Tips for holding a successful cryptocurrency airdrop campaign from a user perspective

I was reading an article from Payments Journal about

“Six Tips to Make Your Airdrop a Success” and thought I would write my little piece on the subject, from a user’s perspective.

Clarification #1: I’ve never run an ICO or airdrop campaign, so I have little understanding of technical aspect such as delivery of tokens, etc.

Clarification #2: Since starting my journey into my airdrop challenge I’ve signed up for around 15 airdrops, not to mention the ones that were scams and I could not complete for whatever reason.

What’s the point of this article:
Hopefully a company that is trying to run an airdrop reads this and improves their systems. Here are my tips from experience. Keep in mind that I can be wrong, and what I’m writing is purely my own opinion.

Switch from technical to simple

It’s easy to get caught up in the technical side of things when it comes to an airdrop. After all, the ICO and cryptocurrency realm is highly technical. The only problem with this notion is, that most people that sign up for airdrops probably learned about it from a friend, a forum post or some kind of website like mine.

These people can be complete crypto noobs and might have just recently bought their first piece of Bitcoin. They can understand basic instructions, but anything too technical and you are setting yourself up for a support nightmare. Even confusing instructions, weird website setups or strange forms is not a good idea. Make your airdrop user-friendly. It’s that simple.

Be clear on the following:

Exactly what a user needs to do to earn/receive airdrop tokens.
When will a user receive their tokens?
How much is each token worth or will it be on launch day?
What is your total airdrop token value?
When will you receive your tokens?

Confirm that your airdrop is not a scam

I hate signing up for an airdrop only to realize that it’s probably a complete scam and that I will never see those tokens in my wallet. Not only did I just waste time, but I probably just gave away my email address or entered personal details into a form that I rather would not have done, especially now that I know it’s a scam. There should be two parts to this:

Airdrop hosting

Host your airdrop on your main website! This is so simple, yet I can’t understand why so many ICO’s and blockchain projects try to collect user data via a Google form. It’s a complete joke. If your project is worth anything you should have a developer or designer that can create a page for your airdrop that can collect a form, have a user dashboard, etc. Lately, if an airdrop is not on a project’s website, I just don’t even bother filling out the form – OR READING ABOUT THE ICO. Isn’t that what it’s all about, to gain exposure?

Make sure information about the airdrop is shared across all your social media accounts. You can also go the extra mile and create a blog post on your company blog, Medium.com, and Steemit. Also, register as a company representative or the company yourself so that it looks legit. Please stop using some Bitcoin forum as your main portal for airdrop announcements. Sure, you can use it get people to promote it and announce bounties, but it has to be on your official website or point to it.

Scam prevention

Choose an employee or higher a virtual assistant to scour the web on a regular basis for people hosting a fake airdrop for your coin. There are just so many airdrop groups on Facebook, subReddits, etc. they would have to join to find out. You could even set up Google Alerts. Once a scam airdrop for your token or ICO is discovered, do whatever you can to close it down by reporting them to the platform they are on. Also, notify your subscribers to warn them of the scam.

Utilize as many social media platforms possible

If you care about gaining exposure for your ICO or blockchain project allow users to get the word out on multiple social media platforms and award them accordingly. This should include Facebook, Twitter, Medium, Reddit, Facebook groups (multiple share options), Steemit, YouTube – just to mention a few. Also don’t be skimpy with your reward system. The more you give, the more you get which takes me to my next point.

Reward users fairly

I’m okay with signing up for an airdrop that gives me $5 worth of tokens, but anything lower than that it starts to lose my interest. Also, if the airdrop is that low ($5), let’s face it $5 isn’t much, then please don’t expect the user to like and follow all 10 of your social accounts to get it.

And don’t let me get started on rewarding users $1-$2 per referral. Sure it might sound easy drive referrals to an airdrop page, but it isn’t always as simple as it sounds. Reward them accordingly. At least make an airdrop reward around $5. This way you will probably generate much more exposure and motive affiliates. Don’t be skimpy. I would much rather sign up AND READ ABOUT AN ICO when the airdrop gives you a good amount of tokens $10+.

Use technology to your advantage

This part admittedly I lack in experience and knowledge, but really if you have a team of expert developers working for you, surely you can figure it out. Use technology to track user signups, create a dashboard for easier tracking and confirmation of tasks completed for additional tokens, make it easy for users to see their token balance, etc.

The dashboard in my honest opinion is a great option. I love being able to log into my account and check my latest referral and airdrop statistics. Why can’t every airdrop campaign have this? You can even have a page on your website that details the number of airdrop tokens distributed and enable checking of wallet addresses etc to see how many tokens they will receive. EOSdac did something similar.

Check that everything works before launching

Why would you start an airdrop campaign only to have to tell users “we’re busy fixing the bugs, please be patient.” This is entirely unprofessional and just means you did not prepare correctly or test the airdrop. The simple solution is to test that everything is working before you launch the campaign.

Article Produced By
Crypto Coin Authority

http://www.thecryptocoinauthority.com/successful-airdrop-campaign-tips/

David https://markethive.com/david-ogden

AirDrop: The Ultimate Guide

AirDrop lets you quickly and easily transfer files between iPhones, iPads, and Macs.

