Day: May 5, 2018

Cryptocurrency users may have noticed that there has been an influx of Twitter account hacks in the past week or so. One of the affected accounts was that of Vertcoin, although it was quickly recovered. It now seems a network of bots was behind these hacks. Twitter has confirmed that those bots successfully stole various identities over the course of three days.

The Twitter Bot Problem

Although bots are nothing new in the world of social media, it remains pretty difficult to protect against nefarious activity. Twitter found this out the hard way, as various popular cryptocurrency-related accounts were hijacked in the past week. Virtually every attempt at taking over such an account was done to promote a crypto scam and hopefully trick novice users into sending over Bitcoin, Ethereum, or Litecoin.

While such scams have been around for some time now, it seems they’ve been becoming a lot more prolific in the past few weeks. Even accounts belonging to cryptocurrency investors can be hijacked with relative ease, although they are usually recovered in short order. It is evident the cryptocurrency industry is attracting a lot of attention right now, and it will continue to attract a lot of criminal activity as well.

Determining the reason for these hijackings has been somewhat problematic for the Twitter team. Unlike what was assumed at first, these accounts were not taken over due to lackluster security precautions on the part of users. Instead, it seems a network of bots was purposefully hijacking cryptocurrency-related accounts for three days straight before the network was shut down entirely.

So far, a lot of information regarding this network of bots remains shrouded in mystery. It is evident the attack itself was aimed at cryptocurrency users, although the concept of using bots for that specific purpose isn’t new. Various celebrities have had their accounts hijacked in recent months, and impersonator accounts have tended to pop up on a rather regular basis as well. Social networks are inherently vulnerable to such activity, which is not entirely surprising either.

Thankfully, it seems the bot network has now been shut down completely, although it remains unclear how that happened exactly. This doesn’t mean Twitter can prevent similar bots from continuing to target cryptocurrency users, although the company is “implementing countermeasures” to prevent history from repeating itself. Other botnets will surface in due time; that much is certain.

It seems the bots’ efforts were not overly successful. No Bitcoins were obtained, although a few Ether and Litecoin were sent to the scammers. Going through all of this trouble for just $1,520 in profit may not necessarily have been worth it. Even so, the overall appeal of cryptocurrencies will not diminish anytime soon, and criminals will come up with new ways to trick users accordingly.

Partnership to introduce more merchants to cryptocurrency

UTRUST has recently announced a strategic partnership with Gambio Gmbh. This partnership will enable UTRUST to serve over 25,000 merchants with crypto payments in Europe’s biggest economy, which is not only a big step for both companies, but for the industry as a whole. 

Disclosure: This is a Sponsored Article

Overview of GmbH

Gambio GmbH is one of the leading suppliers of e-commerce software to German-speaking countries since 2004. Their offerings are targeted at startups as well as more established merchants with complex requirements.

A variety of integrated interfaces, all major payments systems, shipping service providers as well as merchandise management systems can be connected to the shop system, allowing for a holistic view of things. One look at a dashboard is all it takes to make sure everything is running as expected.

Not only can all aspects of e-commerce be viewed through their software, but they all can also be controlled using Gambio GmbH’s offerings.

The ease of use and support of integration has led to the Bremen’s popular usage, and they now report billions in annual revenue.

This complements well with UTRUST, which is the world’s first cryptocurrency payments platform with implemented consumer protections on a large scale. With aligned interests and target market, a partnership was a natural one.

Partnership details

Once the partnership goes live in September, more than 25,000 merchants will then be able to effortlessly and securely accept cryptocurrencies as a payment.

Again, the partnership sends ripples through the market, as it also increases the total number of merchants that accept cryptocurrency as a payment method by a significant amount.

UTRUST CEO Nuno Correia commented on what he believes this partnership will mean for mass-scale blockchain payments;

“This partnership is another huge step forward, bringing cryptocurrency payments to real consumers. Today, together with Gambio, UTRUST is once again making history. Blockchain startups should focus on partnerships with real businesses, real customers, and real use-cases. That is what is needed now, more than ever, for mainstream adoption”

Through this partnership, UTRUST can easily achieve its goal of becoming a global payment platform, akin to PayPal, but with support for the cryptocurrency. UTRUST not only looks to revolutionize e-commerce for existing potential customers but also looks to reach out to the 2.5 billion unbanked in emerging markets, a demographic that has yet to have its potential realized.

