Opinion about Ethereum, ICOs and the future

[DuarteFig]

Every day I see a lot of threads being posted here with a lot of similar questions regarding ICOs and the Ethereum platform. There are a lot of discussions about: "What will be the next big ICO?", "Why should I invest in an ICO?", "Are you going to invest in the XXXX ICO?", "Are ICOs scams?" and so on. What I see going on in those threads is that a lot of people enter them to promote their own projects (or to promote a project for exchange of bounties). Also, I see a lot of people that, for some reason, seem to hate the Ethereum platform, some that call it a scam, and some that call every ICO a scam.

These recurring subjects have led me to think about starting this discussion to point a few things that in my opinion should be taken into consideration. Of course, a lot of people won't read my entire message and will just answer "ICOs = scam" or "Ethereum = scam". But, if anyone wants to join this discussion, I think it would be helpful to people that are new to cryptocurrencies and are entering this world thinking they will become rich quickly with no efforts and no need to research and study a lot.

 1. My first advice for everyone in this forum is to do your own research. Before investing in digital assets thinking that they represent a shortcut or magical recipe to become rich, please try to minimally understand the technology behind the cryptocurrencies and why they have been increasing in value since their introduction through Bitcoin in 2009. Try to understand the potential behind the blockchain technology and to read the most you can before investing in a coin or project.
 
 2. There is Bitcoin, which is the first, the biggest, the most well established and most proven decentralized digital currency. The thing is I don't need to dislike or disbelieve Bitcoin in order to support other platforms, such as Ethereum. There are a lot of promising projects going on, and in a lot of cases they are not competing against each other.
 
 3. From Ethereum.org: "Ethereum is a decentralized platform that runs smart contracts: applications that run exactly as programmed without any possibility of downtime, censorship, fraud or third party interference". Smart contracts recorded in an immutable blockchain have the potential to decentralize any kind of product or service exchange, eliminating trusted third parties such as Uber, Airbnb, banks, insurance companies, and so on.
 
 4. The ICO (initial coin offering) model of fundraising introduced a democratic way for small investors all over the world to contribute to projects they believe in and get something in return, usually tokens or coins that have functions in the project product.
 
Before believing when you read something like "Ethereum is a pre-mined scam" or "the only use cases for Ethereum are scammy ICOs", you should question yourself about: how come so many people could have been deceived like this (if this were the case)? How come Ethereum has more than 20 billion invested in? The Enterprise Ethereum Alliance is the world's largest blockchain open-source initiative with members including Mastercard and Toyota.

So, what is going on? Why there are so many scams? How can so many teams that have no intention of actually building something useful be raising thousands or millions of dollars?

There is a lot of interesting things going on in the cryptocurrencies world. The project I follow the most closely is Ethereum and I believe there are a lot of promising features coming in the near future, with the use of state channels (Raiden Network), the adoption of proof-of-stake, the Metropolis release, the Plasma framework whitepaper released, and so on. I also try to study and to follow the updates on some other platforms. I have interest in knowing more about DAG-based technologies, such as IOTA and Byteball, and other blockchain applications platforms, such as Lisk, and there is a lot to study and learn. And a lot of promising projects are being built on top of the Ethereum network, and a lot of them are using ICOs to fund themselves.

The big problem is that, along with the promising and disruptive initiatives and blockchain applications, a lot of scammers and opportunists appear.

So, my advice is: the best way to avoid mistakes, bad decisions and scams is to know what is behind the coin or project you are thinking about investing in. Don't believe everything you read, especially when it involves high profits promises and stuff that are too good to be true. And, also very important, don't invest money you can't afford to lose, as this market is still on its beginning and high price fluctuations are very common.

[indomitableprincess]

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[100degrees]

Look at the team and evaluate their experience. Look at the project and evaluate if it has real world application. Actually try and talk to the people involved with the project, if they actually try to sell you then go elsewhere. The best projects just talk about their goals and what they are working on, then you decide for yourself.