It uses Bluetooth LE to broadcast, discover, and negotiate connections, and point-to-point Wi-Fi to transfer data. That makes it fast, power-efficient, and secure! When you're using AirDrop between iPhones and iPads, you can AirDrop photos, videos, contacts, Passbook passes, Voice Memos, Map locations, and any and everything else that appears on a Share sheet.

How to turn on AirDrop for iPhone or iPad

AirDrop lets you choose between enabling it for just your contacts or for everyone. "Contacts" requires more work, as you and the person you want to AirDrop with both have to be logged into iCloud and be in each other's Contacts. "Everyone" is easier but means random people you don't know can send you prank AirDrops.

Tap Contacts Only or Everyone to turn AirDrop on.

Launch Control Center by swiping up from the bottom bezel of your iPhone or iPad.
Make sure both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are active. If they're not, just tap on them. (You don't have to be on a Wi-Fi network, you just need Wi-Fi on to transfer).
Tap AirDrop.

How to AirDrop files from your iPhone or iPad

You can AirDrop files from any iPhone or iPad app that includes the built-in Share sheet, and you can share to anyone and any of their devices that show up in the Share sheet.

Tap the person or device you want to share to.

Find the file you'd like to send with AirDrop (I chose a photo).
Tap the Share button on the bottom right of your screen (looks like a box with an arrow coming out of the top).

Note: If you choose Contacts Only, make sure you're logged into iCloud. Apple won't share your contacts with another device to determine if there's a match; it'll check both your iCloud accounts instead. Then, if there is a match, it'll show you your own version of the contact on your own device. That way, no data gets leaked.

If you choose Everyone, even though you are highly visible to other devices, you will always be prompted when someone is trying to share files with you through AirDrop. If you don't recognize the sender, or do not want to receive the files, you can always choose not to accept them. Files sent through AirDrop will appear in the app that typically handles those sorts of files — i.e. photos will show up in Photos.

How to block AirDrop with restrictions for iPhone and iPad

If you want to not just turn off AirDrop but block it completely, for example on your child's iPhone or iPad, you can use restrictions — also known as parental controls. Tap on Enable Restrictions at the top if you don't already have them turned on. If you do, skip down to step 6.

Switch AirDrop to Off.

Launch the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
Tap on General.
Tap on Restrictions.
Enter a passcode that you'll use to enable and disable apps.

How to troubleshoot AirDrop on iPhone and iPhone

AirDrop feels miraculous when it's working, frustrating when it's not. If you're having trouble with AirDrop on your iPhone or iPad, here are some fixes:

How to turn on (or off) AirDrop for Mac

Launch the Finder on your Macs.
Click on AirDrop in the left navigation.
Select Off to disable AirDrop, Contacts Only to enable only your contacts to AirDrop you, or Everyone to let everyone AirDrop you.

How to AirDrop from your Mac using the drag and drop

If you want to grab some files and quickly throw them into AirDrop, the fastest way to do it is using drag and drop.

Launch Finder on your Mac.
Find the files you want to AirDrop.
Drag the files over AirDrop in the sidebar.
Hover there until the Finder changes to the AirDrop window.
Drop the files onto the picture of the contact you want to share them with.

How to AirDrop from your Mac using the context menu

If you prefer to control/right-click on your Mac, you can access AirDrop that way as well.

Launch Finder on your Mac.
Find the file you want to share.
Control/right click on the file and then choose Share from the menu.
Choose AirDrop from the sub-menu.
Click on the picture of the person you want to share with.

How to AirDrop from your Mac using the Share sheet

You can also AirDrop files using the Share sheet on macOS, including from the Finder and Safari.

Click on the Share button, typically at the top right.
Select AirDrop
Click on the picture of the person you want to share with

How to troubleshoot AirDrop on on Mac

If contacts don't show up in the AirDrop interface, try these solutions, in order:

Toggle Bluetooth and/or Wi-Fi off and back on to reset the connections.
Turn off Instant Hotspot to free up the Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connections.
Temporarily switch to Everyone to remove any chance of contact mismatch.

Article Produced By
Rene Ritchie
and
Cella Lao Rousseau

https://www.imore.com/airdrop

David https://markethive.com/david-ogden

Operation Airdrop delivers critical supplies within hours to areas flooded by Hurricane Florence

Within mere minutes, volunteers from the Texas-based organization

Operation Airdrop rushed to unload a semi-truck filled with bottled water. In under a half-hour, those same bottles were airborne from Raleigh-Durham International Airport bound toward a flooded Carteret County.

Founded a year ago in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, Operation Airdrop expanded into providing service for Hurricane Florence with the help of local Triangle grassroot coordinators, pilots and partnerships with dozens of local and national disaster-relief organizations. The organization moves supplies from municipal airports to boats in the flooded regions of North Carolina, many of which are where trucks or cars cannot access safely. Dan Benedix, a volunteer pilot, said the organization delivered 29,000 pounds of food and supplies across North Carolina on Tuesday and approximately 55,000 pounds Wednesday.

“In Lumberton they’re unloading the airplanes from the terminal onto boats, and those boats are going to peoples' houses that have been stranded without food or water for the last three or five days,” Benedix said.Although other disaster-relief organizations can take days between receiving and delivering supplies, Benedix said there’s only a few hours between Operation Airdrop's intake of product and it arriving to the destination in need.