UTRUST raised over $20 million in a successful token sale late 2017, which it will use to fully flesh out a cryptocurrency payments platform, alongside partnerships like Gambio Gmbh.

With cryptocurrency a natural extension for e-commerce, Gambio GmbH has much to reap from this partnership as well. Cryptocurrencies are much faster and have cheaper transaction costs than traditional payment methods, which complements the ethos of e-commerce stores where prices are cheaper compared to brick and mortar stores.

Staying ahead of the curve and offering more payment methods than the competition will surely drive more customers to use their software, increasing revenue.

To learn more about UTRUST, visit their website as well as their whitepaper. UTRUST’s UTK token can be traded at KuCoin here. UTRUST’s Telegram can be joined here, allowing you to chat with the team and community. UTRUST also has a thread on BitcoinTalk, allowing users to speak with other crypto users as well. Blog posts are made on the Medium platform. For social media, follow UTRUST on Twitter and Facebook.

There has been an ongoing “war” between Visa, Mastercard, and the cryptocurrency industry. With both major card issuers clamping down on Bitcoin-related debit cards over the past few months, it has become somewhat more difficult to spend cryptocurrency. Mastercard is now blaming the cryptocurrency industry for its reduced Q1 growth.

Mastercard vs. Cryptocurrency

The past year has been interesting for cryptocurrency, especially where credit and debit cards are concerned. Both Visa and Mastercard made it rather clear they would rather steer clear of cryptocurrency-related activities altogether. While not a popular decision, it simply makes a lot of sense for these companies. However, both companies also thrive because of cryptocurrency purchases made using Visa and Mastercard payment cards directly.

Unfortunately, it seems that momentum is also grinding to a halt. Mastercard recently released its Q1 earnings report, which failed to impress a lot of stockholders. With overall revenue lower than expected, the company has to find a reason as to why things are not going according to plan. It now seems Mastercard is blaming the lack of cryptocurrency-related purchases with payment cards for the loss of revenue, which is only to be expected.

It is very interesting to see how Mastercard is genuinely surprised by this most recent development. Granted, the falling prices of Bitcoin and all altcoins have caused fewer people to purchase cryptocurrencies with their payment cards. Additionally, the crackdown by this company on crypto-related activities has made consumers wary.

This doesn’t mean people are no longer buying Bitcoin or altcoins with their credit cards. The overall transaction volume went down a bit in Q1, but it seems to be only a matter of time until things pick up again. With some banks preventing their customers from buying Bitcoin with a payment card, the real issue lies there instead of within the cryptocurrency industry itself.

Among the banks preventing cryptocurrency purchases with payment cards are J.P. Morgan Chase, Bank of America, and Citigroup. All companies cite similar reasons for doing so, yet they are costing the likes of Visa and Mastercard a fair amount of revenue because of these odd decisions. Addressing those banks should be a top priority for the card issuing companies, rather than blaming cryptocurrency users.

Whether or not revenue for Mastercard will pick up in Q2 remains to be seen. With the prices of all cryptocurrencies on the rise again, we may see some positive changes in this regard. At the same time, it is not something the company can count on, and other opportunities will need to be explored accordingly. That is much easier said than done, as the number of opportunities in the financial world remains somewhat limited.

Blockchain businesses, like many other startups in the digital world, choose to boast of expelling middlemen and intermediaries. But sometimes intermediaries add real value to their industries. And sometimes they outlive their usefulness and create unnecessary economic distortion and inefficiency. More often than not, intermediaries in disrupted industries occupy an ambiguous zone between these two poles.

Uber, for example, has disrupted the taxi industry in London by connecting ride-hailers and drivers directly, cutting out taxi companies and certification requirements. But taxi drivers have pushed back, pointing to the legendary “The Knowledge” test that aspiring taxi drivers must pass to gain accreditation. This rigorous exam requires London taxi drivers to memorize thousands of street names, points of interest, and routes by heart, rending them efficient navigators even without GPS. Without taxi companies and accreditation providers serving as an intermediary, they argue, London’s ride-hailing industry would be overrun with inefficient navigators. Similar ambiguity over go-betweens’ new place (or lack thereof) exists in multiple fields experiencing technological disruption.

