrounding the “De-Fi” ecosystem since the pandemic took the world by storm. Many people believe “De-FI” to be a “get rich quick” scheme, pouring as much money as they can into various “De-Fi” platforms without doing their own research. This will lead to many undesired losses in the long run. At least, good “De-Fi” projects will be able to outlast bad ones in the long run. We are going to have to wait until the hype ends, to be able to see real growth in the “De-Fi” industry. I am amazed by “De-Fi’s” “killer” features compared to traditional banking. The use of stablecoins on “De-Fi” platforms, proves to be extremely convenient for everyday people. What I do not like is how many projects have wrongly used the term “decentralization” for their own benefit. They make the average person believe they are using a decentralized “De-Fi” platform, when technically, that is not the case. Unfortunately, most people are not tech-savvy enough to be able to verify the level of decentralization of any given “De-Fi” project. The average person would need to seek advice from the community in order to avoid failing for scams in this wild and crazy world of crypto.

---

11. Is your anonymity a vital necessity or precaution?

I keep my identity anonymous as a precautionary measure to protect myself from government surveillance and malicious actors. The less they know about me, the better. While there is no such thing as 100% anonymity, I try to be careful as much as possible by preventing leaving any trails that would create a link to my real identity.

---

12. The last cryptocurrency book you read?

The last cryptocurrency book I have read was titled: “The Age of Cryptocurrency” by Paul Vigna and Michael J. Casey. It is a well-written book with detailed information about Bitcoin and cryptocurrency in general. I have a collection of other crypto-related books (mostly from Andreas Antonopoulos) which I read occasionally, to expand my knowledge of this breakthrough technology. There are so many educational materials available for crypto both on the web and physically, which allows anyone new to crypto to easily jump on the Blockchain train.

---

13. Advise 3 cryptocurrencies/tokens for investment in the next 1-2 years?

For the next 1-2 years, I would advise anyone to invest in the following cryptocurrencies: Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Cardano. This last one is a very promising project with a dedicated development team and community behind it. As ADA adopts PoS for scalability, the Blockchain will be able to achieve greater performance in the long term. It could challenge Ethereum in the future if development continues to head into the right direction. Knowing Charles Hoskinson's experience in the crypto/Blockchain world, I think he can make Cardano as good as Ethereum is right now. All it takes is for mainstream developers to create dApps on the Cardano blockchain. After that, mainstream adoption will rise all the way to the moon. I think Cardano will reach $1 in the next 1-2 years. Of course, this is just speculating as no one can tell with certainty what a specific cryptocurrency's price will be in the future.

---

14. How much will Bitcoin cost at the end of 2020?

The way Bitcoin’s price is rising, tells me that it will be worth $15k by the end of 2020. Nobody can tell exactly how much Bitcoin will be worth, as it behaves in strange and bizarre ways. Either it goes all the way to the moon or goes all the way down the drain. Given that the COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted the mainstream economy, people have been resorting to Bitcoin as a safe-haven asset. As demand for crypto grows, Bitcoin could reach higher prices by the end of 2020. No matter what Bitcoin’s price will be, we cannot deny the fact that 1 Bitcoin will always be equal to 1 Bitcoin.

---

15. P.S. (Optional)

As a word of advice to newbies, NEVER make investment decisions based on other’s opinion. Always do your own research, ignore the “FUD” (Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt), and keep on “hodling”. Before you know it, you will be able to become financially independent as Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies go all the way to the moon. Thanks to the decentralized and open source nature of Blockchain technology, crypto will be able to survive a lifetime. As it is said in crypto land, “Don’t trust, verify”.

Hi everyone,
I apologize for being late, thank you for choosing me for the conversation.

1. When and why did you become interested in cryptocurrencies?

In late 2016 I read an article about the ease of trading cryptocurrency, but I did not care, and after a year passed a friend advised me to join the field and helped me a lot in teaching the correct way to store assets and manage them safely.

2. When and why did you buy your first bitcoin?

In 2017, when the price of bitcoin was 5k, I loaned out 1 bitcoin from my friend. In order to trade and participate in ICO projects!And after two months, I achieved good profits, then I returned the money I borrowed to its owner and kept the profits.

3. How did you get on the forum?

By Google search engines who directed me several times to this forum.

4.1. What prevents mass adoption of cryptocurrencies?

First, the risks to the digital sphere of scams, and second, the legal legislation that varies from country to country regarding owning a cryptocurrency.

4.2. How do you think mass advertising of gambling projects has a positive effect on the development of the forum or harms the community?

I don't know what to say about this? And I think it needs a comprehensive topic and evaluated by the majority of the members.

4.3. How do you consider whether 2-3 years of experience in cryptocurrency is enough to successfully invest or does an investor need to receive special education?

I think that's enough for those who want the extra revenue

5. What do you think of the current Merit system and signature campaigns?  Do they harm the forum?

It contributes greatly to fighting spam,And I do not think that this system harms the forum, On the contrary, it helps in providing high quality publications.

6. The most useful forum topic? Most helpful users?

In fact, most of the topics here in the forum are considered useful, so there is no need to mention them all.
Honestly, there are many distinguished users here that deserve all the appreciation, because they are really good people who are always working to provide help to others and develop the forum. And I consider them a part of the family in my personal life.

7. 3 things you would implement on the forum?

At the moment I do not have the slightest idea, but in the future if I come up with an idea I will work on implementing it.

8. Do you trade on exchanges or invest in projects?

At the moment I do not have time to work on trading, so I chose to keep some symbols and wait for the right time to make a deal, and not invest in projects due to losses in the past.

9. Tell a story about your big profit or big loss?

My most important achievement in 2017 was that I made 7k of net profits, and later lost 5k due to joining an ICO scam projects.

10. What do you think about the DEFI ecosystem?

I consider it a new term for fraud,As it happened with the ICO.

12. The last cryptocurrency book you read?

I haven't read any book yet, I just read some articles.

13. Advise 3 cryptocurrencies/tokens for investment in the next 1-2 years?

Number one is bitcoin bitcoin bitcoin..., and ont, neo, bind.

14. How much will Bitcoin cost at the end of 2020?]

Between 4,5k and 6k.

You can add this to the list:
If the forum is the reason for you to get a lot of wealth, will you be generous and donate to the forum?.

I agree. I think he made mistake by mentioning merit in PM's that he sent to users. In such way he attracted some spammers and abusers who wanted easy merit.
Personally, I would have responded without merit thing because this topic is interesting for me. Probably I spent more than hour to answer all questions.
I read many interviews here with big interest, especially these which are made by forum veterans, like @qwk

I still believe this is a very interesting topic. There are still some nice interviews coming up.
I was interviewed and I enjoyed it. I even made a local versionof it. One veteran user even woke up after a long time to answer the interview. That was pretty cool.

I think zasad@ wanted to be more inclusive, inviting as many people as possible. Not what everyone was expecting. The questions of the interview are not as customized as they were in the beginning. But the idea of those interviews is very interesting and there are high quality interviews here.
It's possible to fix those issues as well.