According to Benedix, RDU’s Airport Authority gave all Operation Airdrop planes a $1 per gallon discount on gas and allowed hundreds of volunteer planes to use the TAC Air terminal. The volunteer pilots are paying their own gas — up to $600 for a round trip to the coast. “In fact, Cape Fear is offering (the pilots) fuel for free, and they’re refusing,” Benedix said. Jil Christensen, a Raleigh-based Operation Airdrop coordinator, said, as an avid sailor, her memories of earlier devastation on the N.C. coast drove her charitable work. “I wanted to make sure what happened in Hurricane Matthew did not happen during Hurricane Florence,” she said.

Christensen said her involvement in Operation Airdrop began when she joined online groups looking for her sailboat during Florence. Christensen said she was the only online group member unaffected by the hurricane and found herself in a unique position to help. “I was getting private messages, asking me to find their aunt in flooding waters, or someone was dying because they were running out of oxygen and asked me to call 911,” Christensen said. “I realized the scale of what was happening, and I realized the storm had only been going on for 14 hours.”

Christensen said the support from the community has been overwhelming, but the organization can handle even more supplies and volunteers in addition to what they are currently receiving. “We need more, and that is only because we can move 200 planes if we have enough stuff to put in 200 planes," she said. "And that means 200 planes get to destinations across the state.” The most critical supplies to donate can be found on this Amazon list, updated daily by Operation Airdrop as items go out-of-stock and as they field requests from communities and families in need.

Article Produced By
Ryan Smoot

http://www.dailytarheel.com/article/2018/09/operation-airdrop-0920

David https://markethive.com/david-ogden

âAirDropâ between iPhone & Windows PC: 2 Best Alternatives!

“AirDrop” between iPhone & Windows PC: 2 Best Alternatives!

Apple’s AirDrop, the excellent file-transfer feature,

unfortunately only works between Apple devices. There is no “AirDrop software” for other platforms to install, which means you won’t be able to use it if you’re a Window or Linux user. But just because AirDrop is not compatible with Windows doesn’t mean you cannot transfer files wirelessly from your iPhone, iPad to a Windows PC and vice versa. In fact, AirDrop is an implementation of Wi-Fi Direct, the technology that allows two devices to establish a wireless connection and share data. So there will be some alternatives that let you achieve the same thing on other platforms as well. In this article, I will show you several alternatives to AirDrop that do a great job transferring files between iPhone, iPad and Windows PC. Keep reading and enjoy!

AirDrop Alternatives for Windows

These applications have the ability to establish a connection between devices in the same Wi-Fi network, so you can transfer data wirelessly. If there is no Wi-Fi network nearby, that’s fine. You can turn on Personal Hotspot and connect your computer to it. These applications only utilize the connection, it won’t drain your mobile data.

1. Zapya

Zapya allows you to share all types of files between your devices wirelessly using Wi-Fi tethering or hotspot feature. The developer claims that the transmission speed can be up to 10MB per second, it is even much faster than AirDrop.

Zapya is completely free to install and use. On your PC, go to Zapya’s homepage and download and install the version for Windows PC. On your iPhone/iPad, launch App Store, look for the Zapya app and install it.

How to use Zapya

First off, connect your iPhone/iPad and your Windows PC to the same Wi-Fi network or with hotspot and then launch Zapya on both devices. Now on your PC, in the Connect tab, select “Join Group”. It will scan and list out the Zapya-enabled device. Click “Connect” to start connecting two devices. Or you can connect from your iPhone by using the Radar functionality.

Once both devices are connected, you can start sending files between them. You can send photos, videos in the Photos app, transfer music, contacts. Files that are imported from other applications will be shown in the File section. Just select the files you’d like to transfer and then tap the send button, the files will immediately be transmitted. On your PC, you can find the files in the Record tab. Click on the folder icon next to each file to open them in the folder window. Of course, you can transfer files from your computer to your iPhone iPad, too. Once you’ve joined both devices, just drag and drop files onto the Zapya window, or click the Send Files button and browse to the files you want to send.

2. Xender

Xender is another transfer software that using Wi-Fi utility. Unlike Zapya, you don’t have to install any program on your computer to get it working. Xender claims that their software is even easier to use than AirDrop. But I don’t think so :)) AirDrop is very well-integrated in the system and I’ve never used anything better than that. However, Xender still can get the job done for Windows users. Below are the steps involved in the process of transferring files between two devices: iPhone and your computer.

1) Download and install Xender on your iPhone. It’s free.

2) Make sure two devices are connected to the same Wi-Fi network, or your laptop must join the Personal Hotspot created by your iPhone.

2) On your computer, open a web browser, and go to http://web.xender.com. The web page will then show you a QR code.

3) Open Xender on your iPhone, swipe right, tap “Connect PC” on the side menu. Then tap the Scan button, scan the QR code appearing on the computer’s screen. Now both devices should be connected to each other, and the site will reload, giving you control over the files on iPhone.

4) Now you can upload files from your computer to the iPhone, or download files from the iPhone via the web browser. To copy photos & videos from your iPhone, you can click hover the mouse over the item and click the Download button under it. Or you can bulk transfer by selecting the items you want to transfer, then click the Download button in the top corner. And that’s how you can “AirDrop” between an iOS device and a Windows PC. Hopefully, this article can help you resolve your issue while dealing with transferring files. And what way do you prefer? Do let me know in the comments below.