Fr8 Network is a new logistics startup that’s disrupting the freight trucking industry. This massive sector serves as the U.S.’s economic backbone, transporting 80% of all overland cargo. But it’s currently experiencing a “capacity crunch” as demand expands while talent supplies run short, and it needs to become more efficient to handle increased capacity. Fr8 Network’s blockchain-based platform will improve efficiency and working conditions in the trucking industry in a way that does impact freight brokers. But it’s an oversimplification to say brokers are going to go extinct.

Brokers in the Freight Industry

The freight industry is highly fragmented. 97% of truck companies operate 20 or fewer trucks, while 90% operate less than six. Many are owner-operators using only one vehicle. These carriers have traditionally used brokers to connect with shippers trying to move merchandise from one point to another. Brokers essentially match-make between suppliers and carriers and take a cut of carriers’ revenues in return. Broker fees currently comprise about 30% of typical shipping costs.

Brokers used to be an absolute necessity of the freight world–without them, there were no ways for carriers and shipper to find each other. But despite their fees, brokers’ abilities to efficiently make connections are limited. One broker might know of a shipper who needs goods moved from point A to point B, while another broker might know of a shipper who needs goods moved from point B to point A. One carrier could easily handle both of these shipments, but they only get access to knowledge about one of them through their chosen broker.

The result is a carrier who carries goods one way but has an empty load the other way. These “empty miles” are the scourge of the trucking industry. Owner/operators and carriers working for small businesses often get paid little or nothing for driving empty miles, even if they’re essential to completing a delivery. Empty miles drive up the environmental footprint of the entire trucking industry. They’re dangerous: empty trucks are more than twice as likely to crash as loaded ones. And they do nothing to help the trucking industry’s capacity crisis. The American Trucking Associations estimate that the trucking industry could be short 174,000 jobs by 2026 if hiring and demand trends continue. Empty miles exacerbate this shortage by decreasing the average capacity each trucker can handle.

Fr8 Network

Fr8 Network proposes a blockchain solution to empty miles. Their central platform is the Fr8 Board. On this job board, carriers, shippers, and brokers can post their shipping needs or available truck capacity. A bi-directional matching engine helps carriers find freight to carry on each leg of their journey. Blockchain-based Fr8 Tokens memorialize shipping agreements made on the Fr8 board in an immutable blockchain ledger, while smart contracts in the tokens automatically move funds into escrow when an agreement commences and can even automize settlement once a shipment concludes. The platform protects itself from spam accounts by requiring a small buy-in of Fr8 tokens to participate, and users leave reviews for their shipping partners so all participants can gauge future potential partners’ trustworthiness.

Broker Elimination?

Will this system eliminate trucking brokers? Fr8 Network argues no–in an industry that needs to fill a talent shortage and ramp up capacity, there’s still a place for the industry expertise and skill sets of brokers. What Fr8 Network will do is eliminate the stranglehold brokers–and particularly large and expensive brokers–have over data on shipping/carrier arrangements. When shippers and carriers can directly find and reach out to each other, there’s no longer a premium on services providing that connection.

Instead, brokers of any size can operate the Fr8 Board on behalf of clients, leaving shippers and carriers more time to carry out their tasks efficiently. Brokers can also offer value-added services such as providing credit and risk management for their clients. Fr8 Network anticipates that broker fees’ share of the average shipping cost should shrink immensely, from 30% to less than five.

Blockchain disruption doesn’t always kick intermediaries out of their industry. Instead, it can make them more valuable and efficient members of that industry, providing enhanced and cost-effective services once digital platforms take over and improve basic tasks. Fr8 Network illustrates how blockchain can revolutionize a sector and still keep valuable intermediaries in-the-loop.

The post Are Blockchain Solutions Really Expelling Brokers? appeared first on NewsBTC.

Superstar Barcelona FC football player Lionel Messi has become the official brand ambassador for Sirin Labs, the company marketing a new smartphone called ‘Finney’ that runs on blockchain technology.

