[Interviews] with Bitcointalk members

[Timelord2067]

Have you tried asking suchmoon for an interview?

I'd like to see that

The last time I saw @zasad@ post about this apparently about 50% of those approached had declined to be interviewed.  Perhaps now that there's been a few respondents that number will diminish.

[1713564437]

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[1713564437]

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[LoyceV]

I bought my first whole BitCoin which I divided into 20 bight sized paper wallets as gifts to the membership of LASFAPA - each receiving BTC 0.05000471 if you find wallet addresses starting 1Lasfapa... they were Vanity Generated by me.  The 0.05 was worth about $20 at the time I bought the coins, now they're worth about $ 585 at the time of writing this.

Actually, it was only 18, not 20:

Code:

1LASFAPA3MjNebv1Dc64ZmyYZ7VYCArbeo
1LASFAPACCDurwtT1dzg1poBcuAmiQUcJK
1LASFAPAKbYjuMwetxuYEPhmhJveU4PTob
1LASFAPAdWMVvGFTzkqQtw2GQJn7gjz6na
1LASFAPAwUgKHa4czR9feKSRZ6svzvCpDM
1LasfAPA3uYZPrjA4GiQovGJzSWLMGAMEs
1LasfAPA9e6PHaUDsexMVJ1xTvcQFiizPe
1LasfAPAFAD9934qGqJbVeJiYCNCykvs5t
1LasfAPAHzaHGTzUQVJfEZMgVkDDRYSDvH
1LasfAPAY2A13RpBXSKyEeB2WnVbiWL4Rg
1LasfAPAnxuW6WR2tRfmtbZhPnv7QPX5V4
1LasfAPApic5Bzv9ii4aVyfKQRbk5iHMzU
1Lasfapa8xw8H7Yv1diSKZepSQJGmv6qG
1LasfapaHnHhvyXwrDFkkHoDfiwFzyfpfo
1LasfapaRmmZc7gvs3NZEALiYHHXtMYzXx
1LasfapaWoafQzJdfD1NSRZCqKGhtEqWoz
1LasfapacLeh9wuNAD99euYRdTwexV9Dxr
1LasfapamYnNaCRbZQmhnG7AKEzcVfRqNe

What's much more interesting interesting, is that 17 of those still haven't been sweeped:

Code:

1LasfapaWoafQzJdfD1NSRZCqKGhtEqWoz       5000471
1LASFAPAKbYjuMwetxuYEPhmhJveU4PTob      5000471
1LasfapaHnHhvyXwrDFkkHoDfiwFzyfpfo      5000471
1LASFAPAdWMVvGFTzkqQtw2GQJn7gjz6na      5000471
1LASFAPA3MjNebv1Dc64ZmyYZ7VYCArbeo      5000471
1LasfAPAHzaHGTzUQVJfEZMgVkDDRYSDvH      5000471
1LasfapacLeh9wuNAD99euYRdTwexV9Dxr      5000471
1LasfapaRmmZc7gvs3NZEALiYHHXtMYzXx      5000471
1Lasfapa8xw8H7Yv1diSKZepSQJGmv6qG       5000471
1LasfAPApic5Bzv9ii4aVyfKQRbk5iHMzU      5000471
1LASFAPACCDurwtT1dzg1poBcuAmiQUcJK      5000471
1LasfAPA3uYZPrjA4GiQovGJzSWLMGAMEs      5000471
1LasfAPAY2A13RpBXSKyEeB2WnVbiWL4Rg      5000471
1LasfAPAnxuW6WR2tRfmtbZhPnv7QPX5V4      5000471
1LASFAPAwUgKHa4czR9feKSRZ6svzvCpDM      5000471
1LasfAPAFAD9934qGqJbVeJiYCNCykvs5t      5000471
1LasfAPA9e6PHaUDsexMVJ1xTvcQFiizPe      5000471

If you're still in contact with them, they might need a reminder they own/hodl $500+ in Bitcoin.

The top 1,000 users on BPIP.org 's Most Recognised (myself included at rank 38) should be the first to be vetted by a third party KYC verifying company.

Why? I don't know any other internet forum that requires KYC. I would even argue I'm not even "YC", and there's no no way in hell I'll ever go through KYC on any forum. I'm pretty sure at least 90% of the users would disappear, and the remaining few might pay some poor guy to do it on their behalf.

[Timelord2067]

I bought my first whole BitCoin which I divided into 20 bight sized paper wallets as gifts to the membership of LASFAPA - each receiving BTC 0.05000471 if you find wallet addresses starting 1Lasfapa... they were Vanity Generated by me.  The 0.05 was worth about $20 at the time I bought the coins, now they're worth about $ 585 at the time of writing this.

Actually, it was only 18, not 20:
[code]

What's much more interesting interesting, is that 17 of those still haven't been sweeped:
[code]

Um that's odd.  My recollection was it was 20 X 0.05 .... In any event, thanks... I wasn't expecting anyone to actually go hunting for the wallet addresses, but it's nice to know what I said can be verified so easily.

If you're still in contact with them, they might need a reminder they own/hodl $500+ in Bitcoin.

The guy that swept his own wallet was going to do so for a couple of others, but most are happy to keep their paper wallet more as a novelty than anything (and yes, I give them a nudge at Christmas time each year)   IIRC my father got 0.02 in a paper wallet around this time to.