Article Produced By

Dan Norris

https://iphonebyte.com/airdrop-iphone-mac-windows/

David https://markethive.com/david-ogden

Apple sued over AirDrop technology

Patent troll Uniloc returned to form on Wednesday after a months-long hiatus from lobbing allegations against Apple, this time challenging the company's AirDrop file sharing technology with a 2006 Philips patent.

Filed with the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas,

Uniloc's latest attempt to extract damages from the tech giant leverages a single patent first filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in 2000. Invented by Jonathan Griffiths, U.S. Patent No. 7,136,999 for a "Method and system for electronic device authentication" details techniques of creating a secure environment for transferring data between two devices. In particular, the IP covers methods of providing authentication over a variety of wireless protocols including Bluetooth.

According to the patent's first claim, an initial authentication procedure is performed over a short-range wireless link. Once authenticated, the two devices are then able to connect when out of range of the first wireless link protocol. As noted in following claims, the devices can exchange initial authentication information — a key or password — via an alternative communications link.

The USPTO issued a grant for the '999 patent in 2006.

The IP has changed hands multiple times since its filing in 2000, first from Griffiths to Philips Electronics that same year. It was assigned to patent aggregator IPG Electronics 503 Limited in 2009, then on to Pendragon Wireless in 2012 before landing in Uniloc's coffers in February 2018. Uniloc Luxembourg subsequently assigned the patent to Uniloc 2017 LLC in July. Uniloc's U.S. licensing entity, with the recently formed Uniloc 2017, is leveraging the patent-in-suit against Apple and AirDrop. Introduced alongside OS X 10.7 Lion in 2011, AirDrop is a first-party ad hoc protocol designed to simplify the process of transferring large files from one device to another.

Initially developed to connect two Macs over Wi-Fi, the service first appeared in the OS X Finder. Running AirDrop allowed two Macs to quickly create an ad hoc connection without need for passwords or complex network configuration. Simple drag-and-drop functionality made the system a more attractive alternative to direct link, cloud storage and similar file transfer solutions in use at the time. Apple later extended — and modified — AirDrop to accommodate its mobile operating system with iOS 7 in 2013. Unlike legacy AirDrop technology, the revamped version employs a dual-link structure that relied on Bluetooth for discovery and token setup, and Wi-Fi for file transfers. Again, users are presented with an easy-to-use interface in Share Sheets that features automatic device discovery and tap-to-send capabilities.

It is this second iteration of AirDrop that Uniloc is targeting in its latest lawsuit.

The non-practicing entity is alleging infringement of claims 13 and 17 of the '999 patent, which relate to establishing a secure link between two devices through exchange of authentication information over two separate communications links. Named in the suit are all devices compatible with Apple's current implementation of AirDrop, including all iPhones from iPhone 5 to iPhone XS Max, fourth- and fifth-generation iPads, all iPad mini generations, all iPad Air models, iPad Pro, MacBook, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini, Mac Pro, the fifth-generation iPod and fourth- through sixth-generation iPod touch models.

Uniloc in its suit seeks unspecified damages, reimbursement of legal fees and other relief deemed fit by the court.

The AirDrop case is the latest in a string of Uniloc lawsuits targeting Apple technologies. In the middle of 2017, the non-practicing entity went on a spree, filing suit against the iPhone maker almost once a month. Last April, Uniloc sued over Maps, Apple ID and remote software updates, while a second batch of filings homed in on AirPlay, autodialing, battery technology in May. Device wake-up, step tracking and Apple Watch were added to the growing pile last June, AirPlay and Home in July, the Apple TV Remote app in August and Apple Watch's GPS in October. Uniloc is one of the most active patent trolls in the U.S., leveraging reassigned patents or vaguely worded original IP against a number of tech firms including Activision Blizzard, Aspyr, Electronic Arts, McAfee, Microsoft, Rackspace, Sega, Sony, Symantec and more.

Article Produced By
Mikey Campbell

https://appleinsider.com/articles/18/10/03/apple-sued-over-airdrop-technology

David https://markethive.com/david-ogden

EOS Airdrop â What Is It And When Will It Come?

EOS Airdrop — What Is It And When Will It Come?

Despite the fact that 2018 has been almost constantly bearish,

numerous cryptocurrencies have still managed to make some very important moves. EOS is certainly one of them, and this year will be marked forever in EOS history as the year when the crypto has launched its own MainNet.

While this was a most eagerly anticipated event, it was successfully pulled back in June. Ever since then, EOS has been working hard to make its network bigger, better, and more reliable. The same goes for its community, which has already benefitted greatly from numerous EOS airdrop events in the last few months. However, the excitement is not yet over, and EOS airdrop list still holds quite a few of events that should not be missed by coin’s supporters and holders.

What is EOS airdrop?

For those who might not know, an airdrop is an event during which a crypto project distributes its coins to its users. The events have grown to be very popular, since coins are distributed for free, and they can be obtained without paying or trading other cryptos. This is considered to be among the best marketing strategies for every crypto. The faithful users can see it as a reward for their support, while it is not unheard of for these events to attract new users which are effectively expanding the coin’s community. With an increase in awareness, EOS airdrop events can also help with driving the widespread adoption of the coin.

Airdrops are often performed by various projects that are in development on the specific coin’s network. These can include new dApps, platforms, and even decentralized exchanges. By releasing coins to coin holders, these projects are successfully spreading awareness, and are getting more supporters and users.

What EOS airdrops can be expected soon?