According to the BBC, the company is known for previously marketing an ultra-secure smartphone for a hefty price of $17,000, based on its ‘watertight security.’ The new device is reported to offer users, “… the first open source, secure smartphone and all-in-one PC’, that will run on a fee-less blockchain, “ now enabling investors to protect their bitcoin on their phones.

Sport is clearly beginning to look at what blockchain offers. Messi, who has expressed more than a passing interest in cryptocurrency has said previously that he has, “…been digging deeper into blockchain and decentralized systems.” Also, Spanish football club Espanyol, and ex-greats, footballers Roberto Carlos and Ronaldinho, all have deals with decentralized sports investment platform, SportyCo.

Blockchain technology is under the microscope in sport at the moment. Ticketing issues and touting has always been an issue for some of the larger football clubs with enormous gates. The BBC, in its report, argues that teams like Manchester United with a stadium capacity of 75,000 would have a “logistical nightmare” keeping track of the records attached to tickets sold. Michael Broughton, who is a football business expert at Sport Investment Partners says:

“If you put your ticketing system onto the blockchain, you can verify if people attended, or who they gave their tickets to. If people want to transfer these tickets to friends or others then it has to be recorded on the blockchain.”

He suggests that sport now has this great opportunity through new technology to be at the forefront of its adoption. It can generate better revenues and enable a better service for sports-goers and fans.

Lionel Messi is not the only major sports figure to endorse a blockchain product recently. The world tennis number two, Caroline Wozniacki became an ambassador for health app, Lympo, becoming the first female athlete to follow in Messi’s footsteps.

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“Learn about digital marketing, because nowadays it’s more important that being a good photographer.” – Andre Vicente

Disclosure: This is a Sponsored Article

Every photographer has to pause at some point and ask themselves, “Am I doing enough to promote my work?”. In truth, Andre Vicente gave invaluable advice for his fellow photographers – digital marketing is and should be an integral part of your business.

New social  media platforms seem to pop up all the time – new features, new tools and strategies. It can get overwhelming. Social media for photographers is a little different from other fields, and you actually have a competitive advantage because you already have amazing content.

Even though there’s many ways to go about curating content and adapting it to different platforms, it’s better to focus on a few social media networks and really excel in a few instead of branching out to every possible social media platform and compromising in quality.

Your primary focus is to promote your photography and reach out to more people, which will hopefully bring you new clients. One common mistake with photographers is posting the same content on all the social media networks. You need to understand how all the platforms differentiate, and work towards achieving different goals on individual social media networks.

Facebook for photographers

If there’s one platform that is an absolute must for all photographers, it’s Facebook. It’s the perfect platform for mainly community building but also a great way for clients to get to know you and your work.

You need to keep your profile up to date and be active on the platform by joining other photography groups. Work towards building a profile and a business Page that is accurate and reflective of you as a professional.

The new Facebook algorithm prioritizes engagement. This means that your content should resonate with the people you know and it will have higher chances of being visible to other groups of people.

Instagram for photographers

The one platform where you can count on consistent engagement is Instagram. As it is a very visual platform, every photographer should be hanging out here. As you may very well know, many brands and companies have switched to business profiles which might also be fitting for you if you’re promoting a photography business. You can find out more about making the switch here.

Like Facebook, Instagram allows you to run ads which could be crucial to targeting people in your city and acquiring new customers this way. Also, you can upload DSLR images and really focus on the highest quality content to share with your followers and potential clients.

It’s easier to build up a following on Instagram with the use of hashtags and other features. It does take time and dedication to grow your following and find clients through the app, but you can be sure that it’s one of the most effective platforms in doing so. Many of our photographers also mention that they find their models through Instagram, which is another great bonus for photographers.

Twitter for photographers

Twitter is completely different from other social media platforms as it is very fast paced, and a ‘brief thoughts’ kind of format. You can include images, but think of Twitter as a platform to just connect to your followers, close ones and other professionals.

It’s a great platform for all the little updates about your business, shout outs and the like. Twitter also allows for advertising, which is worth experimenting with. Overall, it’s a decent tool for networking and connecting with like minded individuals.

If clients are interested in your work, you can be sure that the first places they look is the 3 networks we’ve mentioned so far. Keep your Twitter up to date but remember that it requires a very different approach if you want to increase engagement and branch out here.

