Debunqed

Tag: online

  • That’s so Meta, Dude!

    That’s so Meta, Dude!

    The adage that whatever you see in science fiction, you will witness in reality, seems to ring true more than ever in the 21st century. In fact, Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg is probably one of the biggest believers having bought the virtual reality company, Oculus as far back as 2014.

    Now, he and people from all walks of life are embracing the creation and adoption of a “Metaverse”. 

    But is this a buzz term or a new reality, and are the ultra-rich throwing money at it because they are trying to entertain themselves? Or is it because they actually want to ‘augment’ hundreds of millions of peoples’ senses of reality with beneficial technology? 

    Like many things in life, the truth isn’t black or white in this regard. While multi-dollar billionaires including Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos have looked to build cities in space that we can escape to when the world becomes overpopulated or uninhabitable, others are developing the ‘Metaverse’ as a complementary set of enhancements and parallel spaces for our lives on earth.   

    What is The Metaverse?

    Is the Metaverse more than just ‘sales speak’ for a bunch of sales-speak-for-tech companies? It has been bandied about throughout 2021 but Zuckerberg has been even more brazen, having announced at the end of October that Facebook would be rebranded as Meta. Rather cheeky!

    But what is this swanky new world we may soon be living, and maybe thriving in? I’ve been called Mr. Anderson for over 20 years, so it feels like a fitting time, with the release of the fourth Matrix movie, to ask: “What is the Metaverse(Matrix)?” 

    The Metaverse is a hypothesised iteration of the Internet, that supports persistent online 3-D virtual environments via conventional personal computing, as well as virtual & augmented reality headsets.

    Wikipedia

    It’s still being given a concrete definition but essentially it is an advanced version of the Internet wherein we can become immersed. You don’t just look at the Internet; you are ‘digitally immersed’ in it. Instead of just looking at a 3D object on your PC using a mouse to scroll up and down to see it from different angles, in the Metaverse your brain will convince you that you are in the same world as that object.

    Metaverses, in some limited form, were already present on platforms like VR-Chat or video games like Second Life. These suggest that we have been moving toward living in a Metaverse for years. But why should we care so much now about the Metaverse then?

    Why The Metaverse Matters

    The Metaverse has the potential to bring fulfilment, economic opportunity and equity to people. But, for this to happen, we would probably need a situation where a handful of companies – here’s looking at you Zuckerberg – are prevented from dominating it. The virtual world could overcome the shortcomings of the physical one which humanity has lived on for millennia. Digital environments could become actual places where people don’t only live; but also thrive.

    It is for these reasons that we believe Metaverses will be pervasive across our lives from a young age until our retirement.

    Images courtesy of the respective companies

    For example, the gaming platform, Roblox might be unknown to well, adults, but this 13-year-old platform is booming. Children and teenagers use this platform to play existing games together but also to create new games. It also sports a marketplace where users can sell those experiences and other products like online outfits and personalized avatars. Another incredibly popular online multiplayer game Fortnite is well poised to switch its huge user-base into ‘Metaversians’. Two upcoming multi-billion dollar gaming platforms built on Blockchain technologies are Decentraland and The Sandbox.

    The former made the news recently when a tech company bought a patch of virtual real estate in the Decentraland metaverse for 618,000 MANA (its native currency) – valued at $3.2 million.

    Virtual ‘land’ and other items (digital assets) in Decentraland are sold in the form of non-fungible tokens (NFTs), which are a class of crypto assets. All of these are authenticated using a Smart Contract component of the blockchain.

    Play-to-earn is another incentive to getting onto the Metaverse. You will now be able to earn virtual tokens (with monetary value) while emersed in your favourite game. This no-brainer strategy has seen an explosion of Blockchain play-to-earn games in the last quarter of 2021.

    Other Use Cases

    Back in the “real working world” virtual productivity platforms are also growing as companies’ employees use MS Teams, Zoom and other platforms to be able to communicate easily and at any time.

