Did you ever went to a party or had dinner, where you ended up at a table with people seemingly smarter than you? At least on the discussed topics. I certainly have.
Spaghetti
Back in the day when I was a Journalism-student, I shared a corridor with several roommates who studied some biological, scientifical beta-stuff. Most of the time we dined together, sometimes with additional friends or fellow students.
So it could happen that when I was slurping away my homemade spaghetti, on the other end of the table four people were talking in what seemed to be another language. I have overheard several discussions and conversations about solar systems, genetic change, mathematics and all other kinds of things I didn't knew about, or possibly could understand. Which made it hard to participate in such debates.
Lucky for me eating spaghetti required my full attention, preventing myself from spilling anything on the white shirt I was wearing. (Somehow I always managed to eat spaghetti when dressed in something white...)
Cryptospace
When I first entered the cryptospace, the whole 'scientific spaghetti experience' déjà vued the crap out of me. After years of curiosity regarding Bitcoin and blockchain technology, I decided last year to step into the world of cryptocurrencies, but not without some decent information-gathering.
First I tried reading the whitepapers and general information regarding some coins, which were at least 'intimidating'. So, looking for easier explanations, I decided to search for people discussing crypto. But even the most accessible channels like Reddit and Telegram seemed to be flooded with people in need of a translator (or maybe I was the one needing the translator). People seemingly smarter than me.
(If you'd like to experience this yourself, ask in a random sub-Reddit of any coin, if someone can explain in simple words, what the coin or technology does. You'll be amazed by what they think are 'simple words'...)
Purpose
So, when it comes to information about cryptocurrencies, trading, technology and development, it's hard to find usable information specifically aimed at non-technical people. Which isn't very surprising. A lot of coins and underlying systems are still in development. You cannot blame a developer for his technical point of view. Same with a whitepaper. It's something covering all the specs of a coin or token. They consist information. They don't read like a good novel.
What I do find strange is that it's hard to find easier reads in addition to this. A lot of the early adopters poured money into crypto, because they somehow hope to profit from future mass-adoption. Which probably would happen a lot sooner when someone non-technical, with no IT-background also understands what he can do with crypto.
Do you think everyone using the internet today knows what is technically possible with it? Probably not. But it didn't stop them from using it, because they know how to use certain parts of that technology. Still their technical knowledge probably ends with unplugging the power and plugging back in when WiFi is down.
I am not saying I can explain all of this. A lot I read about coins and networks and development and trading and everything related to this seems Icelandic to me. (Icelandic is a pretty difficult language which I don't speak...) But the purpose for starting this series of blogs is to provide some insight in all of these things. To 'translate' some of the information so it's hopefully a bit easier to understand.
I'm not an experienced trader, and I certainly have no technical background. All information I provide are from my own research and experiences in the world of crypto, or information I put together with the help of others. So if I understand it the wrong way, please feel free to reply.
I hope everyone interested in crypto enjoys my write-ups and at least have a pleasant read!
Disclaimer
I don't provide trading advice for certain coins/tokens. I am not sponsored and don't do reviews to earn bounties.
If I write about certain technologies/coins it's my main purpose to explain, not to promote them.
My alias here is Arkroom. And yes, I own a small amount of Ark. The reason for this alias was that Ark was one of the first currencies I researched, liked a lot and decided to buy. I'm not in any way related to Ark or the team behind it. it just happens to be my favorite cryptocurrency, in the beginning based on nothing more than their name and logo.
For that matter, I don't have anything against Lisk either. I think the rivalry between Ark and Lisk is non-existent. I will probably cover this in another write-up in full.
Trading crypto is at your own risk.
All imagery used can be found un-edited on https://pixabay.com (free stock pictures) or are made by myself.