(and it's not just the BTC it's any of the forked coins that have happened since)

The top 1,000 users on BPIP.org 's Most Recognised (myself included at rank 38) should be the first to be vetted by a third party KYC verifying company.

Why? I don't know any other internet forum that requires KYC. I would even argue I'm not even "YC", and there's no no way in hell I'll ever go through KYC on any forum. I'm pretty sure at least 90% of the users would disappear, and the remaining few might pay some poor guy to do it on their behalf.

Well... if you're going to introduce KYC, then you should start with those most likely to be DT1/DT2, mods/admin/merit sources etc.  (that should probably read "if the forum were to...")


*edit*

It's interesting you have cold feet about KYC, but are tracking all bitcoin wallets...

[vapourminer]

The top 1,000 users on BPIP.org 's Most Recognised (myself included at rank 38) should be the first to be vetted by a third party KYC verifying company.

Why? I don't know any other internet forum that requires KYC. I would even argue I'm not even "YC", and there's no no way in hell I'll ever go through KYC on any forum. I'm pretty sure at least 90% of the users would disappear, and the remaining few might pay some poor guy to do it on their behalf.

im with LoyceV.. kyc HERE on a BITCOIN forum? like, what?

not only would i leave and not post, i wouldnt even READ it at that point.

sorry for off topic, might be an interesting new thread. i likely wont participate though.

[Timelord2067]

im with LoyceV.. kyc HERE on a BITCOIN forum? like, what?

not only would i leave and not post, i wouldnt even READ it at that point.

It's always good to open a dialogue and promote a balanced discussion.  I've given some suggestions with why I see as the (for want of a better term) "pros", what do you see to be the "cons" in establishing even a partial KYC for those of us who are higher up the food-chain?

You feel strongly enough to say you would leave...

Why?

[LoyceV]

It's interesting you have cold feet about KYC, but are tracking all bitcoin wallets...

Bitcoin addresses are public. All my Bitcoin-related data projects could have been created by someone else, and I'm pretty sure others are collecting data too. I just publish everything so anyone can use it.

Why?

Bitcointalk history of hacks and vandalism.

[Timelord2067]

(further proof the Forum needs to protect itself)

Why?

Bitcointalk history of hacks and vandalism.

How does the forum and the associated hacking's equate to "prove who you say you are"?

(I almost wrote in me interview about the length of time it took me to come back to the forum post the 2015 attack.  IIRC quickseller gave my UID the thumbs up as being not hacked).

[vapourminer]

Why?

bitcoin is pseudo anonymous. the forum should be based on the same principle. imo of course.

[LoyceV]

How does the forum and the associated hacking's equate to "prove who you say you are"?

It doesn't. The risk of the forum getting hacked again is one of the reasons not to give the forum my personal information.

[Timelord2067]

How does the forum and the associated hacking's equate to "prove who you say you are"?

It doesn't. The risk of the forum getting hacked again is one of the reasons not to give the forum my personal information.

OK, THAT is a valid reason.  

Perhaps if there was a more formalised structure to the Forum people could be held accountable for their actions (more accountability = more secure??) , and as I said, a third party KYC could validate users - issue a token similar to the captcha token a person can use at log in (they'd still have to physically log in).  All the Forum has to loose is the user name and password details as it is already plus token which could be cancelled if there was ever any doubt a user was who they say they are.

Another variant would be use "Twilio Authy" or google similar two factor authentication.

Does anyone really want to have a stain on their account from a hacking attack and then have to chase after those who've left advisory warnings?  We already have a thread for posting your wallet address to recover your account.

[actmyname]

Perhaps if there was a more formalised structure to the Forum people could be held accountable for their actions (more accountability = more secure??) , and as I said, a third party KYC could validate users - issue a token similar to the captcha token a person can use at log in (they'd still have to physically log in).  All the Forum has to loose is the user name and password details as it is already plus token which could be cancelled if there was ever any doubt a user was who they say they are.

This is redundant if you simply use BTC addresses in the place of usernames and sign your messages. Perhaps you've been swayed over the years because of all the altcoin crowd, but tokenization is not necessary for every single thing.

[Timelord2067]

Perhaps if there was a more formalised structure to the Forum people could be held accountable for their actions (more accountability = more secure??) , and as I said, a third party KYC could validate users - issue a token similar to the captcha token a person can use at log in (they'd still have to physically log in).  All the Forum has to loose is the user name and password details as it is already plus token which could be cancelled if there was ever any doubt a user was who they say they are.

This is redundant if you simply use BTC addresses in the place of usernames and sign your messages. Perhaps you've been swayed over the years because of all the altcoin crowd, but tokenization is not necessary for every single thing.

No, not really.

SexCoin, GoldCoin (for a little while), Bullion (formerly CGB/CXB) TagCoin and GameCoin...  (and did I mention that I've sold all my HODLings of all alt coins at the end of last year?)

Hibernation, Hibernation, OK, defunct, Hibernation.


No Tokens (as I said in my interview) not ever.


The privkeys for Wallet Addresses are portable and therefore open to abuse.

[Stedsm]

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

--snip--

Please send me the answers, I will publish it or better post the answers yourself, I will add the link in 1 post.
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5262967

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

It was back in 2010 when my brother was offered 10k BTC for just $0.1 per coin (INR 4.7 per coin totalling it to 47k INR for 10k BTC as $1 was worth Rs.47 at that time). Our dad refused to buy it as he thought this is some scam, some sort of catchy penny stock sort of thing that will die some day, and he even suggested us to stay away from this and my brother gave up. I, however, stayed calm and kept looking for more information about BTC and the technology behind it. I was amazed how quickly it was gaining a lot of attraction at that time with its price increasing (and even crashing) like crazy. I learned, and learned more till that drastic move came in BTC when it reached $1k and that was the time I decided to start trading it. That was the time I started taking interest specifically in BTC.


