[Interviews] with Bitcointalk members

[ryzaadit]

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

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

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.

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

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.

3. How did you get on the forum?

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.

4.1. What prevents mass adoption of cryptocurrencies?

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.

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 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.

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?

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.

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

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.

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

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.

7. 3 things you would implement on the forum?

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

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

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.

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

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.

10. What do you think about the DEFI ecosystem?

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.

11. Is your anonymity a vital necessity or precaution?

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".

12. The last cryptocurrency book you read?

Bitcoin Trading Z Generation from Oscar Darmawan.

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

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.

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

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

Best Regards,
ryzaadit

[1715169579]

1715169579

[1715169579]

1715169579

[ene1980]

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

[KnightElite]

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

[tytanick]

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 !

[Julien_Olynpic]

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.

[aTriz]

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)

[proTECH77]

Hello.
I want to interview you. I hope for your consent.

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.

[GrosWesh]

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).

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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.

[Wed]

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!

[afbitcoins]

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...

Dash ?

[afbitcoins]

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

[spartak_t]

Hello.
I want to interview you. I hope for your consent.

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

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

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

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

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.

3. How did you get on the forum?

I actually started with CryptoCoinTalk and later registered on BitcoinTalk.

4.1. What prevents mass adoption of cryptocurrencies?

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.

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 care to be honest. Anyone is free to choose what to read and where to invest.

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

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

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

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

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.

7. 3 things you would implement on the forum?

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

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

I trade on a daily basis (day trading).

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

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...

10. What do you think about the DEFI ecosystem?

Crap...

11. Is your anonymity a vital necessity or precaution?

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

12. The last cryptocurrency book you read?

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

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

I like BAT and Aragon.

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

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

15. P.S. (Optional)

Stay safe all!

[hahay]

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

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.

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

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.

3. How did you get on the forum?

Because there is an invitation from a friend.

4.1. What prevents mass adoption of cryptocurrencies?

Due to differences in regulations in each country.

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

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?

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.

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

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

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

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

7. 3 things you would implement on the forum?

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.

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

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

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

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.

10. What do you think about the DEFI ecosystem?

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.

11. Is your anonymity a vital necessity or precaution?

No more anonymity.

12. The last cryptocurrency book you read?

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

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

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

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

$15k - $20k

[dmwardjr]

Hello.
I want to interview you. I hope for your consent.

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

Andreas Antonopoulos in 2014 on YouTube got my interest in Crypto.

3. How did you get on the forum?

Told by a friend to come here when I started mining in 2014

4.1. What prevents mass adoption of cryptocurrencies?

FIAT having not failed yet.  Many will have to go through pain of a failing FIAT system before they seek alternatives.

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?

https://www.tradingview.com/u/WyckoffMode/

They need special education.  Preferably education from a platform like my own that's about to go LIVE shortly after Thanksgiving.

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

The current merit system is fine.  It does not harm the forum.

6. The most useful forum topic?

Teaching new comers how to mine...

6.  Most helpful users?

Those who help people learn how to mine and creator/developers of cryptocurrencies keeping adopters informed of progress/developement.

7. 3 things you would implement on the forum?

The forum is fine...  I've liked the way it has been all these years.

10. What do you think about the DEFI ecosystem?

Another innovation in crypto to make the FIAT banking system more irrelevant.

12. The last cryptocurrency book you read?

I have not read any cryptocurrency books.

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

Cardano, ChainLink and Polkadot

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



You can choose not to answer questions that you don't like.
If you think  that answering one of the questions may reveal confidential information about you or harm you, do not answer it.
I am not responsible for the information you posted

There is no time limit for publishing an interview. It would be great if you make it before the end of the year

Please publish the interview yourself. You can always manage your interview and earn merit.
(At any time you can change or delete information)
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5262967

If my message caused you inconvenience, forgive me and do not write negative reviews.
Have a nice day!

[tk808]

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

[girino]

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.