[thijsverheyden]

In my opinion, Ethereum has a lot of opportunities in future. Ethereum smart contracts will implement into a real business, and it would be a second technical revolution. For example, Confideal project makes daily work of small business, large enterprises easier with their technology. It is an anonymous service, which allows you to carry out quick, cheap and safe transactions without the participation of third parties. The platform is based on Ethereum Smart Contracts that are optimized for use by non-programmers.

[bitcoinvestor]

Most ICOs now and in the near future will be based on eth platform. Eth will dominate ICO even there are some alternatives like waves and etc. Bitcoin itself not use in ICo program, bitcoin holders prefer keep it in the wallet or trade it in the exchangers. ETH uses to invest in ICOs because the smart contract enables instant deploy of new coins to investors. It is much more trusted than wait for the deploying coins after ICO ends.

[PowerfulGuerilla]

In my opinion, Ethereum has a lot of opportunities in future. Ethereum smart contracts will implement into a real business, and it would be a second technical revolution. For example, Confideal project makes daily work of small business, large enterprises easier with their technology. It is an anonymous service, which allows you to carry out quick, cheap and safe transactions without the participation of third parties. The platform is based on Ethereum Smart Contracts that are optimized for use by non-programmers.

I couldn't agree more. Yes, the Ethereum has the great potential in future if it keeps on developing and growing. It could be implemented not only in the crypto-world, but also in reality.
Apart from that, with regards to ICOs I think their number will be increasing and increasing because there is no officially accepted regulation how to manage them, and, as the result, the majority of ICOs are scams, in fact.

[Nothingbuttmoney]

Every day I see a lot of threads being posted here with a lot of similar questions regarding ICOs and the Ethereum platform. There are a lot of discussions about: "What will be the next big ICO?", "Why should I invest in an ICO?", "Are you going to invest in the XXXX ICO?", "Are ICOs scams?" and so on. What I see going on in those threads is that a lot of people enter them to promote their own projects (or to promote a project for exchange of bounties). Also, I see a lot of people that, for some reason, seem to hate the Ethereum platform, some that call it a scam, and some that call every ICO a scam.

These recurring subjects have led me to think about starting this discussion to point a few things that in my opinion should be taken into consideration. Of course, a lot of people won't read my entire message and will just answer "ICOs = scam" or "Ethereum = scam". But, if anyone wants to join this discussion, I think it would be helpful to people that are new to cryptocurrencies and are entering this world thinking they will become rich quickly with no efforts and no need to research and study a lot.

 1. My first advice for everyone in this forum is to do your own research. Before investing in digital assets thinking that they represent a shortcut or magical recipe to become rich, please try to minimally understand the technology behind the cryptocurrencies and why they have been increasing in value since their introduction through Bitcoin in 2009. Try to understand the potential behind the blockchain technology and to read the most you can before investing in a coin or project.
 
 2. There is Bitcoin, which is the first, the biggest, the most well established and most proven decentralized digital currency. The thing is I don't need to dislike or disbelieve Bitcoin in order to support other platforms, such as Ethereum. There are a lot of promising projects going on, and in a lot of cases they are not competing against each other.
 
 3. From Ethereum.org: "Ethereum is a decentralized platform that runs smart contracts: applications that run exactly as programmed without any possibility of downtime, censorship, fraud or third party interference". Smart contracts recorded in an immutable blockchain have the potential to decentralize any kind of product or service exchange, eliminating trusted third parties such as Uber, Airbnb, banks, insurance companies, and so on.
 
 4. The ICO (initial coin offering) model of fundraising introduced a democratic way for small investors all over the world to contribute to projects they believe in and get something in return, usually tokens or coins that have functions in the project product.
 
Before believing when you read something like "Ethereum is a pre-mined scam" or "the only use cases for Ethereum are scammy ICOs", you should question yourself about: how come so many people could have been deceived like this (if this were the case)? How come Ethereum has more than 20 billion invested in? The Enterprise Ethereum Alliance is the world's largest blockchain open-source initiative with members including Mastercard and Toyota.

So, what is going on? Why there are so many scams? How can so many teams that have no intention of actually building something useful be raising thousands or millions of dollars?