    You will be able to now have online offices and attend online conferences in virtual conference centres while represented by avatars. No more suiting up or wasting time on perfect makeup! So, while one can’t stop people from spending time in a cyber world, we can, however, enhance their experiences using cutting-edge technology.

    The opportunities for business and revenue generation will not be limited. Simulations for building and engineering projects will make presentations almost real – without having to travel to the actual sites. Online gambling/shopping companies will also look to capitalise by offering virtual casinos and stores in the Metaverse.

    Marketing Spin-offs

    There are even talks that companies may sell apparel and clothing and are designing virtual versions thereof. Virtual shoes could become status symbols which is rather bizarre but perhaps fun for the nouveau riche. Joke if you want but brands like Gucci, Adidas, and Nike are prepping (with partnerships) to board the Metaverse for obvious marketing opportunities.

    People are rapidly immersing themselves in virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) worlds. Headsets are becoming more affordable and an assortment of AR/VR programmes are being written daily. These include entertainment programmes for PlayStation 5 as well as for pornography apps (another billion-dollar industry).

    Soon the Metaverse will become a tool that improves our lives and will go beyond being just an entertainment novelty.

    It doesn’t stop here. There is a little-known Metaverse company currently worth $2bn, that has made some major breakthroughs using Blockchain tech. They have actually created a device to scan entire people and objects to immerse them into the digital world.

    The ambitious project, MetaHero will be paying people a decent amount to have their avatars made and used in games from January 2022. Sounds absurd but perhaps you need to take a look yourselves.

    Final Word of Caution

    Bear in mind that the Metaverse may exacerbate problems faced by humans because of the Internet. We need a better grasp of managing data rights, data security, misinformation, the radicalisation of morally wrong ideas such as racism and vaccine hesitancy as well as platform power.

    Somebody needs to rein the likes of Facebook, um I mean Meta, in. We should not just allow the Metaverses to distract millions of us with a ‘wonderful’ cyber world.

  • The startup tech kit

    The startup tech kit

    New business? You’re going to need some basic software!

    In this modern-day and age, it may seem that small businesses do not require a plethora of technological tools in order to succeed, but it’s worth investigating which technologies can give you an edge. This is especially crucial if you are not offering a niche product or service and have to compete with an army of existing players in your industry.

    Accounting, CRM, marketing, analytics, taxation and other useful software may have just levelled the playing field between small and big businesses. The challenge is to choose the right one to help you grow quickly at the least expense.

    You will, nevertheless, if you are even to make a first impression, need some basic software regardless of your trade.

     HERE IS WHAT YOU WILL NEED 

    Almost everybody needs some kind of online presence. You’re a business and while social media is helpful (more on that later), a website is where you will be found by prospective clients or business partners. You can build one easily these days via a paid content manager provider such as WordPress or Wix.

    They will even provide and host your domain if you don’t have one.

    If you do not, however, have the time nor the energy to create one yourself, there are cost-effective alternatives such as outsourcing the building to a web-designer. They can do it remotely and the safest way  would be through a regulated marketplace such as Fiverr* or Upwork.

    *Debunqed can recommend a designer known as aceholder on Fiverr.

    Email

    You need to be contactable. In the old days, you got away with Yahoo or Google email but now you need an email service that can host a domain. The free emails are also not secure and subjected to heaps of spam.

    Email hosting is a service in which your email messages and associated files are all stored on a server. When you receive an email to your website’s domain address, that email is routed across the Internet and stored on the recipient server.

    A hosting service stores the files that make up a website on a data server which then uploads them directly to the web.

    This gives you an Internet connection and way for your customers to access the site through a domain name.

    Web hosting services often come with a slew of options for designing sites. These include the one-click installation of supported applications such as a service mailbox.  Wix partners with Microsoft’s Office 365 for mail hosting whilst WordPress works seamlessly with Gmail/GSuite.

    Task Management System/ Job Manager

    Being organised from the beginning isn’t a good idea; it’s a great idea! Get yourself a system which tracks your sales and logs the deliverables that each employee completes.

    There are an array of CRM solutions focusing on different tasks from customer services or sales to project management and full-on finance and back office (ERP) operations (more on this later).

