Blockchain and Cryptocurrency: Providing Decentralized Opportunities to the Impoverished

Earlier today, I was asked as a part of a proposal how I developed my interest in blockchain, cryptocurrency and related technologies. My dashed off answer quickly made me realize, its the ideal topic for this week's blog. NERD ALERT: I spend my days trail running, hiking, reading research, reading other futurists like Jason Hope and writing on the Internet of Things and blockchain technology. Of course, there's a story to how a girl goes back and forth from outdoorsy pursuits to business and finance everyday. It has to do with the person who introduced me to the great outdoors, business and philanthropy - my Daddy.

Research and Writing

The coins interest came out of my writing niche. I previously wrote for the business and finance blog Keysian. One of the topics I covered was FOREX. I have always had an interest in computing. In my own consultancy, I researched the impact of the Internet on drought and flood mitigation. The potential of blockchain technology as a business continuity option interests me, for example, IOTA's blocktangle and its offline sub-tangles. This means using its technology and its cryptocurrency, MIOTA, could enable businesses in areas with frequent brownouts or blackouts, like California, to continuously conduct business without electricity. Whether faced with drought, floods, mudslides, or earthquakes, it could conduct business as usual. The technologies involved also offer those in remote locations like Pitcairn Island, which only has Internet via satellite a few hours per day, to found and conduct businesses on a global schedule. Further, I grew up with an interest in business and finance, as well as, philanthropy that empowers.

My Daddy: "Preacher Charlie"

My Daddy and I posing for a formal portrait when I was in high school.

But that is my adulthood. The true impetus for my interest stems from watching my dad find inventive ways to help the community, especially its impoverished. As a pre-teen, I watched my dad and one of his best friends, "Rev. Lawrence," found and run each summer, a vacation Bible school for migrant workers' children. They purchased Bibles and teaching materials in Spanish and English, thus combining ministry with language skills for the children. The kids kept all the materials and took them home, passing on their developing English skills to their parents. Speaking and reading English empowered two generations to move up and earn a better life.

Cryptocurrency: Empowering the Unbanked

Cryptocurrencies have a similar potential to empower by removing the third-party, banks. Currently, 2 billion world residents are un-banked. They either lack access or do not qualify for an account. Cryptocurrency empowers the unbanked with accounts, currency, a business platform and access to venture capital funding for smart contract projects. (IOTA builds this in and Cardano includes it in its plans.)

Blockchain: Bringing Business to the World

I believe blockchain technology and cryptocurrency done right have the potential to empower the disenfranchised, protect business continuity and provide much-needed privacy protections. Cardano's two layer system shows that there's room for meeting regulatory requirements while providing the positive potential of the blockchain to the world. While the majority of the assignments I write for clients center on initial coin offerings and portfolio investment potential, my own interest in blockchain technologies centers on its empowerment potential.

A decentralized system of business with the ability to privately barter, trade, buy and sell peer-to-peer, person-to-person, provides a way for those living in decentralized locales to found global businesses and earn a living. In many Third World countries, cell phones, especially smart phones, remain rare. In the US, those at the lowest income levels may only have a free cell phone with limited free service from a government program. These usually provide 500 MB of data per month. In areas such as my Oklahoma research area, some homes have no electricity. Emerging technology allows people in such situations as these to set up an automated business on the blockchain, or better, the blocktangle. Remember, those offline sub-tangles enable offline transactions.

Decentralized Opportunities

Once built, smart contracts run exactly as programmed, requiring no human intervention. That lets someone of limited means begin. As they make sales and earn cryptocurrency they can reconnect weekly to exchange one currency for another. To cash out for actual cash at first, to pay bills and purchase an unlimited data plan, a mere $30 to $40 cost in the US. As their small business grows, rather than Proof of Work, they can move to Stake, holding much of their currency as its value grows. Imagine a technology that allows the poorest peoples to create a method of making a living regardless of geography, topography or ethnicity. On the blockchain, all is code and the address delivers you to an app or exchange, not a barrio or dirt farm. No one sees skin, hears accent or knows your hometown. I love blockchain, cryptocurrency and its related technologies because it provides each person with the same fertile fields to plow, an egalitarian system of creation, idea and philosophy that gives each person an equal chance to succeed and to thrive - decentralized.

