n Bitcoin SV successfully increased its block size limit today, amid confusion regarding scheduled fork timen
CryptScout #BitFeed RSS – Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency News 24/7
Four Banks Successfully Test New Blockchain Platform for Processing Promissory Note Loans
n A group of four banks have successfully issued a promissory note, a type of legally binding loan agreement, through a new blockchain platformn
CryptScout #BitFeed RSS – Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency News 24/7
Bibox Orbit Successfully Registers Strong BIX Community Participation, Lists New Trading Pairs
Bibox Orbit, the one of a kind subscription program for some of the best blockchain projects has concluded its first phase at 20:00 (GMT +8) on 22 April 2019. The launch day of this Bibox digital asset platform’s initiative garnered a lot of positive response from the BIX token holder community, who subscribed to three prominent blockchain projects.
The Bibox Orbit program listed three shortlisted projects, opening them for subscription to the BIX community. The program launch witnessed participation by over 56,000 people who picked one or more projects from the list that included The Force Protocol, Ludos and X-Block.
In order to participate in the Bibox Orbit launch, KYC verified BIX token holders were required to transfer the BIX tokens (the only accepted mode of payment at the moment) to the Bibox Orbit event page. Once the event went live at 10:00 (GMT +8) on April 22, they could pick one or more projects of their choice from the shortlist and pledge their BIX tokens. The platform had set a maximum cap of 00 worth BIX for all participants, allowing them to pledge to any project such that the total amount doesn’t exceed the subscription limit.
The eligible participants to receive the tokens from the projects they backed was chosen through a lottery process. The lucky draw was held at 20:00 (GMT +8) the same day following the conclusion of subscription round. With an average probability of lucky draw of the three projects at 11%, the official results have since then been released.
According to the official report, the ending digits of lucky draw numbers are as follows.
The Force Protocol (FOR)
Ending Digits of Lucky Draw Numbers
2-digit numbers 25, 27, 42, 58, 59, 90
3-digit numbers 105, 136, 379, 387, 441, 591, 862
4-digit numbers 3502, 4073, 5644
Ludos (LUD)
Ending Digits of Lucky Draw Numbers
2-digit numbers 26, 31, 70
3-digit numbers 119, 177, 183, 257, 286, 327, 337, 360, 536, 550, 654, 656, 679, 748, 768, 863, 876, 884, 889, 905, 932, 943, 951
4-digit numbers 1034
X-Block (IX)
Ending Digits of Lucky Draw Numbers
2-digit numbers 16, 19, 24, 27, 30, 32, 35, 38, 39, 44, 56, 58, 62, 64, 72, 75, 88, 96, 97
3-digit numbers 109, 133, 140, 340, 547, 576, 689, 841, 931, 952
4-digit numbers 5477
The BIX tokens used to subscribe to lots other than the winning digits will be returned to their respective owners in the next 24 hours.
The random drawing format was implemented by the platform in the interest of the community as it can avoid auto crypto trading bots. In this format, as long as one participates, they get a chance to own their fair token share.
About the Projects
The Force Protocol: A Singapore-based open source blockchain platform, the Force Protocol offers cryptofinance solutions for the benefit of global asset lending market. Developers using the Force Protocol can implement smart contracts, shared trading book, automatic brokers among others to solve the real-world problems revolving around the traditional lending market.
Ludos is another Singapore-based gaming public chain platform with multi-sidechain and cross-chain technology that allows gamers to manage and trade their gaming assets. Ludos helps developers and game studios to crowdfund development, allowing them to issue game assets and benefit from the operation toolbox offered by the platform.
X-Block, the global decentralized fog supercomputing network based on blockchain 4.0 addresses the increasing need for processing power. Unlike conventional cloud computing solutions, X-Block fog computing enables access enterprises to access more service resources at a fraction of cost. The platform’s IX tokens use win-win cooperation between the computing resource receiver and resource provider to finally achieve a virtuous cycle of the whole blockchain ecology.