Pinterest for photographers

Pinterest is perfect for niche photographers – wedding, interiors and events. Interestingly, 80% of Pinterest users are women and majority turn to Pinterest for inspiration for events. It is therefore a great platform for brand building. The main purpose is to inspire users.

Pinterest, like Instagram, is very visual. However, a different format is preferred – vertical photos which have proven to work better than horizontal ones. You can create several boards for different genres that you specialize in and increase your chances of being discovered by the platform’s target audience.

Pinterest should inspire a different kind of creativity. It might not be enough to just post images that link back to your website or blog. Pinterest images should send a very direct message so pairing images with text in a creative composition might work better. You can use tools like Crello to quickly and easily modify images and add text.

LinkedIn for photographers

We’re now getting to the ‘strictly business’ part of this article. Much can be said about LinkedIn as truly the platform for professional networking. What you can do is polish your CV to perfection to include the history of your career and use it sparingly to promote projects and reach out to people.

LinkedIn has a more mature audience that’s interested in building meaningful relationships. Use this to your advantage. Clients also often use the platform to find talent so if you have an excellent page that is discoverable, you can expect possible job offers. You can contact and target relevant industries if you want to make the most of LinkedIn for professional purposes.

Make sure your work is part of the page on LinkedIn. If someone stumbles on your page, they’re going to see the CV part right away, but they will want to see more of your work so see how you can integrate that as well.

Google+ for photographers

What you might not know about Google+ is that it’s actually really effective for search engine optimization. It’s often overlooked by photographers, but turns out that everything you post gets picked up by Google. What this means is that people looking for keywords you include in posts will show up in Google search.

This gives you a chance to be discovered for some basic searches which is another platform you should put  more thought into. Google+ also has groups you can join that’s just for photographers.

Many photographers perhaps struggle with the question “What’s the best platform for me”? There is no definitive answer because it all depends on your line of work and the goals you have for different social media platforms. Whichever ones you choose to focus on, really narrow in on the benefits of each one and treat them as separate platforms instead of posting the same images and little content everywhere.

You may have noticed that there was no mention of platforms like Tumblr, Snapchat, Behance and a handful of others. It’s not to say that those platforms aren’t effective, it’s more about the platforms that can give you a competitive advantage and actually make a difference to your business.

Which platforms have helped you promote your business and acquire more clients? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Aritcle Source

According to regional reports Vietnam’s oldest Bitcoin Exchange, Bitcoin.vn, is about to lose its domain per order of the Vietnamese Government. The website that has been operating since 2014 has been accused of operating a blog without permission from the Minister of Information & Communications of Vietnam.

Also read: Crypto-to-Cash Lending is Growing Quite Popular These Days

Vietnam’s Oldest Bitcoin Exchanges May Lose its Domain

Bitcoin.vn is a Vietnamese trading platform that’s been providing bitcoin exchange services for over four years. Just recently the local publication ICT News reports that Bitcoin.vn (Bitcoin Vietnam) is being stripped of its website domain for being found guilty of “operating a blog without a proper license.” The Vietnamese trading platform is accused of operating the blog without obtaining a publisher license by the Minister of Information & Communications of Vietnam. Bitcoin Vietnam’s management team declined to comment on these reports because of the ongoing legal proceedings. However, the Department of Radio, Television and Electronic Information has fined Bitcoin Vietnam Co., Ltd. for illegally creating an alleged blog and social network. 

The charges against Bitcoin.vn are divided into a 15M VND fine ($660 USD) for operating a blog and 25M ($1,100) for allowing readers the ability to comment (unlicensed social network) below the published articles on Bitcoin.vn. News.Bitcoin.com spoke with an industry insider from the region about the litigation against the trading platform’s domain. According to the individual familiar with the matter, the blog barely saw any activity apart from irregular announcements about the exchange’s user interface upgrades and general service information.

“They had like maybe two articles per month on there — to seize their domain for such a minor offense is a very, very heavy-handed approach,” explains the anonymous source to news.Bitcoin.com.  

Out of 100 Vietnamese startups, likely 99,9% don’t bother to register for a media/publisher license for their company blog — This is not a good sign for Vietnam’s startup scene.        

