Have you ever heard of the terms Blockchain Technology, Bitcoin or Ethereum? Well, you probably did by now since it was a hot topic in 2017 due to Bitcoin's massive surge in price.
But did you know that these assets are much more than digital coins with crazy volatile market value? In fact, I think the price of Bitcoin or any other cryptocurrency is the least interesting aspect of this technology.
Did you know the technology behind these coins might be a great opportunity for creators of any kind?
But before we get to the meat and potatoes, it's important to understand the fundamentals of Blockchain Technology.
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What is Blockchain Technology?
For the purpose of this article, I'll try to give a really simple explanation of what Blockchain Technology is and what you can achieve with it without getting in too much detail. But if you are curious about how it works under the hood, I'll leave a video at the end of this section.
Blockchain, in simple terms, is a network of computers that helps decentralize information and trade, allowing for more peer-to-peer transactions, without the need of trust between the entities.
In other words, imagine buying a house across the globe without a real estate agent, for example. Or sending those $100 bucks that you owe to that naggy friend in China, without having to wait for banks to approve the transaction.
All of this can be accomplished through Blockchain.
But it goes much further than this.
Besides trade, it is possible to push information to the Blockchain, such as blog posts, videos, sound...
Hell, people are making social media platforms and also trying to create some sort of internet on top of Blockchains!
And the best part is, anything you put in the blockchain will be there forever!
Blockchain Properties
Now that you have a general idea of what can be accomplished with Blockchain, let's have a look at it's properties:
- Decentralized - meaning there is no central authority to control it. This results in peer-to-peer transactions, without the envolvement of a middleman to control or manupilate the results.
- Distributed Network - which means that every computer in the network has access to the full history of transactions (aka distributed ledger). This way, as long as one computer with the Blockchain is running, the Blockchain itself will be online.
- Cryptography - Blockchain uses cryptography to keep the information safe and secure in it's distributed ledger. Hence the "crypto" in cryptocurrencies.
- (Almost) Immutable - meaning that it is practically impossible to change previous records on the blockchain. There are some rare exceptions, but the bigger the Blockchain becomes, the harder it for these rare events to happen. The only option available is to add new information to the ledger.
- Transparency - Every transaction in most Blockchains are visible. There are exceptions to this, on Blockchains such as Monero's ,where their main focus is privacy.
- It's open and permissionless - nothing is stopping you from getting equipment and be a part of the blockchain network by validating transactions. Due to it's open nature, anyone can use the Blockchain itself without asking for permission (and you don't need to be one of those computers to use it, no worries).
- Smart Contracts - These are programs stored in the blockchain that can perform varied actions. For instance, you can create an allowance system for your kids, by locking up money and releasing bits of it every month.
- Consensus Algorithm - This is the algorithm responsible for verifying if information blocks pushed to the blockchain are valid or not. Each node in the network will verify if the new block of information is legit against their copy of the blockchain. If they reach a consensus, then everyone's ledger will have a new block of information.
If you would like to know exactly how the Blockchain works under the hood, here is a video for you. Savjee does a pretty good job explaining exactly how the tech works behind Blockchain, so check it out!
Why is Blockchain Technology important for creators?
Censorship is something that creators have to deal with on centralized platforms. In fact, many content creators, specially on Youtube, got into trouble with their own videos for... no reason, apparently?
In recent times, some Crypto Youtubers got their video demonetized and/or took down for no apparent reason. Youtube eventually restored these videos, but this situation left a bitter taste on these content creator's throats.
Chris Dunn was one of the first reported victims of this incident. This Crypto Youtuber, with more than 10 years on the platform, got a lot of his videos taken down for "Harmful or dangerous content" without any explanation.
Blockchain Technology is the solution for this problem
As long as you trust an entity with your content, you are basically giving them control to do whatever they want with it.
As we saw above, Blockchain Technology is completely permissionless, immutable and opened to everybody. This means that no one can stop you from creating a piece of content, publishing it to the blockchain and stay there forever.