    The key is to start small many of these offer trials but also some even offer a free package naturally with limited functionality. Figure out which tasks are important in order to choose the right package to handle your scheduling, sales and tasks. A simple calendar/scheduler via MS Outlook and Office 365 (Microsoft Bookings) can be a good place to start for a paid but fully functional service.

    Payroll and Accounting Systems

    You need to keep accurate books and not to rip off your employees. You’re a start-up; play the numbers by the books. And a word of caution: don’t ever cook the books!

    There is a huge choice of accounting (and back office) systems to choose from. The big names are probably out of reach so like a CRM system, you might want to shop around and start with smaller but a reputable brand like Quickbooks.

    But if you go for an Office 365 solution, you might as well look into something like Dynamics 365. One of their entry-level finance packages (Business Central) has all the ‘bells and whistles’ for a Startup to help get your books up to date for the taxman/audit.

    You also need to monitor your payroll – this service can be added by upgrading to a bigger package under Microsoft Dynamics family. You could also shop around for payroll software if you are on a tight budget.

    Project management and support logging system

    Once you build up a workable database of existing and potential clients, you will require some kind of logging system to handle customer queries.

    This will help you keep tags of what customers are having issues with. If they are repeated issues, then you know there is a recurring problem with your operations or an aspect of your business.

    A good ticketing system will allow you to keep a knowledge base with instructions to help your staff with how to deal with recurring issues quickly.

    Shopping cart software

    If your products are sold online or does not come from a physical store, this is the mandatory software that enables you sell goods online. It is designed to quickly process debit and credit cards transactions but also allows your customers to use their PayPal and other payment methods – even Cryptocurrency.

    A good shopping cart package also does inventory management, calculates packaging costs, shipping costs and taxes.

    Security and Anti-Virus software

    Always protect your Internet connection and your sensitive data against viruses, spyware, malware, worms and Trojans.

    Most of the packages mentioned before come with in-built security measures such as sign-in authentication.

    But these are not enough and you will need to source software to prevent a hack if you are dealing with extra sensitive data like patents, medical and financial records/accounts.  Read our feature on Online Threats for more on this.

    Cloud storage

    This is a place where you can store large files as well askeep backups of files. Hardware can break. You could drop your 2-terabyte portable flash drive but at least your work will be safe in the cloud. 

    Once in the cloud, things can get disorganised (many files and folders) and sorting them can become a pain. The top file storage providers include, Microsoft’s SharePoint Online and OneDrive; Google’s Drive, Amazon’s S- series and Dropbox.   

    There are some really great add-ons like a Digital Asset Management (DAM) tool for those dealing daily with tons of documents and images by Pic.io. This software works specifically with GoogleDrive.

    Social media

    We have by now affirmed that you need a CRM system. With many choices of companies to buy products from for example,  treating individual customers’ needs is very important.

    A good CRM system will help you reach out to your customers where ever they are – online or offline. This is known as Social Engagement.

    That, coupled with a powerful Business Intelligence tool, can help you leapfrog over your competitors with useful insights such as peak traffic times on your website, purchase habits and other characteristics of your client that will help you accurately predict potential revenues.

    Find the best CRM platform that allows for social engagement, then set up whatever social network accounts that suit your business.

    Webinar services

    Remember you are doing business with groups from around the world.

    Online communication tools, therefore, enable you conduct presentations and meetings over the Internet. This saves time and money associated with travelling costs whilst giving you access to markets outside your area, city or country.

    Some of the most popular/effective communication tools includes those included in the Microsoft (Skype and Teams) and Google (Hangouts & Voice) bundles. There are also free standalones like Zoom.

    Depending on your frequency of calls and audience size needs you can stick with the free version and then scale up to a paid subscription later.  You can also run training sessions and product demonstrations and even replace your whole phone system with them. 

    Online Surveys and other Marketing Tools

    Marketing is is the lifeblood of a company. It’s a key sales-driver and if you aren’t selling, you’re going out of business! Conduct market research using online tools such as SurveyMonkey and collect emails through opt-in forms. These valuable insights can be used  in targeted email marketing campaigns.