Sinister Activities at Play?

Our sources also say there may be some more sinister activities at play concerning the charges against Bitcoin Vietnam.

“Ask yourself why they picked this one company out of all the hundreds of startups and thousands of SME’s in Vietnam to charge them for running some small shitty blog — in order to confiscate their domain?” the anonymous individual explained in a telephone conversation. “If you understand a bit how Vietnam works, then there is not much to wonder about. These guys did not publish any anti-government propaganda in any way, so normally nobody would bother about them. The truth is, that this domain has — especially since the large crypto bull-run in 2017 — gained a lot of value – and somebody more powerful and with much more well-established connections than these guys wants to get a hold of it.”

Bitcoin Vietnam might have been the pioneers in this market, but when the big guys finally start to come to play, they don’t play by the rules. They see something they want to have, and they take it. These guys can be lucky to just have received a minor fine – that their domain is gone is of course sad for them after they did all this pioneering work, but that’s just how Vietnam works. If you want to know who is behind this move — just watch out who will be the one utilizing this domain once the immediate dust has settled.           

Bitcoin Vietnam and the domain Bitcoin.vn is one of the oldest operating cryptocurrency exchanges and has been a reputable trading platform since the summer of 2014. At the moment there are no confirmed decisions made or any information on who might receive ownership of the website if the Ministry of Communications makes its decision to revoke the domain.

What do you think about the Bitcoin.vn website losing its domain? Let us know your thoughts on this subject in the comments below.

Images via Pixabay, Bitcoin.vn logos, and Zing.vn 

Want to see all 500 cryptocurrency market caps in real-time? We got a destination for that called — Satoshi Pulse. 

The post Bitcoin Vietnam Faces Losing its Domain from Government appeared first on Bitcoin News.

Streaming content is quickly supplanting traditional cable and television as the primary way people watch video content. According to a Pew Research Center survey, a whopping 61% of respondents aged 18-29 primarily use online streaming services to watch television. Emarketer estimated that there were 22.2 million cord-cutters aged 18 and older in the U.S. in 2017, a 33.2% increase over 2016 figures.

Streaming content is the wave of the future. SuccessLife is using blockchain to take the streaming content world even further by changing how personal development educational videos get distributed.

Blockchain’s Promise for Streaming Content

Streaming content has provided some unique benefits, such as more choice and flexibility for consumers and more targeted advertising opportunities for brands. But monetization of streaming content has always been difficult.

Early digital platforms such as Napster and Limewire mainly enabled piracy. Streaming services such as Netflix require a flat fee for monthly access, which means viewers who only use the service occasionally wind up subsidizing those who use it heavily. Streaming service users are also subject to the shifting whims and rights access of content providers, often discovering that a beloved TV show isn’t available on their chosen platform, or that the platform unexpectedly took their favorites down.

Independent creators without the financial resources of a movie studio, TV company, or major streaming service usually fall back on Youtube, but Youtube recently implemented new rules requiring channels participating in their monetizing Partner Program to have at least 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours over 12 months. This controversial decision demonetized the platform for many small contributors, but even most Youtube stars don’t make enough to quit their day job or create elaborate productions.

Blockchain has a promise for changing industries ranging from healthcare to energy to banking, and it has potential to change the streaming content market too. Content providers can use blockchain’s transaction ledger to offer content directly to consumers, without middlemen such as centralized streaming providers (Netflix, Youtube, etc.) controlling the financial relationship between providers and consumers. Much as Bitcoin uses blockchain’s immutable ledger to enable transactions that don’t require third-party oversight, streaming content providers and consumers can use blockchain to exchange payment and content directly. Cutting out intermediaries provides higher revenue to content creators and more flexibility and reliability for consumers.

The Personal Development Market

Marketplaces that are particularly underserviced by existing streaming platforms are uniquely ready for a blockchain revolution. Personal development is one such marketplace. The same young age cohort that’s far more likely to use mostly or exclusively online streaming services is also increasingly interested in personal and professional development. 94% of millennials reported making personal improvement commitments in 2015, while only 84% of Baby Boomers and 81% of Generation X members did the same. Millennials say that they plan to spend twice as much annually as Baby Boomers on self-improvement, despite earning far lower income. It’s no surprise, then, that the personal development industry is worth almost $10 billion.

