Researching currencies for beginners

[pragmaticprose]

Hello

I just registered on the site.  I have some currencies and have been educating myself on using Bittrex.  I was able to be a part of the recent BTC/BCH split.  That's basically where my educational process began.  A friend took some of my cash last year and made some buys for me.  Up to July 31, my friend was simply holding my currency for me.  Now I'm moving forward on my own.  I'm a quick learner and a self starter.  I've cautiously made some good decisions and some not so good. 

If you come across this message, I'm currently working on accumulating good sources of information for understanding how to research currencies: alt coins, ICOs, etc.  I could really use some advice.  Thank you!

[mnmnmn]

I like https://crushcrypto.com/ . He doesn't do that many reviews, but seeing how he evaluates ICOs will be helpful as you start developing your own frameworks.

Browsing these boards and crypto-focused subreddits is also another good way to see what opportunities people are excited about.

[pragmaticprose]

Thank you!  Will follow up first thing in the morning.  Brain is high squishy right now.  I'm working this at full time job hours.  There's so much to take in!!

[mk4]

Good job on deciding to dive in to crypto. It's gonna take some time for you to take in all of the information as there are lots and lots of cryptocurrencies out there(both good and bad ones).

On researching, what I did in the past when I was starting out was to go to coinmarketcap.com and basically look up on the top 30 cryptocurrencies (you can go up to 50, depending on how much time you're willing on investing on this). Just researching on what they do, what they're for, are the devs active, reading the whitepaper, etc.

I suggest looking up NEO, Sia, and golem. Best of luck to you.

[pragmaticprose]

Thank you.  It's encouraging to see that some of the senior members are watching out for the newbies!  Bought NEO when it was ANS.  Hearing that from you is a huge boost to my confidence.  Will follow up on the others. 

I've been told there are a bunch of scams along with legit currencies.  Can you provide some tips on identifying scams, at least the obvious to you that might not be obvious to me?

[Xavofat]

I've been told there are a bunch of scams along with legit currencies.  Can you provide some tips on identifying scams, at least the obvious to you that might not be obvious to me?

General rules:

-If you don't understand it, ask.  If you still don't understand it, don't get involved.
-Check the scam accusation board.
-If they are using physical resources for their operation (for example, they say that the tokens will be backed by gold) check that they have a registered business and that it's subject to the appropriate regulations in their jurisdiction.
-Do a reverse image search on the pictures they show on their site.  Are the people in their team real?  Do they actually have the experience that the site claims?
-Figure out why they actually need a new token for the project.

To be honest, almost all ICOs are stupid in the current state because the price of Ether has flown up a stupid amount.  People are conjuring up ICOs out of nowhere and nowhere is exactly how far they go.

[Blazeit_420]

I've been really exited about Ripple XRP and getting in to MTH ICO soon, Portfolio is still small but there's some exiting altcoins out their that fill some of the niches. I hold SIA, IOT, XRP and some ETH and XBT. Looking into MAID but having doubts.

I feel you when you state that you work full time hours, I literally do the same, am I getting more hours in a day anytime soon?? fml

I tend to use ICOstats and CryptoCompare.com together with etherscan.io. I also use reddit a lot! and spend time checking out dev. team sites and slack, fb etc. You can get exited really fast but I personally always need to grab the reigns before I overcommit too much too soon 

[pragmaticprose]

Hey there,

Xavofat and Blazeit_420

I had this lovely personalized response to each of you.  I navigated away within the site and came back to find my work still extant.  Turns out you can't navigate to a users profile and come back to find your work waiting without saving a draft.  Lesson learned!  Now I'm up against the clock for a scheduled appointment.

Thank you so much for your help.  Both of your voices are lovely in their unique way!  I'm a former English teacher.

I read responses right away even though I don't respond so.  This thread has been truly rewarding for me as I push forward.  I hope to hear from you again along the journey.

Annie

[CoinCollector006]

Hello, welcome to bitcointalk!

I found a few resources that might be helpful to you. More than anything ask questions on the forums here, some people will answer out of a genuine desire to help with no ulterior motives. And be careful once you starting with real capital, these markets are volatile and its easy to lose money.

theory of investing and blockchain networks
https://medium.com/@nellsonx/how-to-properly-invest-in-bitcoin-blockchain-and-other-cryptocurrencies-in-2017-32d59e2ff435

practical advice for new crypto traders
https://steemit.com/bitcoin/@maxmonroe/top-10-tips-for-new-crypto-traders

good educational video on Bitcoin and the various stakeholders
http://www.cryptocapitalism.center/bitcoin-crash-course/

summary of top 30 currencies
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=1858598.0

Best of luck to you!

[pragmaticprose]

Thank you CoinCollector006

Providing the links was so thoughtful.  I've bookmarked them and will begin there with my continuing ed in the morning,

Annie