There is a lot of interesting things going on in the cryptocurrencies world. The project I follow the most closely is Ethereum and I believe there are a lot of promising features coming in the near future, with the use of state channels (Raiden Network), the adoption of proof-of-stake, the Metropolis release, the Plasma framework whitepaper released, and so on. I also try to study and to follow the updates on some other platforms. I have interest in knowing more about DAG-based technologies, such as IOTA and Byteball, and other blockchain applications platforms, such as Lisk, and there is a lot to study and learn. And a lot of promising projects are being built on top of the Ethereum network, and a lot of them are using ICOs to fund themselves.

The big problem is that, along with the promising and disruptive initiatives and blockchain applications, a lot of scammers and opportunists appear.

So, my advice is: the best way to avoid mistakes, bad decisions and scams is to know what is behind the coin or project you are thinking about investing in. Don't believe everything you read, especially when it involves high profits promises and stuff that are too good to be true. And, also very important, don't invest money you can't afford to lose, as this market is still on its beginning and high price fluctuations are very common.

But how to know what is behind the ICO? Whom to ask, where to read about particular one?

[Densite]

But how to know what is behind the ICO? Whom to ask, where to read about particular one?

Most often it is possible on the project website
For example, ICO in which I plan to invest a confideal it doesn't hide anything

[hallo1488]

Every day I see a lot of threads being posted here with a lot of similar questions regarding ICOs and the Ethereum platform. There are a lot of discussions about: "What will be the next big ICO?", "Why should I invest in an ICO?", "Are you going to invest in the XXXX ICO?", "Are ICOs scams?" and so on. What I see going on in those threads is that a lot of people enter them to promote their own projects (or to promote a project for exchange of bounties). Also, I see a lot of people that, for some reason, seem to hate the Ethereum platform, some that call it a scam, and some that call every ICO a scam.

These recurring subjects have led me to think about starting this discussion to point a few things that in my opinion should be taken into consideration. Of course, a lot of people won't read my entire message and will just answer "ICOs = scam" or "Ethereum = scam". But, if anyone wants to join this discussion, I think it would be helpful to people that are new to cryptocurrencies and are entering this world thinking they will become rich quickly with no efforts and no need to research and study a lot.

 1. My first advice for everyone in this forum is to do your own research. Before investing in digital assets thinking that they represent a shortcut or magical recipe to become rich, please try to minimally understand the technology behind the cryptocurrencies and why they have been increasing in value since their introduction through Bitcoin in 2009. Try to understand the potential behind the blockchain technology and to read the most you can before investing in a coin or project.
 
 2. There is Bitcoin, which is the first, the biggest, the most well established and most proven decentralized digital currency. The thing is I don't need to dislike or disbelieve Bitcoin in order to support other platforms, such as Ethereum. There are a lot of promising projects going on, and in a lot of cases they are not competing against each other.
 
 3. From Ethereum.org: "Ethereum is a decentralized platform that runs smart contracts: applications that run exactly as programmed without any possibility of downtime, censorship, fraud or third party interference". Smart contracts recorded in an immutable blockchain have the potential to decentralize any kind of product or service exchange, eliminating trusted third parties such as Uber, Airbnb, banks, insurance companies, and so on.
 
 4. The ICO (initial coin offering) model of fundraising introduced a democratic way for small investors all over the world to contribute to projects they believe in and get something in return, usually tokens or coins that have functions in the project product.
 
Before believing when you read something like "Ethereum is a pre-mined scam" or "the only use cases for Ethereum are scammy ICOs", you should question yourself about: how come so many people could have been deceived like this (if this were the case)? How come Ethereum has more than 20 billion invested in? The Enterprise Ethereum Alliance is the world's largest blockchain open-source initiative with members including Mastercard and Toyota.

So, what is going on? Why there are so many scams? How can so many teams that have no intention of actually building something useful be raising thousands or millions of dollars?

There is a lot of interesting things going on in the cryptocurrencies world. The project I follow the most closely is Ethereum and I believe there are a lot of promising features coming in the near future, with the use of state channels (Raiden Network), the adoption of proof-of-stake, the Metropolis release, the Plasma framework whitepaper released, and so on. I also try to study and to follow the updates on some other platforms. I have interest in knowing more about DAG-based technologies, such as IOTA and Byteball, and other blockchain applications platforms, such as Lisk, and there is a lot to study and learn. And a lot of promising projects are being built on top of the Ethereum network, and a lot of them are using ICOs to fund themselves.