As mentioned, EOS airdrop events have become increasingly popular, especially in the recent months. July, August, and September have already had numerous such events, which have dropped quite large amounts of EOS tokens. This will, of course, continue in the coming months, and the EOS community is eagerly awaiting their arrival. At the time of writing, there are a few airdrops that have already been scheduled, with a lot more of them that have yet to specify the date and time of the events.

These include airdrops made by a wallet MORE, Chinese block producer candidate EOSpace, a gambling portal EOSBet, a fundraising dApp GiveyNation, and more. One event that has been scheduled months in advance is CADEOS airdrop. CADEOS is a decentralized CAD file, as well as a platform dedicated to project management. It aims to allow users to manage their projects with more efficiency and ease, as well as to share and edit CAD files on the platform directly. CADEOS airdrop is scheduled to be held on December 12 of this year.

While the number of scheduled airdrops is currently only limited to CADEOS airdrop, this should not discourage EOS holders. As mentioned previously, there are numerous others that have yet to provide an official date of the airdrop. Still, they will come sooner or later, and EOS enthusiasts should stay tuned, and keep an eye out for official announcements of these events.

Article Produced By

Ali Raza

A freelance journalist, with experience in web journalism and marketing. Ali holds a master degree in finance and enjoys writing about cryptocurrencies and fintech. Ali's work has been published on a number of cryptocurrency publications.

https://globalcoinreport.com/eos-airdrop-what-is-it-and-when-will-it-come/

Check out the new Global Coin Report talk show as we address all the highlights in crypto and the financial markets. With guests from all over the cryptosphere bringing you news, editorial, and of course, money making opportunities.

David https://markethive.com/david-ogden

What Does the Rise of Airdrop Campaigns Tell Us About ICOs?

Airdrops are massive distributions of value-caring cryptographic assets,
free of charge.

Pennies from heaven, who doesn’t like them?

Especially when it comes to magic pennies, raining down from a cryptographic sky, bearing the promise to increase in value as time progresses. This isn’t just the latest geeky Sci-Fi-inspired fantasia show killing it at Comic-Con, but rather a serious financial instrument, burgeoning in the always exhilarating blockchain space. It’s called an Airdrop, and it describes a mechanism through which a blockchain startup distributes its tokens, or virtual currency, to a large number of random people for free. ere and there you’ll be kindly asked to post about the event on social media, but overall, Airdrops are massive distributions of value-caring cryptographic assets, free of charge.

Airdrops are not a new phenomenon. We have seen blockchain companies hand out their tokens for free before. Normally this would happen shortly after, or sometimes before these entities offered their tokens in a public sale, or Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs). In 2017, ICO sales grew to astronomical proportions, in some cases reaching $153 million. With such figures, free handouts act mainly as a marketing stunt, designed to increase followership and to support the overall fundraising operation. 2018 Airdrop campaigns, however, tell quite a different story.

The amount of blockchain startups skipping the ICO phase entirely, limiting their public token distributions to free Airdrops is steadily growing. $60 Million heavy Polymath didn’t raise a dime from the general blockchain-public. The same goes for M&A marketplace LEXIT, refuting ICO rumors and limiting public participation to a “Community Airdrop,” joining ventures such as trading-community Rublix. What most of these projects have in common is evidently a solid influx of private investments, but maybe more importantly – they all balance on the lip of a highly regulated volcano. Polymath seeks to trade securities on the blockchain, LEXIT allows entrepreneurs to buy and sell entire companies and their assets, while Rublix lets you trade sensitive financial data.

Projects of this kind are like candy for activist regulators, even without involving the unregulated public sale of a new kind of asset, which may or may not be a security, depending on who you ask and in which way the wind blows today. It comes as no surprise that these established projects, which have managed to raise considerable private funding, are more than happy to skip their anticipated “public rounds” and hand out tokens to the public for free – an act that will probably remain legal, even if ICOs get regulated out of existence.

However, go over the long list of new Airdrop offerings to see that even smaller players start to prefer this less dangerous route, even if it means losing the opportunity to raise unbelievable sums of money. The young blockchain space amazes the startup industry with its dynamic changes, happening incredibly fast. Merely a few months ago ICOs were all the rage, while at the moment some crypto-insiders might recommend staying away from unfunded projects and to skip the ICO phase, at least partly.

This, of course, raises two questions: one, where does all this “private money” come from? and two, why hand out tokens for free if you can sell them privately, no strings attached? The answer to the first question again highlights the rapid changes in the blockchain space: the money comes from a loosely-affiliated network of dispersed blockchain enthusiasts; crypto markets have evolved into a maturing industry, comprising investment funds, market-makers, “institutionalized investors,” and all the jazz that makes boring Wall Street tick the way it does.

The answer to the second question is slightly more tricky: free tokens don’t yield returns or dividends the way stocks or bonds would, so their value relies entirely on the activity of secondary markets. The moment a blockchain startup matures, and its tokens become a means to unlock a certain utility, this changes to a large degree, but until then, and for private investors to sleep tight, they are dependent on demand and liquidity provided by public activity on token-exchanges. Airdrops create this activity.

This, then, raises further questions. The blockchain industry was borne of a sentiment, disparaging the ways of Wall Street “institutionals” while praising the dispersed wisdom of the crowd. ICOs were one of the means through which this sentiment was realized. Are these days now over? Is Crypto becoming just another industry, dominated by leviathans controlling highly consolidated markets, with the public picking up oddments from the floor? Well, partly, but not so fast.