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

Ah, as I said before, when the value of BTC spiked above $1k for the first time in 2013, I asked my dad if I could use my salary savings and buy BTC (yes, I was a teenager back then with some savings made through my jobs I did before). He said okay, but if you lose anything in this, I won't be paying you. It was my 1 year savings that I went all in with, around $500. I didn't buy 1 whole BTC but half of it. The reason why I bought it, was to trade Auroracoin which was doing great, but my bad the team didn't complete their airdrop as expected and I lost my savings due to the trade going under immense loss. A noob trade though.


3. How did you get on the forum?

I was learning about BTC slowly, but was getting mad with some improper information and half knowledge, and I was a social beast when Yahoo messenger took place, so met a lot of people online. Due to this feature and the fact that together we succeed, i tried finding a social place where I can get all the answers to my questions, even the most stupid questions. So, in late 2013 when BTC caught my eye again, Bitcointalk came into my eyes as well and I joined it.


4.1. What prevents mass adoption of cryptocurrencies?

My view on this is very different than others, but it's true.
FUD (Fear, uncertainty and doubts) is the main reason behind the mass adoption of cryptocurrencies or anything that has fear attached to it. FUD of losing and FOMO are two things that stop a normal person (in other words, layman) to believe in the future of crypto.


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?

Well, good for a gambler, bad for gambling addicts.
Actually, these projects are the backbone of forum because you can't deny the fact that there's a gambler in each of us and we love to earn BTC through these projects, play with them on their websites and whether win or lose, we enjoy gambling unlike others who lose what they can't afford to lose. They are the ones who would feel harmed with this type of advertising.


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?

Experience is the best friend of an investor that helps him/her understand how to go with the trend, follow it and make some winning trades/investments. IMHO, no special education can beat experience of a person.


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

Merit system is something needed from the very beginning of the forum, many users would have never reached Legendary rank (including me to be very honest ). Seriously, it's just like a token of appreciation, a "like" that gives a motivation to us to work more for the community and contribute in a much better way as expectations are bound around us when we start making mature comments. Signature campaigns are the life of this forum TBVH, those who don't like signatures also have the option to stop seeing them by disabling it through the look and layout preferences of the forum. It's a perk for everyone who actually uses their skills and help the community in any way needed, and by the way, I loved a comment from someone who said that the forum would be boring if there were no colors, signatures are those extra colors which make the environment look festive on the forum.


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

Many, seriously many forum topics are extremely helpful and I won't be categorizing anybody due to the fact that everyone is best in some genre, so hats off to every user of this forum (except scammers and spammers). I personally like SteamTyme, LoyceV, the whole Chipmixer team (hehe), DireWolfM14, and most importantly, DarkStar, these users are my personal favorite, but that doesn't mean I don't follow others. I've seen many members who truly dedicate themselves and do whatever it takes to get into the depth and help others and contribute at their very best.


7. 3 things you would implement on the forum?

Quick moderation - I'm a bit unsatisfied with the moderation and that's because there are least number of moderators against total active users.

Implementation of bots - If they can't hire moderators, I believe some bots should be implemented that, once a post gets reported, these bots should have the ability to determine spam based on some mentioned keywords by a few known spambusters.

Extra security - Add 2FA to the forum's sign in page so to let us increase our account's security a bit more.


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

I trade on exchanges because I highly fear of the fact that if the tokens are either dumped or just not given by the team on time or any time ever and team runs away (scams), I'd lose everything.


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

My biggest profit was in 2018 when all the alts and BTC were doing great, touching sky-high ATHs and we had some Pundi X. But my brother's greed stopped us from selling it on time and the market crashed. He sold it for half the profits we were in, still went ahead and bought MFT and lost everything. That was the biggest loss followed by a biggest profit.


10. What do you think about the DEFI ecosystem?

A story that might end soon if the pump-and-dump scene isn't teared apart from it. Otherwise, it's definitely something I'm loving to learn a lot about.


11. Is your anonymity a vital necessity or precaution?

It can't be a precaution for me, but a vital necessity because I love my privacy too much that even a few of my friends don't know what's my username on Bitcointalk.


12. The last cryptocurrency book you read?

TBH, in all these years, I didn't read any book based on cryptocurrencies because this forum had been enough for all the information needed. What I've read till date - Satoshi's white paper.


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

BZRX, ZRX, BTC.


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

Prediction hmm... I guess I can't really predict this so accurately but to what I see, BTC seems to remain under $14k at the end of 2020. Now, don't ask me why.  


15. P.S. (Optional)

Let us spread love everywhere, we all need it a lot during this pandemic situation.
I know even I use some shitty slangs somewhere in my comments, but that's due to the fact that we're humans and we can become angry on some topics. I'll try to be calm from now onwards. And thanks a ton zasada for the opportunity to present myself in front of the forum.

[cryptoaddictchie]

Thanks for the opportunity @zasad!