    The most advanced and widely recognised mail marketing tool is Mailchimp. It starts with a free version with 7 marketing channels and goes up to $299 per month for large companies with 200000-plus contacts. Most bundled Office solutions will allow you to add Mailchimp as a plug-in to your existing mailbox.

    Conclusion

    Technology constantly changes and it’s hard to keep up – so don’t. Get the basics right first and add technological services and tools as you grow. Rather understand what each button does first before you spend money on a whole super system.

  • The Online Threats of 2019

    The Online Threats of 2019

    How you can stop them from happening.

    Like a biological virus mutates – as technology advances so do the complexity of phishing and identity theft schemes. With major services adopting cloud technologies and storing private data online, anyone is vulnerable to hacking.

    To make matters worse, hackers continue to come up with some pretty creative ways to profit from stolen information.

    Without wasting time, these are the things you should already be doing to avoid being exposed to hackers in the first place:

    In order to keep these cyber-criminals out of your lives and computers, let’s take a look at some of the actual schemes to watch out for in 2019.

    Hacking

    We all know what hacking is by now – the term has almost become synonymous with internet security. So a question is: do you love watching movies on Netflix or jamming out to your summer playlist on Spotify? If the answer is yes, then you’re at a pretty high risk of getting hacked.

    DynaRisk, a UK cybersecurity firm, recently found that cybercriminals most commonly target these brands, along with adult-oriented sites (you know what we mean) and then, online gaming services.

    Identity Theft

    A few weeks ago, authorities caught a New York-based gang who had used identity theft to steal over $19 million worth of iPhones. Quartz reported that this operation ran for seven years.

    So-called “Top Dogs,” the ring leaders, would organize lower level members of their organization to steal identities and create clone credit and identity cards. Then, affiliates fanned across the nation, signing up for mobile phone plans to acquire iPhones, which were later sold for a profit by the Top Dogs.

    Because phone payment plans take the shape of nominal fees over the course of several years, victims often wouldn’t notice the fraud until it was too late. Learn how another scheme dubbed sim port attack works in the diagram below:

    Ransomware

    Hacking can happen to anyone – including our favorite bands. In early June, a hacker managed to steal the minidisk archive of Thom Yorke, the lead singer of Radiohead. This included previously unreleased demos and audio material from around the time of “OK Computer,” the band’s 1997 worldwide hit album. The hacker then demanded $150,000 on the threat of releasing it.

    Holding files for ransom is so common nowadays that it even has its own name: “Ransomware.” Either pay over the ransom or lose your files—or, even worse, have them released onto the unforgiving Internet.

    In response, Radiohead released all 18 hours of material on Bandcamp themselves, winning against these ransom hackers.

    Most security experts recommend the same route as Radiohead—never pay the ransom, because there’s no guarantee you’ll recover files or prevent their release.

    Sextortion

    If you think ransomware is bad, there’s an entire subgroup of it aimed to profit off sexual shame. Cheekily named “Sextortion,” some hackers creatively upgraded the classic email phishing scam to scare victims into handing over Bitcoin.

    According to Fortune, hackers have already racked up over $900,000 with sextortion. In these phishing emails, the sender claims to have spied on you while you watched porn—and has webcam footage of the salacious deeds. The message then demands a Bitcoin ransom, or else face the social and professional consequences of this lewd video getting sent to all your contacts.

    To make the threat even more believable, the sender references a previous password tied to the user’s email account. According to Krebson Security, a sextortion phishing message might look a little like what’s written in the sidebox.

    In rare cases, the threats are real—and hackers get their hands on some sexually explicit photos. Recently, American actress Bella Thorne fell victim to sextortion. Last Saturday, she took a similar, albeit more risqué, route as Radiohead, opting to release her nude photographs on Twitter in order to take the power away from her hacker.