The public, or “the community” as it addressed in this sector, still has a vital role in blockchain projects. Most of them still rely on network effects, some of them are open-source, and all of them would be pretty worthless without a large followership. The willingness of compliant projects to throw their tokens around, and lose potential private investments, isn’t just manipulative market-making. Airdrops as a public distribution mechanism signify that the public plays an ever increasing role in these startups, and that this role is important enough to be set on a payroll.

So then, will ICOs disappear completely and morph into Airdrop-like handouts? Well, probably not, but at the moment it appears that the public will follow projects that have raised considerable private funding, seek to raise less impressive sums publically, and perform the rest of the necessary distribution via Airdrops and various loyalty schemes. One thing however remains certain – never before have corporations donated their financial assets to random strangers only to secure their existence. This as a tendency alone would probably justify the colorful craziness this industry never tires of producing.

Article Produced By
Thought Leadership

https://www.financemagnates.com/thought-leadership/rise-airdrop-campaigns-tell-us-icos/

David https://markethive.com/david-ogden

What is an Airdrop?

The basic idea behind an airdrop is to distribute cryptoassets

to investors, entirely for free, to encourage the adoption of that particular token. However, the concept often leaves investors confused. Surely giving out something valuable for free makes little sense? Why do companies do it? What does an investor need to do to receive these free tokens? What is the catch? In this part of the Lisk Academy all of these questions will be clarified and explained.

In short, an airdrop involves a cryptocurrency being dispensed to cryptocurrency wallet addresses. Investors will normally log into their wallet to find that they suddenly hold a certain amount of tokens, usually a token that they have never heard of, that they did not have the last time they checked their wallet. It can sometimes be a confusing and uncomfortable surprise the first time that it happens to an unaware investor. However, there is really nothing to worry about.

The first, and most important, thing to know is that if a cryptoasset is in a wallet, it is indisputably the property of whoever owns the private key to that particular wallet. Therefore, once a cryptocurrency has been airdropped to a wallet it belongs to the owner of that wallet. Therefore, should that individual decide to sell the tokens straight away, take the profits and invest them elsewhere, they are free to do so.

How to Receive an Airdrop?

The reasons dictating which address receives an airdrop can greatly vary. It can by all means be entirely random, based on no defining factor and sent to randomly selected addresses. However, other factors can come into play for those who are actively seeking to receive airdrops.

Scams are commonplace wherein airdrops are offered in return for private keys. Never give your private key to anyone. This will result in a loss of all cryptoassets. Only a public key is ever to be shared. A further step in avoiding such scams is looking at the URL of any site offering airdrops in detail. Always check for the green padlock and ensure there is no suspicious misspellings in the URL. If there is any doubt whatsoever, leave the site immediately.

For example, an address might sometime need to be registered on the company’s website so that it is known where to send the airdrop or whether the the holder of the address is a supporter of the project, which can sometimes be a requirement for an airdrop. The company can use the address to take a snapshot of the accounts holdings to ensure that the address is holding their particular cryptoasset.

What is a Snapshot?

As blockchain technology is transparent, anyone can view the holdings of a particular wallet if they know the public address. Therefore, conditions, such as holding a certain cryptocurrency, can be set that a wallet needs to meet in order to be eligible for an airdrop. A company will check an addresses holding at a particular date to ensure that their tokens are present amongst the holdings. These snapshots can also be taken over a period of time to determine the average holding of the token, ensuring that the user doesn’t simply buy the token, deposit it in the address and withdraw it straight after the snapshot.Generally, airdrops divide into two categories. Completely randomised or dependent on whether the investor is already a supporter of the project carrying out the airdrop.

What are the Benefits of Airdrops?

The benefits of an airdrop from a receivers perspective are clear. They are receiving tokens, which have tangible value, for free. To some extent, it can almost be regarded as “free money”. However, the benefits of carrying out an airdrop can sometimes be less obvious from the standpoint of the company doing so.

The foremost reason a company will willingly carry out an airdrop is to encourage the adoption of their particular utility token or cryptocurrency. They will do so because it is extremely difficult to stand out in such a dynamic and densely populated environment. There is a new cryptocurrency sprouting almost every day and with over 1500 cryptocurrencies in circulation it is a serious challenge for any aspiring projects to stand out and garner the attention of potential users.

Aa airdrop acts as an incentive for those who are receiving a token to research the project behind it. The hope is that a potential investor will like the project and be inclined to support it further, by buying more tokens for example. Furthermore, an airdrop can be seen to demonstrate the value or capabilities of a network, to a degree. Successfully delivering tokens to multiple addresses can be seen to demonstrate that the network itself works and that transaction fees are low enough for this to be practical.

Carrying out airdrops can also help blockchain projects maintain the loyalty and engagement of their community. Blockchain projects tend to be actively developing a promised product over time and during that period it can be a vital challenge to keep their community actively interested and engaged in their vision.

Is there a Catch to Receiving an Airdrop?

As mentioned earlier, the cryptocurrencies in any particular wallet are the sole and indisputable property of the owner of that wallet, namely whoever has the private key associated with that wallet. Therefore, a fee or some sort of catch cannot be applied to allow a user access to the airdropped funds in their wallet. In that regard, once the tokens are in a wallet they are the property of the wallet owner.