Bibox is committed to encourage the development of blockchain ecosystem and Bibox Orbit is a part of the company’s initiative to do just that. Bibox Orbit will continue to support more IEOs in the near future in a phased manner. The projects will be selected after scrutinizing their applications against various parameters to decide their viability and the ability to offer real world solutions to various challenges faced by multiple industries.
Latest Developments
Bibox has further extended support for the projects that are being listed on the Bibox Orbit program. As the next step, the digital asset exchange platform has opened FOR/BIX and FOR/USDT trading pairs starting 14:00 and 16:00 (GMT +8) on April 23 respectively. Similarly, the LUD/BIX trading pair will go live the same day at 20:00 (GMT +8).
Within one minute of opening on Bibox, the FOR/BIX trading pair registered an 800% pump in the value of FOR tokens, compared to the initial subscription price.
More information about Bibox is available on the website – https://www.bibox.com
The post Bibox Orbit Successfully Registers Strong BIX Community Participation, Lists New Trading Pairs appeared first on NewsBTC.
German Central Bank and Deutsche Boerse Successfully Complete Blockchain Settlement Trial
n The German Central Bank and securities marketplace organizer Deutsche Boerse consider their blockchain settlement experiment a successn
CryptScout #BitFeed RSS – Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency News 24/7
Food Shipment Successfully Moved on Bitcoin Blockchain With Smart Contracts
Following in the footsteps of other global leaders in industries such as precious metals and food wholesale, trendsetters in the shipping and freight industry are now using the smart contract-enabled Bitcoin blockchain to securely and transparently conduct business and collaborate more efficiently with partners along the entire supply line.
dexFreight Trials Smart Contract Platform on Bitcoin Blockchain
Today, October 25, the decentralized logistics platform dexFreight announced the completion its first blockchain-based shipment using smart contracts, which saw a 5,320-lb frozen food shipment travel from Preferred Freezer Services in Medley, FL to Manny’s Enterprises, Inc, in Sunrise, FL. This move by dexFreight is a far cry from the first food purchase made on the Bitcoin blockchain on May 22, 2011, the now infamous Bitcoin Pizza day which marks the first time the coin was used to order food: two delivery pizzas.
“This is a huge milestone towards an imminent transformation of the logistics industry through the adoption of blockchain technology,” wrote Rajat Rajbhandari CEO and co-founder of dexFreight on the company’s blog. “Our platform aims for a truly decentralized model, open to all the stakeholders, and allowing for a new world of services that will bring much needed optimization and liquidity to this industry.”
dexFreight’s platform, which envisions an ecosystem of open source protocols, blockchain, and machine learning technologies, allows the shipper and carrier to directly connect, negotiate rates, and schedule pickup and delivery. The company claims their new operating system will deliver unprecedented transparency, accountability, as well as a layer of trust that is currently lacking in the world of logistics.
It features an industry-first blockchain-based verified identity and objective reputation system derived from smart contract data. This will permit the company to gather and analyze key performance indicators such as on-time pick-up and delivery, on-time payments, loading and unloading times, and freight claims.
As this trove of data grows, it will increasingly help shippers and third parties streamline the carrier onboarding process while reducing associated liability risk, according to dexFreight and its partner RSK, the first smart contract platform secured by and operated on the Bitcoin blockchain:
“With the use of smart contracts, companies like dexFreight can transfer value and assets between parties on our platform,” wrote RSK CEO Diego Gutierrez. “With a defined set of rules, in this case for logistics, all participants know that their business needs will be fulfilled without anyone altering their agreement or changing the rules.”
De Beers and Walmart Also Using Blockchain to Foster Efficiency and Trust
In May, one of the world’s largest diamond boutiques De Beers announced the successful completion of a blockchain pilot for tracking diamonds along the entire value chain: from mine, to cutter, to polisher, and, finally, to jeweler. This marked the first time a diamond’s journey was digitally tracked from mine to retail.