[d_eddie]

Thanks for the invitation, zasad@.  Your message caused me no inconvenience.  On the contrary, I have been away from bitcointalk for a while, and your interview gives me a good pretext to show up again.  However, posting outside WO makes me a bit giddy.

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

Individual rights and privacy have always interested me, so I happened to read the occasional snippet about bitcoin quite early.  It might have been when I was looking into installing some form of PGP on a Windows system, I'm not sure.  But I didn't go deeper for at least a year, maybe more.

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

Later on.

3. How did you get on the forum?

I used a browser.

4.1. What prevents mass adoption of cryptocurrencies?

Nothing prevents it.  Sure, there are factors that are delaying it.  First off, I'd say inconvenience of use and legal uncertainty.

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 enough about it to have an informed opinion.

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?

As long as the investment is buy-and-hold some bitcoin, 2-3 years are overkill.  Buy-and-hodl, on the other hand, takes quite a bit longer.

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

I think it's a good thing.  Spam has received a serious blow, and account farming has become nearly useless.

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

The Wall Observer is a great catch all.  I get most of my answers there anyway.  Specific users?  I think it depends from the help one needs.

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

Exchanges, occasionally.  I don't like the recent KYC turn of things, though.  Never invested in projects yet.

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

Well, somewhat big loss: I lost nearly all my bitcoins the first year or so.  It was the Wild West back then, and an exchange owner exit scammed us all.  Yes, yes, I know: not your keys, not your coins.  Well, we all gotta learn don't we.

Biggest profit: hodling, which includes replacing any coins I spend.  I've never regretted a single replacement; quite the opposite.

10. What do you think about the DEFI ecosystem?

I'm not much into the Eth ecosystem, but I'll believe it's as good as they say only when it gives us a real decentralized exchange with on- and offramps for fiat.

11. Is your anonymity a vital necessity or precaution?

Just a fond precaution at the moment.  Hoping it becomes a vital necessity ASAP.

12. The last cryptocurrency book you read?

I haven't read a whole book on cryptocurrencies yet, but I've sampled Ammous and Antonopoulos.  I'm waiting for a well researched, intelligent contrarian book - a small one preferably.  Now that would be a read!

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

Off the top of my head: bitcoin, btc and xbt.

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

15851.5 USD, +/- 3.55% error margin.  Confirmed from the best SOMA data, because science.

[dzimbeck]

1. When and why did you become interested in cryptocurrencies?
I was aware of Bitcoin since the beginning, it followed my belief in anarchy and freedom and human rights. However I only really got involved later in 2013 and eventually came up with the idea for BitHalo to make unbreakable contracts which I felt would be perfect for an anarchy system as it eliminates the middle man and makes theft impossible in day to day contracts. Then I had made the worlds first crypto contracting software months later. I long believed that Bitcoin even though it was good, would not be a tool of freedom if humans were unable to defeat the media. However two party escrow gave people a way for honest people to succeed so that's when I got started, taught myself to code and the rest is history and can be found all over the internet.

2. When and why did you buy your first bitcoin?
When I knew about Bitcoin in 2011 I wanted to buy but my friend said it was all on forums and I would have to do it person to person or to mine so I sort of forgot about it for a while until I took an interest again seeing it on TOR. Then I got some small amount of Bitcoin and saw it boom and didn't want to miss the boat so I invested in Litecoin in 2013 and made a good amount from almost nothing and then took an interest in the altcoin and Bitcoin industry as a whole.

3. How did you get on the forum?
It was the only forum I was aware of. I think just investing and I made a profile.

4.1. What prevents mass adoption of cryptocurrencies?
Governments run the news/propaganda and have guns and thus can influence adoption. Humans are creatures of habit and are unaware of the heart of the problems in society. So currently many of the barriers are abstract. If people desire for alternatives and digital assets that may one day power everything from stocks to real estate to currencies, then they may take an interest gradually when it truly meets those needs. However in the meantime there is an education barrier and a subversive/competitive barrier. What's nice though is it has become a true alternative to failing currencies.

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 doesn't harm anyone. A person who gambles makes that decision of their own free will and if society tries to protect idiots from themselves by forcefully removing their options then that in of itself is foolish. It's completely neutral. If someone doesn't want to gamble they won't take an interest.