1. When and why did you become interested in cryptocurrencies?
I become interested in crypto when I discovered that we can earn money from it by doing some faucets and some other ways such as app giving off cryptocurrency as reward and many more. Of course I didnt know much about it but the idea of earning crypto and exchange it for real fiat was totally gave me a huge interest to learn more about it. Since then, I joined a lot of free airdrop and bounty giveaway and earned some cryptocurrency which feels good.

2. When and why did you buy your first bitcoin?
Totally cant remember about this but since I was earning cryptocurrency from airdrops and bounty before. I have managed to buy some bitcoins and used it for trading purposes.

3. How did you get on the forum?
Through those cryptocurrency giveaway such as airdrop. Yeah my friend told me to register on forum and like he suggested I did. Then thats it. Joined some bounty, airdrop and etc. That was the beginning of my forum life. But I made a wrong start as Ive only see the forum before as some sort of job to earn crypto. I realized that recently when I decided to learn more and study rules and differemt stuff about forum.

4.1. What prevents mass adoption of cryptocurrencies?
Fear, lack of knowledge and uncertainty. Why? Cause there are still dozen of people that afraid to embrace the innovation of blockchain and cryptocurrency. Government play the role as mediator for the crypto community and the outside world but they set a boundary by means of strict regulation and sometime fud that cryptocurrency is such as bullshit invention. Anyways, will eventually reach the point of greater 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?
Im not a regular gambler, but I do enjoyed some of the gambling site I played before such as roobet and fortunejack. I dont see any harm on the forum, as these gambling sites offered an actual application of cryptocurrency to the users who also love gambling. Negative side? Of course its gambling and it can swipe your crypto instantly. The benefit I am thinking is you can enjoy playing while using your crypto in such fashionable way.

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?
Basic knowledge is important especially when you are jumping to crypto investment. 2-3years of experience can make a person matured when it comes to investing. Losing is a very good teacher, like for me, I never repeat some of my obvious mistake when dealing with investment in crypto. Fomo, panic selling these are parameters you need to use well cause if not the market will drained your asset. I didnt received any special education to learn investing, but I do learned on my own how to prepare myself on investing.

5. What do you think of the current Merit system and signature campaigns?  Do they harm the forum?
This topic is very common nowadays. But I will give my opinion about this. Actually, I hated the merit system before, cause I never got the chance to rank on full member when I only need is another week of activity. Talking about bad luck, then merit system happened. I was stucked I guess for 2years being a member rank. But later on I realized that what Im doing is not improving my stay on forum since I only used my account for earning crypto through bounty. So I learned and start from scratch, and some people recognized my effort to change that bounty life of mine and now Im a Hero rank and Im proud that I achieved this through forum contributions. Merit system is a good addition to the forum and I can see it how effectively improve the number of quality posters. Talking about signature, I cant say if its really does harm the forum but what does harm the forum is the scam projects that launches signature campaign.

6. The most useful forum topic? Most helpful users?
I think this one Unofficial list of (official) Bitcointalk.org rules, guidelines, FAQ once you read this, you can avoid so much you shouldnt do in forum.

Most helpful users? I guess too many to mentioned but I drop some of my favorite users whom always I saw actively helping some newbies especially on Beginners and Help section and some on technical discussion board.. LoyceV, filippone, tranthidung, Royse777 coolcryptovator, Vod, pooyah, and HCP, mocaccino, DmdrDmdr and many more.

7. 3 things you would implement on the forum?
- Integration of additional rank above legendary.
- Additional coin accepted aside from bitcoin and grin for copper membership payment.
- Cant think of the third one.

8. Do you trade on exchanges or invest in projects?
I do both. Trading and investing are my cup of tea.

9. Tell a story about your big profit or big loss?
Loses almost 4k USD on future trading but thats life (able to recover some though). Sometime it rewards your confidence and risk. Regarding profit well thats a secret.

10. What do you think about the DEFI ecosystem?
New, tempting, and cunning. Most of users have mixed opinion about this. But for me its not that bad. Defi ecosystem added a good figure on marketcap, but I cant deny that it becomes a hype that some scammers using now.

11. Is your anonymity a vital necessity or precaution?
For me yes. Its totally important especially in cryptocurrency. Only did few KYC on exchange, like Binance and some app I need for my withdrawals on our country.

12. The last cryptocurrency book you read?
Not fond of reading cryptocurrency books. But I like to read crypto news on the internet.

13. Advise 3 cryptocurrencies/tokens for investment in the next 1-2 years?
Polkadot - New ecosystem aside from ethereum network that could be a perfect rival to it.
Avalanche - Like the innovation of them.
Bitcoin- All time king

14. How much will Bitcoin cost at the end of 2020?
Based on its current price point. I think it can go at least 16k$

15. P.S. (Optional)
Always save some space for knowledge and grab it when opportunity comes.

Thanks again @zasad Ive enjoyed this interview.

[sheenshane]

Hello @zazad! I'm glad that I'm a part of this interview.
Thank you and here's my story.

My answer base on my experience.
1. When and why did you become interested in cryptocurrencies?
Remembering back then that was in the year 2017 when I was studying in college while working as a crew of a fast-food chain (Jollibee). (Bitcoin at that time was in a bullish trend and very well known in my country), and I was looking for an extra source of income and a good opportunity on the internet to find something where can I earn extra money, until one day, my manager told me and introduced me to this forum(thanks to him). He briefly explained to me how to become a bounty hunter and then he wants me to learn how blockchain technology works and the usage of Bitcoin as well.
To cut my long story short, this was caught my interest in exploring my self on the forum and in crypto, until I've joined airdrop and collecting faucet to sustain my studying because I'm only the one who supported my self until I finished my study in college. Until now I'm still here even though I've my own work because this forum and cryptocurrencies have totally changed my life especially when it comes to financial problems.