To make it happen, DeBeers developed a blockchain platform called Tracr. Following the successful completion of its trial run, the Tracr blockchain is set for a full launch before the end of the year, when the platform will be open to the entire industry.
In fact, five leading diamond manufacturers — Diacore, Diarough, KGK Group, Rosy Blue NV, and Venus Jewel — worked with De Beers throughout the entire process, playing integral rolls in the development of Tracr. According to De Beers, these manufacturers were chosen as partners because they have significant experience in the processing of large stones as well as broad coverage across the midstream of the industry.
Another company tapping into the blockchain is Walmart. In partnership with IBM and Tsingua University’s National Engineering Laboratory for E-Commerce Technologies, the global food giant is testing the blockchain to efficiently track food products in real time through the supply chain.
Although still in its infancy, Walmart’s blockchain project has already greatly reduced its tracking times. This, in turn, has increased food safety, one of the main reason the company hopped on the blockchain bandwagon according to Vice President of food safety and health Frank Yiannas.
The post Food Shipment Successfully Moved on Bitcoin Blockchain With Smart Contracts appeared first on NewsBTC.
EOS Launches Mainnet Successfully: the Good and the Ugly
There is a lot of excitement surrounding the EOS mainnet launch. So far, things have not gone according to plan by any means. Many issues have been dealt with, yet the official release took much longer than expected. Even so, the main net has launched successfully, which is all most supporters will care about at this stage.
The EOS Mainnet Issues
Facing multiple setbacks when launching a new blockchain is always worrisome. In the case of EOS, a few issues popped up which had nothing to do with the technology itself. First of all, there was a phishing email campaign due to a compromised Zendesk account. That issue was eventually resolved, yet it did raise a lot of criticism in the process.
Additionally, the mainnet was pushed back numerous times. Security vulnerabilities were identified by a Chinese firm several weeks ago. That development is a positive one in the end. Launching a mainnet with issues is never a smart idea. Speaking of bugs, there has been a somewhat official audit by another firm over the past few weeks. Several minor issues have been addressed because of those reports.
There is also the EOS ‘constitution‘ which needs to be highlighted. In a decentralized ecosystem, an official constitution seems counterproductive. With the Block.one team drafting these ‘rules,’ an interesting situation is created. This also seems to indicate there is a central entity controlling EOS, which will not be to the liking of most users. Whether or not that will be a problem, remains to be seen.
The Positive News
Despite all of these setbacks, positive news was received earlier today. The EOS mainnet has, according to the website, officially launched. It is a big milestone for the project. Living up to users’ expectations will prove challenging regardless. If any vulnerability is discovered now, there will be a lot of backlash, for understandable reasons.
For now, the network is still going through its ‘launch sequence.’ That process takes anywhere from 24 to 48 hours to complete successfully. On June 10th, there will be a round of validation by the EOS Mainnet Launch Group. Assuming that validation is successful, the net will be opened to the public.
After the launch, there will be a voting round for the 21 initial Block Producers. This voting process requires 150m tokens to be ‘spent’ on the vote itself. This is the final step which needs to be completed prior to officially launching the EOS mainnet in its official capacity. A very exciting period for EOS supporters, although there is still a long way to go.
Featured image from Shutterstock.
The post EOS Launches Mainnet Successfully: the Good and the Ugly appeared first on NewsBTC.
De Beers Successfully Trials Blockchain Platform, Tracks 100 Diamonds
De Beers has announced the successful completion of a blockchain pilot for tracking diamonds along the entire value chain: from mine, to cutter, to polisher, and, finally, to jeweler.
De Beers Diamond Blockchain
De Beers Group announced today the completion of a blockchain pilot that immutably and securely tracked 100 high-value diamonds all the way along the value chain, marking the first time a diamond’s journey has been digitally tracked from mine to retail.
To make this happen, the world-renowned diamond miner developed a blockchain platform called Tracr. Following the successful completion of its trial run, the Tracr blockchain is set for a full launch later this year, and will be open to the entire industry. The pilot was announced in January, following months of research and industry consultation. De Beers is working with BCG Digital Ventures to build the platform and the underlying technology.