Even if some hotshot tries to banish the website you are using and succeeds, your content is already in the Blockchain. Meaning that as long as another website pops up with the same blockchain, your content will be there for sure!
After Chris Dunn's misfortune, he chose to take some steps to decentralize his content so that nothing of the sorts will happen again to him.
Why is Blockchain Technology a great opportunity for creators?
Though Blockchain Technology is still in it's infancy as of today, this is a space where many technology experts are making efforts for us creators to start building on top of this technology.
These engineers and computer scientists are handling the infrastructures needed to allow this space to grow and to achieve mass adoption.
And you can contribute to its growth right now!
And, you know, being involved on something with huge potential in its infancy has it's perks. I mean, imagine being involved on the internet when it was young.
How can I contribute to the Blockchain space?
There are multiple ways to contribute to the Blockchain space as of today. After all, we need pretty much everything, in one way or another.
This being said, here is a list of few examples on what you can do to contribute the blockchain sphere.
Blockchain Technology for coders
If you are a coder, here are some things you can do:
- Create your own blockchain;
- Help other blockchains (developing, audit, etc);
- Build your own cryptocurrency on top of other ones;
- Create decentralized apps on top of a certain blockchain/cryptos.
And the list goes on...
Personally, this is an activity that I tried before and it was a nice learning experience for sure. My first project on this space was a web interface (ethspecs.com) which allows you to simplify you Ethereum Portfolio experience on Desktop while using Ethereum Wallets like Metamask.
Back then, there was nothing like it, and I needed something to track my Ethereum portfolio on Desktop, so I decided to fill that gap.
This might be a cool approach for you to consider.
Also, for this post I won't get much into it, but I would like to mention that gaming has its own place in this sphere.
If you are a game developer, take a look at Enjin. They are creating tools that will allow you export your game's items into the their blockchain as a token. This will result in a multiverse of games that will be somewhat connected.
Imagine collecting a sword on World of Warcraft and using it on Diablo...
Here is an example of that.
Oh, and have I told you that people who know how to code in Blockchain is usually very well payed? After all, it is the most demanded skill in 2020 within the Linkedin platform.
Blockchain Technology for Designers
Let's face it, the blockchain space has a lot of Engineers and not as much designers. Though this scenario is changing gradually, we need to make our Blockchain-based apps (aka dApps, short for Decentralized Applications) easy to use and attractive. Otherwise, people will look away as they would in any other convencional app.
So, if you are a designer, you services would be greatly appreciated!
Blockchain Technology for Content Creators
If you are a content creator, you can start using decentralized platforms in addition to those you are already working with. By doing so, you are supporting this space as well as protecting yourself from eventual takedowns.
Also, some of these decentralized platforms often reward people for their content with tokens that can then be converted to real money, which can be interesting to you.
Here is a list of some of these platforms:
- Steemit - a decentralized blogging platform and one of the oldest dApps in this space. Steemit allows you to post content there for free and get money in the form of tokens whenever someone upvotes you. This is probably the dApp I know the best as I've been using this platform since 2017.
- Dtube - This is a decentralized alternative to Youtube, powered by the Steem Blockchain. Which means that you can also get tokens when your content gets upvoted.
- LBRY.TV - This is another decentralized alternative to Youtube based on the LBRY blockchain.
- DSound - A decentralzied alternative to Soundcloud on the Steem Blockchain. Again, you can get tokens by getting your content upvoted.
- DLive - This is a decentralized option to Twitch.tv on the Lino Blockchain.
- Voice - Actually this is not out yet, but this will be a next-gen blogging platform on top of the EOS Blockchain. Voice is a project from the creators of the Steem Blockchain as well as the EOS Blockchain. This means that this will be their second shot at making a new and improved Steemit-like platform. This is a project to keep an eye for sure.
Blockchain Technology for educators
Right now, one of the biggest problems in the Blockchain space is the lack of understanding regarding Cryptocurrencies and Blockchain. For me, this was the leading factor that led Bitcoin to $20k in 2017, leading to a massive bubble pop.
We really need more educators to provide people with more information, so that they will do better decisions moving forward.