However, an indirect catch can be that tokens that are airdropped will not be traded on the larger, more commonly used exchanges. Therefore, an investor will need to dedicate some time signing up to a smaller, lesser known, exchange to have any chance of selling the airdropped tokens that they have received.

Similarly, some investors might simply not want to receive airdrops. More often than not, the value of the tokens that are being airdropped will be negligible and in that regard receiving unwanted tokens that are not worth the time it takes to sell can frustrate some individuals.Always ensure that a token is compatible with a particular exchange before sending it there to trade. If a trader transfers a token that is not listed on an exchange to that particular exchange, the tokens will be lost forever. Always carry out thorough research in regard to token compatibility before transferring tokens anywhere.

What Should an Investor do upon Receiving an Airdrop?

At the end of the day, the final decision is the investors. On the one hand, it can be worthwhile for an investor to research a project whose token has been airdropped to them. It could theoretically be a hugely successful project. On the other hand, dedicating time to researching a project is the purpose behind an airdrop and in that regard an investor is doing exactly what the sender intended for the receiver to do.

This could end up being a waste of time, so it is important to carefully pick and choose which projects are worth investing effort into researching. In that regard airdrops have been dubbed by some as the equivalent of spam emails in the blockchain space. They are sent to capture the attention of users without necessarily guaranteeing tangible value. To some extent it can also be assumed that the biggest, or most likely to succeed, projects will not need to carry out airdrops. Awareness and belief in what such projects are trying to achieve will exist organically, based on the quality of their team and product. However, respectable projects have been known to sometimes carry out airdrops too.

Whether airdrops are an effective marketing tool, free money or the equivalent of spam emails is entirely up to each user to decide for themselves. Irrespective, they are a prominent feature of the cryptocurrency space. As always, the most important aspect with arriving at a conclusion, or engaging with any project is carrying out extensive and thorough research before doing so.

Article Produced By
Lisk

https://lisk.io/academy/blockchain-business/cryptocurrencies/airdrops-explained

David https://markethive.com/david-ogden

What are airdrops and why should I care?

What are airdrops and why should I care?

When a new cryptocurrency is launched the developers need to decide what to do with the coins.

How to Claim Cryptocurrency Airdrops

Some have them locked up until they’re mined, some put up all the coins for sale in an ICO (initial coin offering) and some give away some or most of the coins in a free airdrop. Why would they just give away the coins? It’s all about marketing and getting the word out that your cryptocurrency project exists. And if people like your project and currency, they’re likely to hold the coin, perhaps even buy more and drive up the price.

So what are these airdrops actually worth? It really depends. Most are in the $1 to $3 range. But some will be worth hundreds or thousands of dollars. You could sign up for a ton hoping to catch some good ones or you can just sign up for airdrops from projects that look promising (fyi most of my biggest payouts were not coins that I thought had any potential).

Steps to claim crypto airdrops.

Have necessary social media accounts.
The requirements for airdrops vary but many require social media accounts including Bitcointalk (a cryptocurrency forum), Facebook, Telegram and Twitter (sometimes Instagram, Steemit and Reddit). I use a dedicated Facebook, Twitter and email just for signing up for airdrops (some require you to post about them or subscribe to emails so I don’t want to clutter my other accounts).

Get an ERC20 Ethereum wallet.
Some airdrops will be held right on the platform’s website, but many tokens will go to an Ethereum wallet. An ETH wallet on an exchange will not work. You’ll need need an ERC20 (can hold ETH and ETH tokens) wallet such as one from My Ether Wallet. You can read how to set up a MEW account here. Besides MEW you may try Parity or MetaMask. Another platform that is starting to see token airdrops is Waves. You can get a Waves wallet here. Make sure you store your private key in a safe place (or places) where you won’t lose it or else you’ll lose you’re funds.

Have a list of your info for easy access.
It’s good to have a list links to the social media accounts you use and your wallet address so you can quickly copy and paste the into form fields. I use “text expansion” or autocomplete tools to help fill out forms. (Breevy and PhraseExpress are a couple popular ones.) So if I type “eA”, my Ethereum address will automatically be filled into the form field.

Find airdrops and follow the claiming instructions.
There are airdrop links scattered all over the internet, but I’m partial to our huge airdrop spreadsheet that is updated daily. We also run the largest airdrop claiming group on Facebook where you can sign up for and share your airdrop links. To claim, some airdrops ask you to fill in a Google form, some ask you to share on social media, some have you create an account on their site and some want you to talk to a Telegram bot. Whatever they ask you to do, follow the instructions very carefully and don’t try claim airdrops more than once or else you may end up with nothing.

Save your passwords.
Make sure you have a good password manager that is secure. Create strong passwords that have capitals, numbers and special characters. Save your passwords right away or else you’ll have to keep requesting password resets.

Avoid scams.
Unfortunately some airdrops are outright scams and some are fake forms impersonating popular currencies. A rule of thumb is to never give out info that is too personal and never give out your private key. And be wary if a form asks for a “donation” to get more coins… if it’s a fake form you just gave money to a scammer. I’ve only donated to a project once; I just like free stuff.