When fully operational, Tracr will provide consumers with confidence that registered diamonds are both natural and conflict-free, while improving visibility and trust within the industry, and enhancing efficiencies across the entire diamond value chain.
Bruce Cleaver, CEO of De Beers Group, described the company’s blockchain as a ‘significant breakthrough made achievable by the close engagement of the pilot participants who share our commitment to industry progress and innovation.’
Five leading diamond manufacturers — Diacore, Diarough, KGK Group, Rosy Blue NV, and Venus Jewel — played integral rolls, working with De Beers throughout Tracr’s development process. According to De Beers, these manufacturers were chosen as partners because they have significant experience in the processing of large stones — the initial focus of the pilot — as well as broad coverage across the midstream of the industry.
Sevantilal Shah, chair of Venus Jewel, describes the importance of being able to show where its diamonds come from, as transparency is one of the company’s hallmarks:
“Venus Jewel is proud to be one of the first partners in Tracr. Proof of provenance is a key part of Venus’ promise to its customers, and Tracr will be an integral part of that promise.”
How Does Tracr Work?
As the diamonds travel along the value chain, a unique Global Diamond ID is automatically created on Tracr, which stores individual diamond attributes — like carat, color, and clarity — through integration with De Beer’s partners’ existing record-keeping systems.
Tracr then consolidates the data into an ‘immutable digital trail’ for each diamond, assuring provenance and traceability. To further verify this authenticity, Tracr also utilizes stone images, planned outcome images, and records of a diamond’s other physical properties.
The platform verifies the uploaded data at each key milestone of a diamond’s journey, while at the same time allowing users to be in full control of what they share with other participants through privacy controls — permitting things like price, and other insider information, to be kept hidden if required.
Featured image from Shutterstock.
The post De Beers Successfully Trials Blockchain Platform, Tracks 100 Diamonds appeared first on NewsBTC.
GIFcoin Successfully Concludes Stage 3 of Token Pre-sale, Heads for the Moon
Have you heard of GIFcoin? If not, it is high time you did before the “most transparent ICO of 2018” comes to an end.
Under severe conditions of a bearish crypto market, the crowdsale of GIFcoin — the world’s first Gambling Investment Fund, is performing exceptionally well. The GIFcoin ICO is in its 4th Stage where potential investors can cash in on an attractive 20% bonus.
The cryptocurrency industry is riddled with uncertainties since the beginning of this year as the value of various tokens continues to hover below the February and March values. In such a scenario, those participating in the GIFcoin token sale stand to gain a unique edge over the ones investing in other projects. Unlike some of the other token sales, the price of GIFcoin tokens (GIF) is pegged to ETH instead of its fiat equivalent. At present, investors will receive 10,000 GIF tokens for every ETH deposited, along with an additional 20% bonus.
Compared to other projects, the GIFcoin is backed by VitalBet, an online betting platform with years of operational history. The investors’ trust in the project is further magnified by the unprecedented transparency of the team, which runs regular live streams, continually asks its backers for feedback, and is already working on the first steps of the roadmap even before the ICO has come to an end.
GIFcoin Grabs an Appetizing Chunk of the Gambling Industry’s Gigantic Profits and Shares It with Investors
According to multiple reports, online gambling has its place among the TOP 3 most profitable digital businesses in the world today. In 2017 alone, the industry recorded revenues as high as 0+ billion.
By joining the GIFcoin ICO, you get the unique chance to benefit from these gigantic profits. GIFcoin’s main aim is to raise capital that will be used to develop its already existing money-generating betting website VitalBet further. Recent website statistics show that VitalBet has more than 20,000+ active users in 20 countries around the world (as of 2017), and its net profit for the same year was a little over million.
As a GIF token holder, you will profit not only from the potential enhanced token value but also from a share of VitalBet’s yearly net profits. GIFcoin tokens holders will collectively receive dividends from their investments in GIF, accounting for 80% of the firm’s net profit. This will turn GIFcoin into a sustainable passive income earner for its investors. While GIFcoin’s team realize their generous intentions, they are driven by the notion of long-term mutual growth.