So if you are interested in education and you think that Blockchain is the future, then becoming a crypto educator might the thing for you, and we will appreciate it greatly!
How can I learn more about Blockchain Technology?
Fortunately, there is a lot of information out there regarding pretty much anything crypto-related.
So where to start?
Videos
Through my experience, the best way to learn about this technology is through youtube videos. Some of these concepts are not as easy to understand, so I find it most efficient to watch someone else explaining them to you through video.
Thus, here is a list of some youtube channels worth watching:
- Simply Explained - Savjee - A good source of videos that simplify blockchain's concepts in an understanding way.
- Box Mining - Exploring crypto fundamentals, insights and news, specially what's happening in China.
- Andreas Antonopoulos - Crypto educator and an important figure in this space. Author of quite some crypto-related books, such as Internet of Money (recommended) and Mastering Bitcoin.
- Chris Dunn- A Youtube content creator focused mainly on the finance aspect of blockchain. His videos are quite informative and simple to understand, so I highly recommend his content if you enjoy finance.
- Ivan on Tech - A young and promissing crypto educator and programmer with a huge footprint in this space. His content varies from explaining concepts, interviewing crypto personalities and digesting daily news. (highly recommended)
Of course, there are many other sources of information regarding Blockchain, from other youtube channels, to blogs and podcasts, but these are the most relevant for me personally.
Blockchain Technology Courses
If you find yourself lost or confused with concepts, or even if you would like to start building on this technology, I would advise you to take a look at Ivan on Tech's Academy.
This is a subscription-based platform that allows you to take world-class certificated courses on various topics regarding crypto and blockchain, such Blockchain 101, New Blockchain Developer, Blockchain for Business, Blockchain Game Developer and more. Also these courses don't require prior knowledge and are absolutely beginner friendly.
Ivan on Tech Academy Courses
I'm follow Ivan on Tech for a long time now, and I think that most of my knowledge about crypto comes from him and Andreas Antonopoulos. This being said, I ended up buying Ivan's Smart Contract Developer Course, when it came out for $100 and let me tell you, it is massive!
This course starts by teaching you how to code in Javascript and C++, and then you learn how to code on Ethereum and EOS on a deep, compreensive level. I'm still working towards finishing the course, and I confess that my time for it nowadays is short, but I learned a lot so far!
Oh, and by the way, ethspecs wouldn't be possible without this course.
This is what I got for just one course
If you are seriously considering learning more about Blockchain Technology, this course might be the thing for you.
From just $14/month you can get the following:
- What a Blockchain is
- How Blockchain works
- How Bitcoin works
- How Mining works
- How consensus algorithms work
- How Ethereum Works
- What a Smart Contract is
- What a Token is
- What a Dapp is
- How the EVM runs
- Solidity Programming
- Ethereum Dapp Programming
Believe me, it will take quite some time to master all of these topics. But in case you do and you feel like needing more, there are other plans to choose from.
Ivan on Tech's Academy Plans
Overall, I believe this is a great source of well-structured information with a lot of value for the price. So if you would like to join Ivan's Academy, you can do so here.
Conclusion
I believe that Blockchain Technology is one of the most promissing technologies for the near future. And now it's a great time as a creator to help this technology grow.
As we saw previously, Blockchain Technology is a great opportunity for creators:
- Due to its censorship-resistant nature: no entity can censor your work;
- Because sometimes you can actually can get rewards by creating content to the Blockchain.
- Since we are still in the early days of the Blockchain as it hasn't reached the mainstream audience yet. Imagine being involved in the early days of the internet.
I hope this article gave you a better understanding of how Blockchain Technology can be a great opportunity for creators. I did my best to explain things as simples as possible but the subject has quite the complexity.
Let me know if I did a good job explaining :D
Believe me, what we talked about today doesn't even scratch the surface of the rabbit hole that is Blockchain Technology. So, if you'd like me to create more content around this subject, make sure to let me know!
I'd be glad to help.
Until next time
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Posted from Creator's Keep | https://creatorskeep.com/blockchain-technology-opportunity-for-creators/