2. When and why did you buy your first bitcoin?
That was in the last quarter of the year 2018 when Bitcoin was dumped too much. I'm planning to hold for a longer time but that wasn't even happening.

3. How did you get on the forum?
The same story on number 1.

4.1. What prevents mass adoption of cryptocurrencies?

• Unregulated
• Fear to be scam
• Because of scam incidents that recently happened

These are probably the major reason why a slow down in the mass adoption of cryptocurrencies. People afraid to be scam and others are lack technical knowledge when it comes to crypto stuff.

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?
If there are more gambling projects who advertised here in the forum it means that it has a good effect on crypto adoption, more gambling users it means more crypto holders. I don't think there is the harm to the development of the forum if everyone worried about the addiction that causes by gambling we have a Gambling discussion that everyone will surely educate and give an idea the possible consequences on gambling effect.

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?
Personally, this is the length of year in my experience here in the forum. IMO, probably it gives maturity but it doesn't mean it will give a guarantee of no loss upon your investments. As a new investor of crypto, they should have special education to learn even basic information on how to crypto works on how to study the volatility of crypto.

5. What do you think of the current Merit system and signature campaigns?  Do they harm the forum?
Since the merit system has been applied, spam and farming accounts were totally wiped out. It seems like filtering the forum and toxic members won't survive if they don't put some effort into making a post. Though there are some allegations of merit abuse/buying, basically they won't survive due to the fact that their merit won't generate.
Regarding the signature campaign, as we noticed that some of the managers now asking number of merits as a part of requirements in applying signature campaign. I think merit system and the signature campaign will probably give courage to the users to have truly effort in making a post, good poster is a highly chance of being accepted if there is a signature campaign. They are no harm in the forum, besides they give a good result to our beloved forum.

6. The most useful forum topic? Most helpful users?
[GUIDES] on Bitcointalk. Index thread (until there is a dedicated subforum?) created by @LoyceV. I also bookmarked this for reference and now it's easy for me to find this topic.
Yeah, there are a lot of useful users in the forum but for me, I think the most is @LoyceV among others, followed by DmdrDmdr, Vod, and others(many to mention, most of them are good in technical discussions).

7. 3 things you would implement on the forum?
This forum is almost perfect and I don't think if there is something to implement. But there is one that I'm thinking if it is possible to change.

MOD(s) or admin(s) are capable to remove the negative feedback from banned users especially of this is a troll or giving negative feedback for no reason.

8. Do you trade on exchanges or invest in projects?
Nope, I usually want to earn Bitcoin. I don't want to risk my money, sometimes I gamble but only small amount that I can afford.

9. Tell a story about your big profit or big loss?
I can't remember my big profit but in a big loss, I freshly remember.
Last year, I was a fan to gamble until such day I decided to have deposit a big amount that comes from my earning on the signature campaign. I won't name the site, I lost around $300 on that day by simple accidentally pressed the max bet button, and boom! it's a loss, my entire balance was wiped out.

10. What do you think about the DEFI ecosystem?
I don't have much idea on this, but it seems another hype projects that someday it will be faded like what happened to the ICO's projects.
But I'm following of this thread that made by @Ratimov, [BIG LIST] DeFi Projects & Tokens

11. Is your anonymity a vital necessity or precaution?
Yes, every one of us are concerned about our privacy. So, anonymity a vital necessity to us and protection as well to our selves.

12. The last cryptocurrency book you read?
I haven't. But I want to read Andreas M. Antonopoulos's Bitcoin book. But it's too expensive for me.

13. Advise 3 cryptocurrencies/tokens for investment in the next 1-2 years?
When it comes to investments token, I don't want to give advise, I want to do their own research upon picking the right and have potential one. I usually do advise on the Bitcoin investment not on the token.

14. How much will Bitcoin cost at the end of 2020?
I'm very optimistic when it comes to the prediction of Bitcoin price, it might be $20k on last quarter of this year. TA? just my assumption.

15. P.S. (Optional)
Let's always encourage newbies by giving good advice, correction is needed but not the way you insulted and be arrogant. High-rank members should guide newbies and give knowledge to them.

Sorry for my English.
Thank you @zazad.
-sheenshane (at your service)

[fillippone]

12. The last cryptocurrency book you read?
I haven't. But I want to read Andreas M. Antonopoulos's Bitcoin book. But it's too expensive for me.

Maybe you don’t know that Mastering Bitcoin is publicly available on Github:

https://github.com/bitcoinbook/bitcoinbook

Actually, this is the most updated version!

[AB de Royse777]

1. When and why did you become interested in cryptocurrencies?
- In the late 2013. I heard about it two or one year ago than that time but never really understood it or honestly speaking never got interested to spend time on it. One day a client of mine was saying that he accepts bitcoin in his website that clicked something in mind. A payment method? I then wanted to see how it works and then started to realize that it's not a payment method but a revolutionary currency system. I still did not realize that it is going to be this big right now it is.

2. When and why did you buy your first bitcoin?
- Early 2014 I guess. Can't remember the month but I remember that, that client of mine helped me to buy some coins. My intent was not to hold them but to sell them when I will get better price.