Check your airdrop balances.
Go to DeltaBalances and paste in your ETH address to see all the tokens you have in your Ethereum wallet and how much they’d trade for on the exchange Ether Delta. (I wouldn’t recommend trading on Ether Delta. It can be a good way to cash in your junk tokens but the interface is very frustrating and I’ve made a mistake worth 100’s of dollars due to that.) I like to wait until a token hits it big and then transfer it to a regular exchange to sell it. But sometimes as soon as an airdrop is released there will be an initial pump where you can sell the token at a high price. Some of these airdrop cryptos should be dumped but some will be successful and may be good to hold long term.

Have fun!
Maybe you’ll strike it rich and maybe not. But when I see my wallet that’s full of tons of up and coming coins, I get a similar feeling to when I was a kid collecting baseball cards and Pokemon. You don’t have to catch them all, but try to catch a few good ones, it’ll be fun.

Article Produced By

https://yourfreecrypto.com/how-to-claim-cryptocurrency-airdrops/

David https://markethive.com/david-ogden

How to use AirDrop

AirDrop makes sending files to Apple devices easy — here's how

Like many features native to iOS and MacOS,

AirDrop is both quick and easy. Similar to sending files via text and email, you can use the cross-platform utility to send photos, videos, songs, and even robust PDF files. This is particularly handy when you are in close proximity to the person you’d like to send your file to, as AirDrop only works when users are near one another.

The feature uses a Bluetooth connection to create a peer-to-peer Wi-Fi network between your iOS and MacOS devices and uses encryption to obfuscate your files. You can access it from directly within Photos, Notes, Safari, Contacts, and Maps too, without having to navigate to a different screen or copy and paste the information. Learn how to use AirDrop and it could become your best friend for file transfers.

Accessing AirDrop on iOS

Apple reconfigured the Control Center in iOS 11, making AirDrop less accessible than it once was. Thankfully, the feature is still easy to access.

Step 1: Swipe up from the bottom of your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch to reveal the Control Center. If using an iPhone X, swipe down from the upper-right corner of the display.

Step 2: Locate the upper-left box, which contains Airplane Mode, Bluetooth, and other connectivity controls. Make sure both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are turned on.

Step 3: Perform a 3D Touch or hold down on any of the aforementioned icons. This will expand the box, and reveal additional controls like AirDrop.

Step 4: Tap the AirDrop button to open the quick settings menu. Here, you will be able to set your ability to send and receive files via AirDrop.

Note: If you see “Receiving Off” and can’t seem to change it, go to “Settings,” then “General,” and finally “Restrictions,” and ensure the AirDrop feature is toggled on

Using AirDrop on iOS

Using AirDrop on iOS is easy. Just follow these steps:

Step 1: Go to the file, photo, or other piece of content you’d like to share.

Step 2: Tap the Share button in the bottom-left corner of your device’s display. The feature’s icon will depict a box with an arrow pointing upward.

Step 3: Directly below the image or piece of content, you should see a list of available devices. Tap the name of the device with which you wish to share.

Step 4: Once accepted, “sent” will appear under the device name.

AirDrop on MacOS

AirDrop works just as well on MacOS as it does on iOS. Here’s how to take full advantage of it.

Step 1: Open “Finder” from the Dock.

Step 2: If you don’t see it in the lefthand sidebar, you can find it from the menu bar. Just select “Go” and then “AirDrop.”

Step 3: The AirDrop window will show you all nearby devices that can accept your files and documents. Drag what you want to send on to the intended recipient, and drop it to begin the transfer.

Alternatively, you can open the file you want to send and click the share button — it looks like a rectangle with an up arrow pointing out of it. Choose “AirDrop” from the sharing options and then choose a recipient to send the file to them.

Accepting or declining an AirDrop transfer

Sending a piece of content via AirDrop is easy, as is accepting or declining an AirDrop transfer. But it is a little different depending on which platform you’re using. If someone sends a file or photo to you using AirDrop, an alert will appear on your screen with a preview of said content. You’ll need to accept it to complete the transfer. On iOS, you can tap the “Accept” button that pops up in the center of your screen. On MacOS, you’ll need to look to the AirDrop window, or at the notification in the top corner.

Selecting “Accept” will open the app that corresponds with the file (Photos, for instance), whereas tapping “Decline” will cancel the transfer. Keep in mind that if you’re sharing content with yourself via AirDrop, you won’t see an option to accept or decline an AirDrop transfer; the content will automatically transfer between your devices, assuming both are signed in using the same Apple ID.

Making sense of AirDrop’s quick settings

Once you have access the quick settings menu, you’ll be presented with three options:

Receiving Off: This blocks your device from receiving any and all AirDrop requests.
Contacts Only: This makes it so only your contacts can see your device.
Everyone: This allows all nearby iOS users who are using AirDrop to share files with you.

Troubleshooting

If you’re having trouble transferring content between devices, double check that both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are turned on. This applies to each device, as AirDrop only works when both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are enabled. If that doesn’t solve the issue, ensure you’re not using your iPhone or iPad as a personal hot spot. To do so, go to “Settings,” then “Cellular,” followed by “Personal Hotspot,” and ensure the slider beside the feature is toggled off.

If none of the above solve the issue, make sure the two devices are within range of one another. AirDrop will not work if either user is out of Bluetooth and Wi-Fi range. Also, if the person you’re attempting to share your content with has AirDrop set to Contacts Only, and your information is not saved in their contacts, make sure they toggle their AirDrop configuration to receive AirDrop content from “Everyone.”

Article Produced By
Jon Martindale

https://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/how-to-use-airdrop/

David https://markethive.com/david-ogden