Pliagarism is not a 'mistake' but a violation of the rules by users who are looking to get credits (and possibly merits) for works of others or those who wants to boost their post count without thinking up what to post.

I have not heard of this new regulations, would you mind linking it?
As far as I know, a forum is not directly responsible for the contents on its platform.

This is one of the largest cryptocurrency community and any inquiry or information you might need can always be obtained here by asking or searching up the topic.

For a more friendly chat zone you can search on telegram for cryptocurrency groups.
Always be vigilant (this goes without saying) here in bitcointalk and on telegram, there are scams everywhere.

Where to Create a thread for your ICO depends on the stage of development the project is at and the aim of the thread.
For an announcement of your ICO launch; Announcement (altcoin) would be appropriate.
For technical support you'd have to use altcoin discussion board as technical support and project development boards are strictly for bitcoin related topics.
You don't need to have attained any specific rank to start a thread.

Fraudsters, hackers and generally men of the underworld are present and a threat in any financial sector. And any platform by which they can scam others out of their cash.

The issue with cryptocurrency is it's decentralization which makes you responsible for your assets. Unlike fiat where losses or leaks are not your direct losses.

The technology is secure and can resist attacks, buy with expansions come others loop holes, centralized exchanges, and other aspects.
The rising cases if hacks is unsettling for enthusiasts, but no system is totally secure.

Bitcointalk is more than ten years old, and in this time it is safe to assume that with the rhythm of everyday life, some users have left, some have died, some opened multiple accounts for fun. Some were red tagged and lost interest, some were demoted during the recent merit requirement and got discouraged. And there is a number of other reasons for an inactive account
The figures aren't anything unexpected in my opinion  

The merit system was not created to be neglected. It is a measure of your contribution and all members need it and it drives most of the posts made.
It was created to motivate users to contribute qualitatively, by researching and improving their knowledge base.
It becomes and abuse when you randomly posts in all boards with little knowledge on the topic and little interest in going through the contributions of others.


No, you would not receive merits automatically, you could even have posts which are objectively high quality get ignored or go under in the sea of posts.

But, Yes, if you don't spam and keep contributing you would eventually get merited, and also something else, you would have become more knowledgeable.

There are many factors to consider when selecting an ICO or start up to invest it. The highlights for me are;
The team
The product
The process

The team is a broad bunch which includes devs, decision makers, analysts and also partnership. Credibility, experience, and if possible a proven track record are qualities I look for.

The product; is the idea or technology. Usefulness, uniqueness applications and necessity is what I look for.

The process; this includes everything from when the idea was thought of till infinity (every project needs to be forward thinking always with constant future goals)
It includes, websites, relations with investors, communication and how the team responds to hiccups and setbacks.

ICO investments, is a risky undertaking and never venture in if you are not convinced beyond reasonable doubt, for even then it's still a gamble

Our lives are geared towards money, as it is the universal language. And needed by everyone.
It is completely natural to be anxious and uneasy when your investments are going under and when you are losing money.
A holder is not one who is calm during a storm, but one who doesn't let go, and hodls on.


You are a holder until you sell, same way they are reluctant to sell when the price is in red, is the way they would also be reluctant when it is rising steadily.
The concept is pretty clear.

One important aspect of marketing is being coherent, right from the start, as that is the first impression.
And that starts from the topic of your post. Unfortunately, there are a few errors there which need fixing.
And you should always proofread, even after posting, if so you would have already corrected the little errors.

One best thing to do us educate yourself about bitcoin and digital currencies.
Investing and trading aren't things you dabble into.
Never invest all your money into anything, only amounts you can spare.
And don't make posts merely to increase your post count. The new merit system has made that unnecessary.

There is no perfect suggestion, meet shoud not be your priority as a newbie.
I've stated before, merits is a means to an end, and not an end in itself.
Read, learn, contribute.

There is no rhythmic or repeative pattern to the flow of bitcoin's value. And how long a rise or a fall would last. The bulk market does not recur periodically.

There are many other algorithms being used by different blockchain and modifications made on the ones listed, like DPOW, which gives consensus to the community to validate a node.

I personally prefer POW, and it would be very difficult almost impossible for a malicious miner to overtake a valid chain to double spend, and it would be very power demanding
It's best to singularly research on each algorithm as they are all unique.  

It's best to add a detailed write-up supporting your link or claim. No one would want to click on an unverified link with no prior information about where they are being redirected to.

I've come across it quite a couple of times. If an investor after creating one verifying an account (on the projects platform) decide to renege they can delete their profile on that platform and all their details would equally be deleted

With the growing influence of SEC, Security Exchange Commission, and tighter restrictions around certain states to the circulation of cryptocurrencies there is the need for ICOs and exchanges to prove their investors are not from certain parts of the world.

But with the equal rapid rise in scam ICOs, and the risk of violation of your personal information when shoud you turn away from a KYC process?

-When there is no option to delete your profile, I have come across some projects which require KYC but also allows you to delete your profile at a later time with the promise that they also delete your information from their end.  There is no certainty that they would. But then again, there is no certainty at all in ICOs. But if this option isn't available I would consider turning away.

When there is no third party; Some ICOs require you to directly submit your documents to their platform or forward to their email rather than use a trusted third party.
While this is not a sure sign of possible violations, it isn't something I would readilly do. And the ICO needs to be more than convincing in other aspects for me to do it.

Unclear and out of date data privacy policy; When the policy regarding my KYC is not clear and doesn't clearly state what they can and cannot do with my documents, I wouldn't sign up. They have to show their desire to assure me of my documents protection.

As an investor in ICOs, when do you turn away from KYC process?

There are many similar scam groups, requesting you deposit a certain amount of BTC or ETH and have it multiplied.

This should be fairly easy for anyone to spot, except they are driven by greed which is the ultimate took of scammers.
If it's too good to be true, it probably isn't

As much as you can afford... to lose.
Don not treat bitcoin as an investment plan where the total value of the asset acquired is still included in your bet worth.
Only invest spare money

We can consider all the pro and cons and still loss our investments.
ICO investments has a lot of risks and dangers. I would rather invest in an already tradaeble currency, with chart history and parameters that can be used to gauge the teams dedication, commitment and expertise.

Always remember to invest what you can afford to lose.

Withdrawing your assets from an exchange daily to deposit it next day looks stressful and would cost you a bit of transaction fees.

But it's a strategy I would suggest. No exchange is totally safe, not even those that haven't been breached, and no level of security us too much to protect your interest.