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?
Like anything, there is no magic number. "How many miles can a man walk?"... an unanswerable question. If a person is smart, they will invest in projects that work hard with blood sweat and tears and not reward scumbags. It's better to invest in something you actually believe and lose than to invest in a scumbag and win. Once people realize that, the projects of the highest value can succeed. And besides, the probability of gaining is a million times higher when you aren't investing in vaporware. Bitcoin succeeded because of its code.

5. What do you think of the current Merit system and signature campaigns?  Do they harm the forum?
Signature campaigns help incentivize people to engage. They will do it regardless of weather or not the forum endorses it. May as well make it transparent and let them participate.

6. The most useful forum topic? Most helpful users?
Any topic that promotes human freedoms, kind users that are on a quest for truth.

7. 3 things you would implement on the forum?
For the mods to not use this forum as a honeypot. To decentralize the forum completely so it doesn't turn into a facebook or a google. To organize the information more so people can engage with a variety of topics that aren't always about self-indulgence.

8. Do you trade on exchanges or invest in projects?
I only really trade year long or multi-year long positions. So if I invest in projects it's extremely rare that it's speculative. Also I don't reward vaporware.

9. Tell a story about your big profit or big loss?
After I was asked to develop BitBay, it was actually a hit job to hurt my reputation as some government shills wanted me out of crypto because BitHalo was a powerful/disruptive tool of the early days of crypto even though it was not polished. So I told the investors I would stay despite the attacks we had suffered and I would code the promises made by the founders. They asked me to rebrand/change the name of the project but I said we should not because success is the best revenge and it would be that much sweeter. So I stayed and worked hard and released the worlds first decentralized markets(2015), improved the contracts and the project went from having zero volume and a couple hundred grand marketcap to being worth about a half a billion in 2017 making most of the investors millions. It was one of the best comeback stories in crypto and was spiritually fulfilling. I didn't quite cash out much though so it's back to work for now. So it's been a wild ride to say the least.

10. What do you think about the DEFI ecosystem?
It's good to inspire new financial products and increase stability without relying on centralized garbage like Tether. However it may cause a lending bubble and also a sort of mob mentality to move from project to project like vultures. So it's enough to kick off a project, but projects need to replace stocks and have true producing assets like dividends and real estate to keep people invested. In other words, projects should offer things beyond the basics of a crypto project or else it's just an empty shell for trading.

11. Is your anonymity a vital necessity or precaution?
Yes, however most of the time I'm hiding in plain sight... hahahaha. Bitcoin is all about valuing our need to privacy and transparency at the same time.

12. The last cryptocurrency book you read?
Haven't read any of the books, just learn through experience.

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

14. How much will Bitcoin cost at the end of 2020?
Anywhere from 13 to 17 thousand? If you want to know the future, just wait and see. The best investment strategy is to invest in your own vitality and your own abilities.

15. P.S. (Optional)
Peace

[pallas]

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

It was summer 2013, before the big pump to 1000.
I was just curious about this new technology, as I always am, but I wish I came earlier.

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

Never bought any.

3. How did you get on the forum?

Back then, it was simply the most popular one.

4.1. What prevents mass adoption of cryptocurrencies?

There is still a usage barrier, and complications linked to buying and using bitcoin. This is slowly changing and progressing: I think it's only a matter of time before all transactions will be done using some for of cryptocurrency.
The question is, will it stay decentralised and free like bitcoin? Or will we end up using banks like before? I have no answer yet.

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?

Some people will always gamble and waste their money. If, by doing this, they help crypto by making volumes or advertising projects, then why not?

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?

Investing in crypto was, and still is, like gambling for the most people, so I would not say it needs a special education.
In the end, with traditional investments you can hope to get some percent per year, with crypto you can do the same in a few days or even hours, how can that be secure enough for everyone to try? Not even for anyone with experience, I would say.

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

I've always invested my time and knowledge in crypto projects, I've been involved in many coins through the years. The most important is Cryptonite (XCN).