    Last thoughts

    So, what’s the best way to avoid your personal, or, business from costing thousands in virtual currency? Since most of these emails are fake, you can just avoid them with a spam filter. And you should probably buy a webcam cover…just to be safe. When it comes to general browsing- we suggest using a VPN.

    Read more about VPNs here

    There are now more secure anti-hacking tools that use the Blockchain and offer great protection, especially against identity theft. Have a look at our feature on Tokenisation.

    Most online services now like mobile banks, offer App-based 2-factor authentication. This should now be regarded as the minimum security for ANY online account or App.

    To avoid hacking or phishing scams in general, optimizing your cybersecurity and using online common sense will save you loads of time, trouble and money.

    Cybersecurity by Acunetix
  • 3D Copy and Paste!

    3D Copy and Paste!

    The bizarre-sounding digital printing phenomena called 3D-Printing has been mulling around from the past.  Recently,  has been in the limelight; specifically in the press for the wrong reasons.

    Read about the new craze and get ideas for Xmas via 3D Copy and Paste!

  • 3D Copy and Paste!

    3D Copy and Paste!

    The bizarre-sounding digital printing phenomena called 3D-Printing has been mulling around from the past.  Recently,  has been in the limelight; specifically in the press for the wrong reasons. In 2013, a University of Texas law student, Cody Wilson created a blueprint for a single-shot 3D-printed handgun, named “The Liberator”.

    Of recent, guns have posed a serious threat to peaceful living when in the wrong hands. But what if anyone could hastily manufacture them unsupervised,  from the comfort of their homes?

    Defense Distributed, Wilson’s company had been distributing downloadable weapons plans for free. This would be great if it was planned for building something useful for engineering and something practical rather than destructive. Point is, with this new device, you can literally make a 3D copy of any imaginable object –  even food!

    3D printing builds parts (mostly out of plastic or other synthetics) based on the central concept: a digital model e.g. a CAD drawing (Computer Assisted Drawing) This is turned into a physical three-dimensional object by adding material a layer at a time. This is where the formal name for 3D printing, Additive Manufacturing comes from.  The actual printing device is no bigger than a normal Deskjet or heavy duty paper printer and is quite a marvel to watch in action.

    3D printing is a fundamentally different way of producing parts compared to traditional subtractive (CNC machining) or formative (Injection moulding) manufacturing technologies.

    Some of the top 3D printing brands include MakerBot, XYZprinting, Formlabs and LulzBot and are priced from as little as $200 to $4000 (for high-end small business-level) depending on the product size, material, complexity and level of detail required. The most expensive if you are into heavy-duty manufacturing would, therefore, set you back a cool $2,500,000  for the Imprimere’s Model 2156.

     

    N26_banner-320x50-ENSince its uptake in as far back as 2010, you will now discover that a lot of the products already in use are manufactured via 3D printing.  It is prevalent in the medical and dental industry and used for custom prosthetics, implants, and dental aids.

    They are also used in the manufacture of high-level sporting gear that can be tailored to fit athletes perfectly. There is then, of course, the ability to ‘print’ fashion accessories which generally, would be designed to fit your specific style, colour and fabric/material.

    Some of the advantages of using these machines include:

    • Speed: The ability to upload complex designs from a CAD model and print in a matter of hours.
    • It facilitates more design freedom; it also allows complete customization of designs.
    • It is more eco-friendly: Additive manufacturing methods use only the material needed to build a part. The raw materials that can be recycled and re-used.
    • Costs: compared to traditional manufacturing, where highly skilled machinists and operators are typically required, the labour costs for a 3D printer are almost zero

     

    visual§DPrinting
    Image source: 3DHubs

    For a more comprehensive comparison of 3DPrinters available depending on what you want to do with one (hopefully not to build weapons), look at the 3D Printing index on our resources page under technology.

    Here is a list of cool things to create with a 3D printer if you are looking for great ideas for Xmas or birthdays – this might just be it!

     

     

  • 3D Copy and Print

    3D Copy and Print

    The bizarre-sounding copying phenomena called 3D-printing have been mulling around from the past.  Recently, it has been in the limelight; specifically in the press for the wrong reasons.