***

Carlie Lawson writes about tech, mobile and online video, entertainment, sports and fashion. She wrote for JollyJo.tv, Keysian and Movitly for a combined seven years. A former newspaper journalist, she now mostly ghost writes for her clients via her company, Powell Lawson Creatives. Invalid Inputs is her first independent, formal blog. She earned BAs in Journalism and Film & Video Studies from the University of Oklahoma. She also earned her Master of Regional & City Planning at OU. She has worked as a model since she was 17.

You Are Your Social Media Presence

This week's post inspiration comes courtesy of "Chimi," some rude chick or dude with an anonymous Instagram who left an epically snarky comment to me on another person's post. Now, I don't hold that against him/her because I post snark when snark is due, too. But, "Chimi" and I had no prior connection. The snarky comment did raise my curiosity enough that I looked at the profile. Thank you, for having an equally snarky Instagram biography that inspired this post on branding, personal and business reputation, and reputation management. The bio reads:

"CSP I am not my social media presence you desperate attention seeking hypocrite".

Well, Chimi, we have reached the year 2017, social media rules personal, business and crossover sectors, and actually whether or not you like it, yes, you are your social media presence.

You Are Your Brand

Every person who creates a social media account creates an online representation of themselves. Now, again allow me to be blunt and honest. (Trust me, I am stellar at it.) If you looked at my personal Twitter, you would think I am a bitch. I am when necessary. I tag my stalkers often and gleefully torture them right back. They make it such fun. 

If you looked at the Twitter for either of my companies or any blog or theme Instagram I run, you'd see an uber professional woman who loves coffee, my cat, and slaying my to do list. You would probably think I'm friendly and polite. I normally am.

Both "brands" remain true and accurate. They both represent real me, just different aspects of me. Now, back to Chimi's assertion that s/he isn't the social media presence. Well, your social media presence is and should be "you." Your social media should accurately represent you. Period.

Today, potential employers look at social media before hiring. Graduate schools look at social media before admitting students. Potential boyfriends and girlfriends even look at it to determine if a person would be "right" for them. Inaccuracy can cause mistrust, waste time, and cost money. 

This rings even more true for celebrities, athletes, businesses and brands. Your fans or customers build trust based upon your social media representation and publicity. Anything that conflicts with the you they already "know" creates mistrust. Mistrust translates to lost sales whether it's concert tickets, sport event tickets, t-shirts or widgets. If people don't trust you, they literally aren't buying you. That means the "you" you show on the playing field, in the ring, on the stage, etc. needs to match what they see on social media or you lose trust and fans.

How Do You Brand Across Media?

Branding may seem complicated, but not really. The best branding just accurately describes its subject. 

• Stick to what you know and who you are, if you're a person. 
• Stick to an accurate, honest description of your product or service, if you're a company. 
• Create a campaign. Make the message the same on every social media channel and every media outlet. Don't vary it. 
• Create hard and fast guidelines for social media interns or account managers. They should only post messages that jibe with your existing campaign.
• Limit posting access to your channels to further ensure campaign compatibility.

Corporations have social media teams and public relations departments to handle branding and marketing. Solopreneurs, freelancers, startups, entrepreneurs, amateur and even some professional athletes, and small businesses handle it themselves. You are your brand. Sell yourself in the most positive light. 

Whether everyone likes it or not, in the 21st century, Chimi is wrong. Each of us is our social media. We practically live online. This trend keeps growing and expanding. Each day, the Internet of Things grows and another everyday item becomes linked to the Internet to automatically transmit data about its surroundings and about us.  Our connection continually grows. We are our social media presence and our social media presence is us. If you have a hard time accepting that Chimi, hire someone who does. Maybe then you can attract your first Instagram follower.

***

Carlie Lawson writes about tech, mobile and online video, entertainment, sports and fashion. She wrote for JollyJo.tv, Keysian and Movitly for a combined seven years. A former newspaper journalist, she now mostly ghost writes for her clients via her company, Powell Lawson Creatives. Invalid Inputs is her first independent, formal blog. She earned BAs in Journalism and Film & Video Studies from the University of Oklahoma. She also earned her Master of Regional & City Planning at OU. She has worked as a model since she was 17.

The Overcomplication of the Internet: I Don't Want an App for That

Last week, in a rare moment of down time, I decided to brew a cup of joe and enjoy one of my favorite X-Files episodes. For five minutes or so, things went great - until the file stopped playback and refused to budge past the moment the Air Force SWAT team finds the test pilot shivering on his bedroom floor, looking like a Hiroshima victim.