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

I can say I've been too confident in some projects a few times. This made me lose some money.
The reason that happened was because I was involved in the project and I thought it was good, the team was great and so on.
Unfortunately that is not enough to be successful in crypto.
This is one of the reasons it is still a very risky business.

10. What do you think about the DEFI ecosystem?

I think it's one of the logical extensions of the original bitcoin/blockchain idea and is here to stay.
But, I don't think the current profits will. It will probably go down and stay more stable.

11. Is your anonymity a vital necessity or precaution?

You never know.

12. The last cryptocurrency book you read?

I read a few books but always found out it's much more interesting to read through forums, code, stuff.
You really need to read the code to understand how it works. Code rulez as of today.

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

Bitcoin, Ethereum, Cryptonite.

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

My guess is 20k$, but it may well be much more.

15. P.S. (Optional)

When you bow deeply to the universe, it bows back; when you call out the name of God, it echoes inside you.

[The Author]

First I would like to thank the OP! of this thread for this wonderful interactive opportunity to learn and discover more about our different experiences with bitcoins and cryptocurrencies as a whole. I would love to advice others to learn and avoid the mistakes presented by our different members in the system before us

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

That should be about 2 years ago, when I google-searched on how to make money online. Cryptocurrencies popped up on my screen, there and then I began making research about the coins in order to know what I getting involved in.

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

After my little research, I decided to invest in BTCitcoin making a purchase of about $25 which didn't last long in my wallets because I sold them out as soon as the price rose.


3. How did you get on the forum?

Well, after trying to make a difference in educating people around me on cryptocurrencies. My colleague told me about this forum where I can learn and educate other members about bitcoins and crypto currencies as a whole.

4.1. What prevents mass adoption of cryptocurrencies?

The Xenophobic fear in individuals prevent them from making positive change in their lives. Cryptocurrencies has it's flaws and risks as well as various advantages to be chosen over other forms of online cash.
People just need to be brought to the light and be shown the various advantages of 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?

Looking at the present gaming system, gambling is said to be a game of chance and also one of the top means of attracting individuals. The gambling board on the forum attracts people to the forum and by doing so, more informative users are recruited. On the other hand, this may attract scammers that may lead our new members down a wrong path.


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?

Crypto currency is generally SCAM  and should be invested in after making your research and at your own risk. Although, I must say bitcoin is exempted from the above because has been in the system long enough to gain trust from traders.

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

Well with the little time I've been here, this signature campaigns provide remarkable opportunity to enable users make informative and educational post and comments getting paid on a weekly/monthly basis as a result of their hard work. This type of opportunity makes members buckle up by reducing the number of spam posts they make and  wants to be at the top of the chart (I wish to be there someday   )

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

I haven't come across my most most useful topics yet but I sure as hell want to be like this users someday  
Ratimov  
LoyceV

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

I trade short term alt coins sometimes or I can just purchase and hold either BTC or ETH for a longer time.

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

There was a time when I was too trusting of anyone I ever came across, and cause me a lot. I tried trusting Escrow services to be sincere only to get scammed. Ever since then I have tried to recover all I had lost to them. And I would advice other users to stay clear from this so called escrow services, because they can't safely assure you of your cash.

10. What do you think about the DEFI ecosystem?

I can't really say much about them only that when everyone praises a particular thing for a long time, it is doomed to fail (please correct me if I'm wrong on this).

11. Is your anonymity a vital necessity or precaution?

I don't usually enjoy pubic display so I guess anonymity works for me. Even the famous Satoshi Nakamoto continues to keep his identity hidden till date.

12. The last cryptocurrency book you read?

Don't really read books, I just learn from experience/mistakes of others.

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

Bitcoin will continually grow no matter the conditions so if you decide to hold some coins i'd advice that hold BTCTC and ETH  

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

My guess should be over $16,000

15. P.S. (Optional)

You do not need a rough beginning to be successful, you can avoid all that by learning from the mistakes and experience from those in the system before you. Quote by... The Author