SuccessLife is launching a blockchain-based streaming content market for the personal development industry. This crypto venture is a new project from Success Resources, a group of personal development companies who produce educational events and seminars featuring speakers such as Tony Robbins and Richard Branson. Success Resources has held thousands of events across thirty countries over their twenty-five years in existence, connecting with 10 million live event attendees and generating years of educational footage. Event topics have included personal finance, entrepreneurship, time management, investment strategies, and many other personal and professional skills.

SuccessLife’s central venue is a blockchain-enabled virtual marketplace. Learners can use SuccessLife Tokens (SLTs) to access streaming video content offered on the platform. This content will include footage of Success Resources events, personal coaching sessions, skills workshops, and other streaming videos. By handling transactions with blockchain-based SuccessLife Tokens, SuccessLife provides content transactions that are both highly reliable and cost-effective.

When token holders use their tokens to access content, the token’s immutable ledger and smart contracts automatically provide the purchaser with the content and the provider with payment. The transaction ledger also guards against piracy, as access credentials based on blockchain can’t be duplicated. This arrangement helps small creators as much as it does large ones looking for better distribution models. That’s why SuccessLife integrates community-building tools such as forums and digital classrooms into its marketplace and will encourage users to create and offer their content on the platform. Other uses pay SLT tokens to access this user-created content, offering successful creators real monetization for their work.

A streaming content solution for the personal development marketplace is past due, especially given Millennials’ interest in both areas. SuccessLife is launching that marketplace by unlocking the power of blockchain.

The post How Does Content Streaming on Blockchain Work? appeared first on NewsBTC.

Bitcoin mining has become harder to turn a profit as scarcity and increased complexity to solve algorithms requires added skill, computing power, and electricity. As large companies steadily take over the cryptocurrency mining activity, enthusiasts get creative to reduce expenses to make it worth it.

Bitcoin Mining Gets Popular on College Campuses for Its Free Electricity

Alex Gilarde, a senior at Fairleigh Dickison University, started mining cryptocurrencies in 2012, when it was still relatively easy to profit from the activity. Bitcoin was cheaper than $5 when he and his friends decided to venture into mining.

“When I started mining cryptocurrencies and going onward, I would do it in my parents’ house and in our own school actually after school. I would leave my laptop in different corners of the school”, Gilarde told CNBC, explaining his long-term perspective on the activity led him to spend $4,000 to $5,000 on hardware to build his mining rigs.

His investment has paid off. The value of his mined Bitcoins has multiplied several times as the digital currency reached as high as $20,000. In the meantime, he runs three rigs in his dorm room 24/7, and another at his parents’ house which result in a couple hundred to a thousand dollars of returns every couple of months.

Mining costs, however, have gone through the roof in recent years. GPU cards have seen their prices skyrocketing as growing demand wasn’t met by a proportionate increase in supply. The additional computing power required to mine bitcoin is also taking its toll on electricity costs. “It’s gotten pretty ludicrous now the amount of money you have to spend to get in”, Gilarde added.

With Bitcoin standing at about half of the price of its record highs printed in December 2017, taking advantage of a somewhat vague University’s Acceptable Use Policy has been a strategic decision to cut costs. The campus’ policy “prohibits activity that incurs additional cost to the University” and “blocks the mining of cryptocurrency at the firewall level”, according to a spokesperson. There is, however, no specific language banning cryptocurrency mining under the current use policy.

Gilarde makes use of the free electricity to run his three heat-generating mining rigs. He compensates with computer fans and by turning his dorm room AC on to keep the temperature down, which is an extra cost for the school and an added profit for the cryptocurrency miner. Besides monitoring the temperature, Gilarde has his graphics cards spread out so they don’t use too much power and monitors his energy usage with a cloud-based tracking system.

Free electricity on campus may not be such a given in the near future as universities look to update their cryptocurrency mining policies.

The post College Students Use Free Electricity on Campus to Mine Bitcoin appeared first on NewsBTC.

Wall Street’s first brokerage analyst to cover BTC extensively urges investors to think twice before entering the crypto markets, despite recent bullish signs