The big problem is that, along with the promising and disruptive initiatives and blockchain applications, a lot of scammers and opportunists appear.

So, my advice is: the best way to avoid mistakes, bad decisions and scams is to know what is behind the coin or project you are thinking about investing in. Don't believe everything you read, especially when it involves high profits promises and stuff that are too good to be true. And, also very important, don't invest money you can't afford to lose, as this market is still on its beginning and high price fluctuations are very common.

But how to know what is behind the ICO? Whom to ask, where to read about particular one?

Yeap, website or join fb page where you can discuss all the details

[hallo1488]

But how to know what is behind the ICO? Whom to ask, where to read about particular one?

Most often it is possible on the project website
For example, ICO in which I plan to invest a confideal it doesn't hide anything

i also heard that confideal has a good team

[twobits]

But how to know what is behind the ICO? Whom to ask, where to read about particular one?

Most often it is possible on the project website
For example, ICO in which I plan to invest a confideal it doesn't hide anything

i also heard that confideal has a good team

And i also heard that confideal similar with another project, But i just see some feedback regarding the project but i will not believe it until the there will be expertise to be a part of them in the future.

[Gulnora]

Ethereum has great potential and I see it reaching $500 this year and even go higher in 2–3 years!

[Valzador]

Ethereum has great potential and I see it reaching $500 this year and even go higher in 2–3 years!

Please read thread maker post first do not just read the title only.
My formula to know an ICO will be successful or not: solid team and appropriate field + lawyer whose track record is reliable + whiterpaper clear and detail + has hq.

[enhu]

There is no way of verifying whether who the team members are actually, they may post social media accounts, photos and links to somewhere else but that's not an assurance whether those links are real. What you could do however to check whether the team may not be scamming is to identify who the advisors are and whether the names are reputable, some ERC token ICOs are supported by huge names like Vitalik himself or maybe Roger Ver.

[jdbao]

i dont think ico is the future, but eth is

[tommyxxxxx]

Without ICOS, what is the value of ETH?

[alan2here]

ICOs are sure to have more futures as everyone tends to prefer new ones and get rid of the old and this often happens in our daily lives. My advice is to invest in potential ICO projects as it will benefit us in the future

[DIMKAZDS]

Ethereum has great potential and I see it reaching $500 this year and even go higher in 2–3 years!

Looking at the current popularity of ethereum, you can expect ethereum to show amazing amount of growth in future. Ethereum is a decentralized platform that runs smart contracts which makes it one of the most suitable platforms for hosting ICOs.
The team of ethereum is very strong. Vitalik is the creator of Ethereum and he is a Blockchain enthusiast. Ethereum has shown good amount of growth till now Ms you can only expect a brighter future. I think within 3 year, price of ethereum would be above 2000$ mark.

[matuson]

In my opinion, Ethereum has a lot of opportunities in future. Ethereum smart contracts will implement into a real business, and it would be a second technical revolution. For example, Confideal project makes daily work of small business, large enterprises easier with their technology. It is an anonymous service, which allows you to carry out quick, cheap and safe transactions without the participation of third parties. The platform is based on Ethereum Smart Contracts that are optimized for use by non-programmers.

How can it help business? All cryptocurrencies there is one major drawback. It is their volatility. Lending business is generally not possible under such conditions. Trading is also not profitable because no one knows what will happen tomorrow. Falling prices may last for several months.

[Michaelsch]

In my opinion, Ethereum has a lot of opportunities in future. Ethereum smart contracts will implement into a real business, and it would be a second technical revolution. For example, Confideal project makes daily work of small business, large enterprises easier with their technology. It is an anonymous service, which allows you to carry out quick, cheap and safe transactions without the participation of third parties. The platform is based on Ethereum Smart Contracts that are optimized for use by non-programmers.

totally agree!!! it's much more affordable than btc for example in all ways.. I also invest some money in eth but i try to make for myself a  diverse portfolio