3. How did you get on the forum?
- I heard that one can have free bitcoin and will find like-minded people in this place. So I decided to check in. It was not much entertaining, so I was not much active. Yes, I spammed here and there but it was not much interesting, so I was focusing on things that I have in my real world.

4.1. What prevents mass adoption of cryptocurrencies?
- Maybe the culture we have here of holding. Imagine all of us are holding our coins, the circulation will be less hence fewer people will have it. If we are able to build up a culture of using Bitcoin (bitcoin is cryptocurrency for me) in our day-to-day life then we will see more people are involving in it. People will see the use case of bitcoin very easily. Imagine you are buying your appliance, clothes, shoes using bitcoin from the malls. Imagine big brands are accepting bitcoin. Understanding cryptocurrency will be much easier then.


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?
- Why would advertising a gambling website will harm the community? In fact, I believe all those companies who are advertising in this community by paying for their signature campaign is indirectly helping bitcoin. Those users are getting paid in bitcoin, they are spreading the word that they get paid in bitcoin (a side income for sure), other who are around them hear about it now and then and sometimes  they will fall far it too. Maybe not joining a signature campaign but in their own way, they can fancy a job which will pay in bitcoin or they will find a way for them to get paid by bitcoin. It's helping us to adopt with bitcoin.

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?
- Interest! Interest drives people. If you have interest in gold then you will invest in gold, if you have interest in real estate then you will invest in real estate. How many around you invest in gold or real estate even they can afford it, and they have good cash flow? Not many. So being with an industry for certain number of years is not the reason of investing in anything, it's the interest of investing in certain industry.

5. What do you think of the current Merit system and signature campaigns?  Do they harm the forum?
- I think the answer about signature campaign is already answered when I wrote about advertising gambling site in the forum. About merit system, I think after long time it was a very good addition to the community. It's certainly disappointed the spammers and encouraged good users who are really interested in the community and bitcoin, to take it over from the spammers. Not 100% but it's better than before. There are still some spammers though but it's okay.

6. The most useful forum topic? Most helpful users?
- Very hard question. This forum is filled with information. I think more or less all the topics are useful and interesting. Time is a key. Think about a newspaper. It's very important on the day it published but in the next day, it's old and the new one takes it over. Every day when people are making posts, you will find some information that is useful for you. So, I will not talk about any specific topic.

Helpful users - more of less everyone who are giving their best thought for this community are helping the community. A user might be a spammer today but in the future he could be the most valuable user in the forum.

7. 3 things you would implement on the forum?
- I have no idea. I am happy the way we are. It's the job for theymos. My job is to help the next guy who has a question about bitcoin.

8. Do you trade on exchanges or invest in projects?
- Not much. I think I believe in holding than trading. But yes, I have some shitcoin which I am holding for long time and the only reason is that I will sell them when they will have better price in bitcoin. The goal is to accumulate my bitcoin holding :-P

Investing in crypto projects - Not much. I tried with ICO boom but ended up with loss. Bitcoin is the only investment I am successful so far.

9. Tell a story about your big profit or big loss?
- I bought ETH when the price was over 0.090+ BTC and then I held them watching them going down and down, I think to 0.026BTC. I kept holding them and then price started to recover and reached 0.088+BTC I guess, I sold those ETH. The big loss was - the stress I took for the long one and half years I guess or more.

10. What do you think about the DEFI ecosystem?
- Maybe another form of ICO boom. I clearly see that a lot of people are going to lose their hard-earned money.

11. Is your anonymity a vital necessity or precaution?
- It is a necessity for me. Besides, I like to keep myself under the radar.

12. The last cryptocurrency book you read?
- Unfortunately I do not read books much. I like audio and video programs. I read online journals and articles.

13. Advise 3 cryptocurrencies/tokens for investment in the next 1-2 years?
- Bitcoin please.
If you are to accumulate bitcoin then buy ETH and NEO I guess.
ETH when it's under 0.030BTC and NEO under 0.0015BTC
Look I am not a financial advisor so please do not really go and buy into them unless you do your own research.

14. How much will Bitcoin cost at the end of 2020?
- 1 Bitcoin = 1 Bitcoin
Let's not compare with any thin air printed fiat please backed by a centralized authority who can do anything to stay in the power.

15. P.S. (Optional)
- Thanks zasad@ asking for this interview. Sorry for the delay. There were some others things on my to do list before I was able to respond you and the viewers of this topic.

Cheers,

[Daltonik]

I apologize in advance if my answers are incomplete:
1. When and why did you become interested in cryptocurrencies?
   It was probably 2012 or 2013 when the son of a friend of mine asked me: "Have I heard anything about bitcoin, and what is my opinion about this phenomenon".
   Then I did not find anything to answer him and promised to learn more about bitcoin.

2. When and why did you buy your first bitcoin?
   There is such a site mmgp on the forum, which has a section about pseudo-investments in which various Hyip projects are discussed, in fact, the first purchase of bitcoin was made to invest in one of these projects, of course it turned out
   to be a scam

3. How did you get on the forum?  
   I found out about the forum quite by accident and probably naturally being interested in some project on the web.