About GIFcoin
The GIF in GIFcoin stands for Gambling Investment Fund. This fund is backed by an already functioning betting website – Vitalbet.com. The idea of the GIFcoin ICO is not to declare that they are crafting something genius but rather to raise capital, which they will then use to upgrade the already functioning product, VitalBet, into a world-class gambling platform. The ICO will also provide an opportunity for the firm to greatly popularize and promote the VitalBet Brand on the most promising betting markets in other jurisdictions around the world. When this is complete, the firm will then devote itself to increasing VitalBet’s client base.
GIFcoin has already announced its intention to share up to 80% of the annual net profits from VitalBet’s operations with the token holders. Thus, by buying GIF tokens in the GIFcoin ICO, you, as an investor, will be participating in an existing, moneymaking business that is just breaking ground to become a long-term liquid investment vehicle while exhibiting sustainable growth over the years.
GIFcoin ICO Details
The Token Distribution for the entire 300,000,000 GIF supply is as follows;
The platform sold a total of 10,000,000 GIF during an initial Private Sale, it was followed by Stage 1 of the public pre-sale where 6,400,000 GIF was sold out in no time. The Stage 2 and Stage 3 of the ICO offered participants with 7,000,000 and 7,800,000 GIF respectively. Now in Stage 4, GIFcoin is offering 8,400,000 tokens on sale along with a 20% bonus.
The next three stages will witness the sale of 92,400,000, 77,000,000 and 61,000,000 tokens at 15%, 10% and 0% bonus respectively. ICO subscribers can use some of the accepted payment methods including ETH, BTC, and LTC to purchase the tokens. FIAT payments are not accepted. The Minimum investment you can make during Stages 1-5 is either 0.5 ETH, 0.05 BTC, or 2 LTC. Soft Cap is set at 5,000 ETH while the Hard Cap is set at 24,000 ETH. Hurry while the 20% bonus lasts.
The post GIFcoin Successfully Concludes Stage 3 of Token Pre-sale, Heads for the Moon appeared first on NewsBTC.
How to Successfully Market an ICO in 2018
Author: On Yavin, Co-Founder & CMO at Cointelligence
In the first two months of 2018, there were nearly 50 ICOs (initial Coin Offerings) raising over .1 billion by the end of February. Compare that figure to the .6 billion raised via Initial Coin Offering in 2017 and you get a good picture of just how important and popular ICOs will be in 2018.
Last year saw a total of 902 Initial Coin Offering projects. From that amount, 142 ICOs failed before their offerings, whilst another 276 ICO projects failed even after raising their funds. Just under half of all the ICO’s in 2017 – 435 ICOs, or 48% – were regarded as a success. From the .6 billion raised, 25% of which was raised by just the ten largest ICOs.
Given this trend, and the fact that the Telegram ICO planned for later this year has already raised 0 million of its expected billion, 2018 promises to be a bumper year for ICOs. However, with increased competition and a tightened regulatory environment; the line between success and failure of an ICO in 2018 will be even finer.
How your Initial Coin Offering is marketed will have a huge impact on its success. Get the ICO marketing strategy right, and your ICO will raise the necessary funds and be a success long after the initial offering. Get it wrong, and your ICO will be consigned to the dustbin of history. Therefore, so many ICOs are now wisely employing the use of ICO marketing firms, or an ICO marketing expert, to deliver an optimized and successful ICO marketing campaign. ICO marketing agencies are not cheap, but if you want your ICO to be success, you require a multi-faceted approach to marketing your ICO. The right agency will know how to optimize the many varied traditional and non-traditional marketing channels. Planning an ICO marketing strategy from Day One is essential and should include the following items:
The Website – Your ICO’s Shop Window
The website is the foundation of your Initial Coin Offering project. As with any structure, the foundation is the most important and you must ensure that you have something that is strong and lasting. Without a strong website, your Initial Coin Offering can crumble and collapse at any moment.