    In 2013, a University of Texas law student, Cody Wilson created a blueprint for a single-shot 3D-printed handgun, named ‘The Liberator’.


    However, guns have posed a serious threat to peaceful living when in the wrong hands. But what if you could hastily manufacture them unsupervised,  from the comfort of your home?


    His company Defense Distributed, had been distributing downloadable weapons plans for free. This would be great if it was planned to enable you to build something more useful to society.


    The point is, with this new device, you can literally make a 3D copy of any imaginable object – even your food!


    3D printing builds parts (mostly out of plastic) based on the central concept: using a digital model like your CAD drawing (Computer Assisted Drawing).


    This is then turned into a physical three-dimensional object by adding material a layer at a time. This is where the formal name for 3D printing, Additive Manufacturing arises. They are no bigger than a normal Deskjet or heavy-duty paper printer and are quite a marvel to watch in action.

    3D printing is a fundamentally different way of producing parts compared to traditional subtractive (CNC machining) or formative manufacturing technologies.

    The brands

    Some top 3D printing brands include MakerBot, XYZprinting, Formlabs, and LulzBot. You can pick them up from as little as $200 to $4000.

    These prices naturally depend on your end product size, material, complexity, and level of detail you need.

    The most expensive one, if you are into heavy-duty manufacturing would set you back a cool $2,500,000. That is the price tag for Imprimere’s Model 2156.

    Some of the advantages of using 3D printers include:

    • Speed: You can upload complex designs from a CAD model and print in a matter of hours.
    • You have more design freedom. It gives you complete customization of designs.
    • It is more eco-friendly: Additive manufacturing methods use only the material you need to build a component. You can recycle and re-use the raw materials.
    • Costs: Compared to traditional manufacturing, the labour costs for a 3D printer are almost zero.
    visual§DPrinting
    Image source: 3DHubs

    Application in the world

    Since its uptake in as far back as 2010, a lot of the products we use are manufactured using 3D printing.  You will find its application mostly in the medical and dental industry and used for custom prosthetics, implants, and dental aids.


    They are used to manufacture high-level sporting gear that is tailored to fit you perfectly. Naturally, you can also ‘print’ your own customized fashion accessories. This would give you more flexibility when it comes to your specific style, colour, and material.

    For a more comprehensive comparison of 3D Printers available to you, look at the 3D Printing index on the resources page.

    Here is a list of cool things you can create with a 3D printer. If you are looking for great ideas for Xmas or birthdays – this might just be it!

  • Digital Fundraising

    Digital Fundraising

    The latest abbreviation in the finance and crypto-world is ‘ICO’. This word, however, gives global financial authorities like the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) nightmares for several reasons.

    250x250

    Not to be confused with Initial Public Offering (IPO) which is used by firms to raise cash through the issuing of shares to the public. An ICO (Initial Coin Offering) works like crowdfunding, but for digital currency and tokens.


    We recently covered a feature on raising funds and capital for a business but missed out on one relatively new method. Many companies are using ICOs to raise capital for their businesses.

    Why ICOs?


    The concept of an ICO works similarly to how a company raises capital through shares in that it is all based on contrived value.


    Funding raising in effect boils down to sales! If your actual product or service has nothing substantial or intrinsic to offer a client base, then it is nothing more than a scam.


    Launching an ICO is quite easy, and to an extent, many tech companies are now catching onto it.

    An ICO is the cryptocurrency space’s rough equivalent to an IPO in the investment world. ICOs act as fundraisers of sorts; a company looking to create a new coin, app, or service launches an ICO.

    Investopedia

    If you still do not believe it is possible, just listen to this testament from someone who did it after unsuccessfully knocking on the doors of conventional funders.


    The alarming spurt rate of ICOs often brings with it a scourge of potential scammers. The SEC and other institutions have to step in to monitor and regulate them.

    Social media platforms like Facebook and Google – which house a bounty of users (potential investors) have banned ICOs ads due to possible prey on unsuspecting investors; exposing them to con artists.