4.1 What prevents mass adoption of cryptocurrencies?  
    I think the main resistance to the mass introduction of cryptocurrencies is hindered by the institutional regulatory authorities of states designed to protect national fiat means of payment.
    Among other things under the guise of combating money laundering the authoritarian regimes of some countries are actually fighting 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?
    All over the world, about 3% of the population is prone to gambling and this is no less than about 150 million adults on earth and they will continue to play anyway, Yes, this is a social problem, but this is not the fault of  the crypto
    industry. For the forum, I think that discussing games is more beneficial than harm, it attracts interested users.

4.3 How do you consider whether 2-3 years of experience in cryptocurrency is enough to successfully invest or does an investor need to receive special education?
    I think everything is very individual here. basically, people do not need deep knowledge about cryptocurrency, they just need a general understanding of the mechanisms inherent in the circulation of cryptocurrencies, since most
    investments in cryptocurrency are short-term speculative, but for long-term investment, you need a really deep study of projects and here, of course, you need special professional knowledge, as I think.

5.  What do you think of the current Merit system and signature campaigns?  Do they harm the forum?
    The merit system that exists now on the one hand certainly scares new users, but on the other hand it really attracts crypto enthusiasts and is not a problem for them, as it pushes them to create decent content. this can also be
    attributed to subscription campaigns that take place within the forum. The previously existing ranking system was of course easier, but for example, it did not motivate me and for a long time after registering on the forum, i continued to
    remain mainly a reader, so I think the existing system is not a problem for active users.

6. The most useful forum topic? Most helpful users?
   -These are actually very difficult questions, at different times you may be interested in completely unrelated topics, so the best topic is yourself Bitcoin Forum  
   -The same can be said about the usefulness of a particular user I think all forum moderators and active members of the community deserve every respect. Of course many thanks to the forum creator satoshi

7. 3 things you would implement on the forum?
   -I would like to see the bitcointalk blockchain
   -You could also consider creating a bitcointalk app for mobile phones
   -It is possible to specify the age of the profile on the forum below the number of posts

8. Do you trade on exchanges or invest in projects?
   It is not so active now, after my bitcoins turned to dust due to lack of access to the network during the illness.

9. Tell a story about your big profit or big loss?
   I already told you about the loss above when my almost bitcoins turned into dust, and the most successful year was probably 2017 when in December the exchange rate of a coin like BURST suddenly increased.

10. What do you think about the DEFI ecosystem?
   It is difficult to say while all this is at the stage of hype where more and more companies and users are involved, the ecosystem is only becoming more established in the process of its functioning, all its advantages will    become more
   clear and I hope the risks of investing in such projects will be revealed and minimized, but one way or another it seems that the future is for decentralized finance.

11. Is your anonymity a vital necessity or precaution?
    We all strive for this, but the situation is that complete anonymity is becoming more and more just a utopia and with the development of technology, the situation will only get worse.

12. The last cryptocurrency book you read?
    I think that such a book probably was"How to DeFi"

13. Advise 3 cryptocurrencies/tokens for investment in the next 1-2 years?
    Well, first of all, it is of course BTC and ETH, and possibly Ripio Credit Network (RCN)

14. How much will Bitcoin cost at the end of 2020?
    I think it's about 17,000$

15. P.S. (Optional)
     Thank you @zasad for the survey I had to strain my memory and remember the negative and especially pleasant happy moments associated with cryptocurrency in one way or another.

[zasad@]

Feel free to write your questions and suggestions, for all the interviews I will add links in this post.

When will the interview be with suchmoon? Let him dispel rumors that he is a Chinese communist

It's better to ask suchmoon

[qwertyup23]

Questions:

1. When and why did you become interested in cryptocurrencies?
It was on the month of June 2017 when I first heard about cryptocurrencies from one of my closest friend. During class and thesis discussion, we talked about our dream of owning automatic watches and he introduced to me this website. He told me that he was participating into campaign signatures and he was earning money weekly by contributing knowledge to the forum. After he introduced me to this website, I joined this forum knowing NOTHING but only earning money in my mind. I did not know what cryptocurrencies are and about the technology behind it. I quickly messaged various campaign signatures if I could participate as a newbie without even knowing anything about cryptocurrencies!

After a couple of weeks, I felt that I had this obligation to know and explore the wonders of cryptocurrencies as I read that the blockchain technology revolutionized on how payment works using cryptocurrencies. Until this day, I am still at the learning process and I strive each day to learn more about cryptocurrencies so I can share my knowledge to aspiring investors or members in this forum.


2. When and why did you buy your first bitcoin?
The truth is, I never actually bought any bitcoin using my money but I mostly earned them from the campaign signatures I participated way back in 2017. Unfortunately, living with a family of 5 with a single dad was a difficult time for me. Most of my earnings were converted into books that I have been using until now so I can at least help my dad in mitigating his expenses. Instead of using the money he receives from his job to buy my materials, he can allocate it to my younger brothers and for our daily needs. In a way, I indirectly help my dad while I also support myself into buying all the required study materials.


3. How did you get on the forum?
In line with my answer in number 1, it was at the year of 2017 that my closest friend introduced me this website. For the complete story, please refer to my #1 answer.

4.1. What prevents mass adoption of cryptocurrencies?
In my opinion, regulation and volatility of its price prevent mass adoption of cryptocurrencies. Government regulations/prohibitions tend to hamper the growth of cryptocurrency adaption. I mean, I understand their perspective that they would not want to adopt a decentralized form of currency which is free from control but strict prohibitions tend to destroy this potential. Furthermore, its volatility is what makes most investors fear for their investments. Unlike other investment tools present in the market, cryptocurrencies are with the highest risk of either losing/yielding income in a short amount of time. With these on mind, most investors are either skeptical or scared from investing into such.