The website is likened to a shop window in which your Initial Coin Offering will be judged. First impressions are important and for most, your website will provide the first impression and the level of trust needed, for your ICO to be a success. Your website should:
- Include a well-written white paper clearly conveying your ICO project’s message.
- Be designed so it is easy to navigate with all the necessary information presented in a clear and concise manner.
- Contain a short professionally-made explainer video.
- Have accompanying graphics and creatives that are compliant, eye-catching, and encourage further interest.
- Include a clear call-to-action (CTA) which attracts potential investors.
- Contain a transparent lead capture. After all, the person who signs up for email updates today can turn into a potential investor tomorrow. Be SEO optimized.
- Include an introduction to the team. The more transparent your project is via the website, the more trust can be built. Letting people get to know exactly who is behind the project builds that trust.
- Feature a roadmap, vision and schedule of events
SEO Strategy for Long Term Success
For your Initial Coin Offering to be a success, you need an ICO marketing strategy that goes beyond the actual offering. A well-researched and intelligent SEO (Search Engine Optimization) strategy, both on-page and off-page, ensures your ICO has a strong, long-term source of organic and targeted traffic.
The SEO strategy should be an essential part any ICO marketing strategy, but is all too often overlooked or not given enough attention due to the immediacy of an ICO, limited resources, or just a poorly planned marketing strategy. An effective SEO strategy that encompasses both on-page and off-page SEO includes important aspects, such as branding and online reputation management (ORM), which combined with quality content generation and a smart approach to back-linking, will deliver results long beyond your launch. Remember, around 50% of all failed Initial Coin Offerings in 2017 failed after the offering. With a professional SEO strategy, you are not optimizing your ICO project’s long-term visibility, but also ringing alarms bells to potential investors who do not see a long-term strategy in place. This will likely convince them to simply will not invest, thus dooming your project to failure.
As more advertising restrictions on ICOs are put in place, the need for a well-thought out, professionally-enacted SEO strategy has never been more important. SEO can be attempted in-house, but with it being such a key part of an overall ICO marketing strategy, it is definitely one channel that should be left to the professionals. A good SEO strategy ensures cost-effective visibility and viability long beyond any initial offering.
PR and Outreach – Getting Your ICO Out There
Once the website is up and the SEO strategy is in place, it’s time to get your ICO and its message in front of the right people. A conventional but still very effective channel is through Press Releases and articles on popular media outlets.
First, you need a professionally written press release. These can be done in-house, but paying for the expertise and relationships that marketing agencies offer means you are optimizing a very effective ICO marketing channel. There are top-tier websites that publish press releases, but unless there is a relationship with the top-tier sites in place, it is more than likely that a premium amount will need to be paid to publish your press release. There are free sites and cheaper alternatives than top-tier, but the coverage and impact is far less.
Another great method of maximizing exposure and articulating your ICO message is through having your articles published in popular and relevant websites. Getting an informative, well-written article published on top-tier site can be free or paid. This is an excellent way of getting your ICO in the public domain and also for getting backlinks which boost your SEO strategy.
PR and Media outreach can be conducted on a DIY basis, but again, without the expertise and contacts a marketing agency offers, you will pay more than you should be paying and not optimizing a key ICO marketing channel essential to the success of your ICO
Coin Listings
An effective method of maximizing exposure is getting your ICO listed on crypto sites which specifically list upcoming ICOs. There are free sites, but as with most outreach campaigns, the top-tier sites charge a premium to list your ICO.
Getting your ICO listed is important and should form a part of your ICO marketing budget. There are ICO marketing firms that provide top-tier ICOs as part of an ICO marketing package, and ICO listings are an integral part of the outreach campaign that must not be ignored.
Email Marketing and ICOs
Email marketing should form a part of your overall ICO marketing strategy but should be carried out very carefully. Sending marketing emails to individuals without their consent can damage your reputation, incur financial penalties, and limit your future email capabilities.