    Basically, the scammers use fancy websites, laden with impressive figures and terminology to con users into buying into their coins or tokens.

    Though the tokens barely even cost a cent, it adds up if they have millions of people buying in.  Once they have reached a certain amount in funding – they close shop and disappear!

    To create a new digital coin:

    Create a product concept or Business Plan for the coin or what is called a Whitepaper. This describes in great detail what the coin or token aims to do; the core technologies behind it; the team and their qualifications; the product’s lifecycle/growth path etc.

    Once completed and water-tight, the whitepaper would be submitted along with an application to one of the best Cryptocurrency Exchanges for review.

    Naturally, you would need some initial working capital for liquidity. Some of this is raised through your savings and others through institutions (via loans etc).

    You must then assure your investors of a solid return on investment (ROI) and deliver – which goes back to sales. Unless your offering is a scam, you actually need to do some work!

    This assurance comes via regular updates (marketing campaigns can have a tremendous or adverse impact on the uptake and price) on milestones reached.

    The updates are also necessary to keep your investors abreast with progress and might convince them to increase funding.

    Growing interest and the addition of more funds create demand for the coin/ token which, in turn, drives up the price and market capitalization.

    Most successful ICOs of all time

    NEO:

    Known as “China’s Ethereum”, and backed by Microsoft, Alibaba and the Chinese government, NEO uses smart contract applications. It does so, however, with the addition of decentralized commerce, digitized assets and identification.
    It enjoyed a considerable hike in token value from $0.03 to $88.20, NEO has big things coming with a 294,000% ROI.

    Ethereum:

    Unlike Bitcoin, the second-most valuable cryptocurrency in the world has more functionality than just being a coin. Its ledger technology is used to build and deploy decentralized applications a.k.a. “smart contract” technology.
    Ethereum’s ROI has been nothing short of jaw-dropping at 230,000%. Having sold its tokens at $0.31, an Ether token now sits at a whopping $713, second in value only to Bitcoin.

    Spectrecoin:

    The “premier privacy-focused cryptocurrency” enables users to send and receive currency worldwide with total anonymity. It is currencies like SpectreCoin that have most government tax offices quaking in their boots.
    If you had repurchased a token in November 2016, that puny $0.001 would be worth $0.64 today, or an ROI of 64,000%.

    Ark:

    With Ark, collaboration is the name of the game. The platform’s SmartBridge is a lightning-fast ecosystem designed to integrate other cryptocurrencies into its blockchain.
    Investors were eager as any to buy in, and they have made a 35,400% gain given today’s token price of $3.54.

    DigixDAO:

    DGD, which stands for Digix Decentralized Autonomous Organization, is a self-governing community. It gives out grants to different projects which will promote the growth of the DGX network.
    At a current value of $346.88 per token, this gives them a return of 10,722%.

    Quantum (QTUM):

    QTUM is an open-source value transfer platform which focuses on mobile decentralized apps or Dapps. QTUM is the world’s first proof-of-stake smart contracts platform.
    They hosted a highly successful ICO in March 2017, and since that time has seen an ROI of 6,400%.

    Source: investinblockchain.com

    In conclusion

    The prospect can be daunting for a cryptocurrency investor looking to make money off new investment opportunities while remaining cushioned from fraudulent ICOs and dodgy coins and tokens.


    As there is no guarantee that any cryptocurrency or blockchain-related start-up will be genuine or successful.

    You simply need to be vigilant and take steps such as getting to know the core team, poring over the whitepaper with a big magnifying glass. Naturally, you should be monitoring the progress of the token sales.


    Most importantly, you must just use common sense to gauge just how feasible the project is to ensure that you’re not falling for a scam.

    Remember, if it’s too good to be true, then it isn’t true!

  • Get more organised digitally!

    Get more organised digitally!

    One often hears the phrase “technology is your friend” To what extent the friendliness/support is, in being a most effective “companion” to assist you to cope with your daily activities or business plans depends on how you embrace it.

    Read more via Get more organised digitally!

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