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?
The mass advertising of gambling projects have both a positive and negative effect in the development of the forum and into the community. Advertising gambling projects tend to be advantageous as it provides exposure and a form of entertainment to users who seek gambling. Unfortunately, most gambling sites nowadays have been taking advantage of the hype of cryptocurrencies as they tend to scam people into losing their money. In addition, this also puts cryptocurrencies in a negative perspective among the public which contributes to its stigma being a 'scam' coin or scheme.


4.3. How do you consider whether 2-3 years of experience in cryptocurrency is enough to successfully invest or does an investor need to receive special education?
In my opinion, 2-3 years worth of experience in cryptocurrency investing is enough for them to know the fundamentals, the DOs and DONTs of investing, and the pitfalls they should avoid. Special education in investing is always welcome as new knowledge would definitely support their growth and contribute to their investing methods.

4.4. You have spent a lot of time looking for cheaters on the forum. Is this a hobby or professional interest?
This is a good question. As a post-graduate student who is studying law, I spend my time looking for plagiarized whitepapers, fake teams, and ponzi schemes as a professional interest with the mindset of contributing to this forum in making this a better place. Whenever I spot these fake projects, it gives me this feeling of happiness that I at least helped these future investors in investing their money in the wrong project. I'll talk about this more when we get to #9.

5. What do you think of the current Merit system and signature campaigns?  Do they harm the forum?
Ever since the implementation of the Merit system, it has been the talk of the town until now. Many people have been constantly debating on whether this actually helps the forum or not. To be honest, the Merit system is a blessing to this forum in segregating some spammers. Most people who have been complaining about the merit system are the ones who have the mindset of 'profit' in their head. They argue that this would prejudice them into joining campaign signatures as it would require them Merits to rank up. Again, this is very contradicting to the purpose of this forum. This forum was created in order to be a place where we can know about cryptocurrencies and latest news about its implementation. This forum should be the place where we learn and help one another about the history, application, and tips into earning cryptocurrencies. If you join this forum with the purpose of solely earning money, this would potentially create spammers and plagiarized contents as they will only adhere to the rules of the campaign (which is to post 20-25 post/weekly).


6. The most useful forum topic? Most helpful users?
I would consider that the Beginners and Help section would be one of the most useful forum topic. When I joined this forum, I learned most of the knowledge there on cryptocurrencies under that board. In addition, that board continuously evolves as more users have been contributing into guiding newbies about the fundamentals of cryptocurrencies.

7. 3 things you would implement on the forum?
Maybe a chat box would make this forum more engaging but this has to be limited to certain ranks and has to be monitored strictly in order to prevent spams and other related stuff.
Another implementation that I think would benefit the forum would be adding a flag option on a thread created by an exposed scammer on the forum. This would require some prerequisites in order to be done but I think this would add an additional layer of protection for future investors if they see a thread with a flag marked on it.

8. Do you trade on exchanges or invest in projects?
Unfortunately, I do not but I hope to invest in projects if I can earn more capital in the future.

9. Tell a story about your big profit or big loss?
In connection with my #2 answer, I mentioned that our family had limited means of income so money is a valuable resource for us. Last 2018, I was invited to attend a conference in my country since the project team behind USI-TECH were there. I was skeptical at first but I learned a lot from the conference that they held. There were lots of investors and I got to learn about the project more. After the project, I had like $150 worth of bitcoins in my local wallet and I thought of investing everything on the project since it promised a 100-150% return after 6 months. Being very naive and easily influenced, I impulsively invested my bitcoins. After 4-5 months, their website crashed and my bitcoins were gone! Until this day, I still remember the pain it caused me since I could have bought some books or food for my brothers. That is why, this is the MAIN reason on why I spend most of my free time browsing on the forum to check for fake projects in the ANN section. I do not want anyone to experience what I have experienced and I want to prevent future investors from losing money. Of course, the value that I invested may be relatively low compared to others but the impact it caused me fuelled my rage against these scammers.

10. What do you think about the DEFI ecosystem?
To be honest, I am not that experienced or well-articulated in the DEFI ecosystem so I will not comment on this one but I would love to know more about this ecosystem!

11. Is your anonymity a vital necessity or precaution?
I think it is both a necessity and a precaution. In the world of the internet, no information is safe as it is exposed to millions of users worldwide. Regardless on how tight your security might be, there will always be that possibility that hackers might find a loophole and eventually hack into your personal information.

12. The last cryptocurrency book you read?
I have not read any cryptocurrency book since I found out most of the things here in the forum. If you guys have any suggestions, you can message me and I will attempt to read it!

13. Advise 3 cryptocurrencies/tokens for investment in the next 1-2 years?
Since I only more about bitcoin, invest into bitcoin! lolol

14. How much will Bitcoin cost at the end of 2020?
We are approaching the 4th quarter of this year and its price has been at $10,000-$10,500 on the past weeks. Maybe by the end of this year, the price would reach around $13-15,000.

15. P.S.
Like what I mentioned on the scam accusation board, I encourage all forum members to be careful before investing into projects in the altcoin section. There are literally hundreds of projects that appears to be genuine but are rotten to the core! Always research before investing guys!

I would also like to thank @zasad for giving me the privilege and the opportunity to share my experience with the forum for 3 years now. Good luck to everyone!