Building your own email list takes time but in the long term there is no better interested and targeted audience. For most ICOs, this is not a practical or timely ICO marketing solution. Short cuts in email marketing may bring in results short-term, but in the long-term you are doing more harm than good.
An ICO marketing agency can provide their own ‘opted-in’ email lists. Additionally, despite bans in place with some email providers like MailChimp, there are other email service providers out there that make it is possible to perform some smaller scale email marketing by yourself.
Email marketing of your ICO is certainly harder in 2018 than in 2017, but it is an effective method if done professionally and avoiding the ‘spam’ route.
Social Media and Community Management
One ICO marketing channel that is growing in importance in 2018, is in the community and social media management. Exactly how your ICO is marketed in this channel can really make or break an ICO. The crypto communities are knowledgeable, powerful, and widespread. Fail to win over the crypto community and the chances of success diminish very rapidly. There should be an allocation of your ICO marketing team dedicated to this very important channel. It needs to be monitored and updated at all times and cannot be ignored or under-resourced. The most popular and powerful free channels that should be optimized are as follows:
Facebook: A popular method of advertising in 2017 which is no longer available in 2018. However, there are many popular pages and groups that discuss all things crypto. These should be tapped into. Facebook also offers an effective channel to build and your own community and keep them regularly updated.
Quora: Well-read threads, such as https://www.quora.com/topic/Initial-Coin-Offerings-ICO, can provide good, targeted exposure.
Specialized Forums: There’s a wealth of specialized forums and internet discussions that can optimize coverage. Specialised forums, such as https://bitcointalk.org/, gives you the ability to communicate your ICO to an interested and knowledgeable audience.
LinkedIn: LinkedIn has a number of groups that cover blockchain, ICO and cryptocurrencies. Groups such as https://www.linkedin.com/groups/6580131/profile, with tens of thousands of members, give you free and direct communication with your targeted audience.
Twitter: As with Facebook, Twitter banned ICO advertising this year. However, Twitter is a very popular medium within the crypto community. There are Twitter influencers that can be targeted who have hundreds of thousands of followers.
Telegram: Telegram is essentially regarded as the new kid on the block, as far as social media goes. However, Telegram’s importance and influence grows each day. The whole blockchain and crypto community took to Telegram from the very outset and it remains an increasingly important marketing channel offering a wide scale and interested audience.
Events – Old School Face-to-face Communication.
There are a growing number of global blockchain and cryptocurrency conferences and events that should be attended. There is no better method of marketing than communicating your ICO in person. The cost of attending or sponsoring conferences and events can be high, especially if there is travel involved. However, the ROI that these events offer cannot be ignored.
The founder(s) should attend as many of these events as physically and financially possible. Communicating your message in a face-to-face environment can be considered one of the most effective methods to build trust and actually close deals. Deals are signed at these conferences and events, and non-attendance means that your ICO is not given the best opportunity to succeed. By not getting yourself out there and in front of people, your ICO cannot succeed.
PPC – Harder in 2018, But Not Impossible
Following the ICO advertising bans on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter, Google’s ban on PPC (pay-per-click) advertising will come into play in June 2018. PPC is still possible with a plethora of crypto sites, news sites, blogs, and networks offering banner advertising. However, the shrinking market combined with increased competition will make 2018 much more of a challenge for PPC advertising of ICOs than was seen in 2017. More creative, out-of-the-box thinking is needed. Additionally, more outlets need to be explored. It is precisely for this reason that PPC should be carried out through a marketing agency with specific knowledge and experience of the crypto world.
The Bounty and Reward Systems
Increasingly, ICO Bounty programs are playing a key role in successful ICO marketing strategies. Offering ‘bounties’, i.e. rewards and incentives, are an effective technique to get the interest of investors pre-ICO and to keep stakeholders interested and engaged post-ICO.