No problem, I thought. I'll just download another copy. As I reached for my cell, I remembered that I'd recently wiped and reloaded it due to problems with hackers. I'd only replaced essential apps, meaning I had no Amazon or iTunes app to turn to for the download. Still no problem, I thought. I figured I'd just Google it and download a random copy. Ha, ha. The laugh was on me.

In the late 1990s, I'd come home from school, jump online, find something fun to watch, and start the download while I made a snack and did homework. What a simple thing. Search, find, click. Okay, so download speeds approached snail's pace, but I had A LOT of homework to plow through before I got to treat myself.

Last week, I discovered how far we've left the simple beauty of the 1990s Internet behind. My Internet speed now seems blindly fast in comparison. Very quickly, Google, then Bing, then Webcrawler returned search results of everything X-Files related except episodes to download. A couple of places offered the ability to stream it, but I wanted the file to have and to hold, forever and ever, 'til death or another file corruption do us part. I did not want to put up with jumpy, start and stop playback on my 4G. I did not want to dedicate my phone to a 45 minute episode. I wanted to quickly find one file, download it to my SD card and pop that SD card into my tablet, which I no longer get online with due to hackers. One file.

What I found included episode guides, screenshots from favorite episodes, actor bios, fan fiction, three websites of bogus episode links that actually served ads, an offer for a free month of Hulu streaming, and a guide on how to download a plethora of Amazon apps to access the one freaking file I wanted to download.

That was when it hit me that the Internet's growth wasn't necessarily a good thing. There are too many apps for that - whatever that is. We've taken a good thing and made it bad. What worked simply, we overcomplicated. Now, I purchased the episode once, and was not opposed to doing so again - given a simple, direct method. Let me navigate to a website, click a link, and, poof, download that sucker. Nope. Nothing doing. If I wanted my single episode, I either had to install between one and three HUGE apps, sucking up more of my time, data, and cell phone memory, or I had to pay a monthly fee to stream it or download to watch later - which also required an app. I could:

• Download and install iTunes, purchase a replacement, then download my file.
• Download and install Amazon, its sub-store for entertainment, plus its video app, purchase a replacement, then download my file.
• Install YouTube to subscribe to YouTube Red, a paid monthly service, for the privilege of downloading an episode to watch later, after renting the episode.
• Install the Hulu app, purchase a subscription and stream the episode.
• Install a P2P app and pirate the episode (which I did not want to do).

Now, I tried to play along. However, Google sucks. Google Play picked
this time to act up. It would reach the end of a huge download (and on 4G that regularly drops down to 3G every download seems huge) and restart it. To complicate things further, Google Services refused to acknowledge that I just updated it days ago to get Snapchat to work again after my wipe and reload. It too, wanted to update. Rather than download .apks 'til the cows came home, I washed my hands of the affair.

Recall that I had about an hour's worth of downtime to enjoy. I blew most of it learning that today's Internet is doomed with overcomplication. I read Jason Hope, and hope his predictions of the Internet of Things prove correct, however, if the development of IoT follows the path of the development of the Internet, no sooner than it really takes off, it will overcomplicate itself and frustrate its users to the point of desertion.


I never did get my X-Files fix. Rather than the research inspiration and adventurous minds of Mulder and Scully, I viewed a couple of classic episodes of Dark Shadows already on my SD card. I traded aliens for ghosts. I'd still like to replace my corrupted .mp4 file, but only if someone can point me to a website that lets me directly download a legal copy of the episode only. My Paypal awaits the return of the simple Internet. Until then, my middle finger goes up to the entertainment industry for making it way too complicated to enjoy entertainment, but thanks for providing me with inspiration and fodder for my first blog entry. No wonder people still pirate you.

***

Carlie Lawson writes about tech, mobile and online video, entertainment, sports and fashion. She wrote for JollyJo.tv and Movitly for a combined seven years. A former newspaper journalist, she now mostly ghost writes for her clients via her company, Powell Lawson Creatives. Invalid Inputs is her first independent, formal blog. She earned BAs in Journalism and Film & Video Studies from the University of Oklahoma. She also earned her Master of Regional & City Planning at OU. She has also worked as a model since she was 17.