‘Airdropping’, or free tokens, are a great way to garner interest and investment. However, any airdropping should be handled very carefully. Offer too little or no rewards at all and you run the risk of truly optimizing your campaign potential. Give away too much will not only impact your ICO’s financial viability, but could scare away potential investors who will view your project as a scam.
Getting the ICO Marketing Strategy Right in 2018
There’s no doubt that marketing your ICO is comparatively more difficult than in 2017. Increased regulation, reduced marketing channels, and far greater competition make the task of successfully marketing your ICO much more difficult than last year. However, more companies are using ICOs instead of IPOs (Initial Public Offerings), and more money is being raised through ICOs.
To be a success, your ICO project must utilize the specific ICO marketing services offered by an experienced ICO marketing agency. Your product may well change over time, but the first impression your project conveys is a great deal harder to change. There are plenty of ICO marketing sites offering ICO marketing tools and ICO marketing tips, but ICO marketing guidance will only take you so far. If you want to ensure that your ICO is given the very best chance of success, you need the help of the professionals who can provide the ICO marketing solutions to give your ICO the attention it deserves and propel your project towards success.
Author: On Yavin, Co-Founder & CMO at Cointelligence, a platform for monitoring and analyzing real-time crypto-economy market data. On is a serial entrepreneur and an angel investor with over 20 years of experience in the tech industry. On is an expert in the field of online marketing, with deep hands-on experience and knowledge of SEO, PPC and ORM. On has a law degree (LLB) and is also a certified Advocate by the Israeli Bar Association.
The post How to Successfully Market an ICO in 2018 appeared first on NewsBTC.
Marathon Patent Group Successfully Launches Canadian Bitcoin Mining Operation
Cryptocurrency mining has become a very big industry as of late. Companies from all over the world are searching for lucrative areas to mine Bitcoin. Canada has proven to be a rather promising region in this regard. The Marathon Patent Group is the latest company to set up a Bitcoin mining operation in Canada.
Marathon Patent Group Sets up Shop
It is always interesting to see how companies approach Bitcoin mining. Specific requirements need to be met before such a venture can even become profitable. In this case, one needs efficient space, enough hardware, and accessible free or low cost electricity. Finding that latter “ingredient” can prove to be rather challenging these days. One country which has an abundance of electricity right now is Canada.
The Marathon Patent Group is seemingly convinced that the region holds the key to successfully mining Bitcoin. This company purchased 1,400 Bitmain ASIC miners in early February. One week later they announced the lease of space in a data center in Quebec. It didn’t take the company that long to get everything up and running, by the look of things. More specifically, they have started mining Bitcoin since late last night.
As of right now, the mining operation consumers 2.0 MW. With this amount of electricity, the Marathon Patent Group brings 19 petahash of Bitcoin mining power to the network. It is expected additional units will be deployed in the coming months. This further confirms the Marathon Patent Group has big plans when it comes to mining Bitcoin. A somewhat surprising decision, given the increasingly volatile Bitcoin price.
Major Bitcoin Mining Plans
With the plan to expand their operation, the Marathon Patent Group set an interesting precedent. If their plan can be executed, they will bring another 2,800 Bitmain ASIC miners online. That will make this mining operation one of the biggest ones around the world. More competition in the Bitcoin mining space can only be a good thing. Right now, these efforts are mainly centralized in China.
The big question is how this mining venture will pan out. Setting up such an operation requires a massive upfront investment. If the Bitcoin price continues to decline, achieving a return on investment may take a lot longer than anticipated. That is something Marathon Patent Group will need to take into account. Assuming things play out that way, their shareholders may not be too pleased with this mining operation in Canada.
Even so, we see a renewed interest in Canada’s renewable energy sources. The country has more electricity than is being used right now. Bitcoin mining operations are more than happy to benefit from this cheap electricity. At the same time, these mining ventures create new jobs along the way. It is a win-win situation for all parties involved. That is, as long as Bitcoin mining remains profitable in the country.
The post Marathon Patent Group Successfully Launches Canadian Bitcoin Mining Operation appeared first on NewsBTC.