2018 was an interesting year. Almost 365 days of a red train speeding through time. If you are not a day trader, not shorting the market, you have had, financially speaking, a rough year. Does that mean it was a bad year, N O.
Two sentences are more true than what they meant before:
Don't invest more than you can afford to lose.
Don't invest more than you are willing to put away for like 2 - 4 years.
If you stuck to that rule, you are still an investor, you had a great 2018. What happened in 2018, let's discuss this by some quotes of 'some of our' favorite YouTube Heroes.
2018 could not start better. The market was strong, the world embraced crypto currency and the sky was the limit ..... for a couple days, weeks. We all know that one person, we got into "XRP investing" at 3.50 + We still call those people friends, but if they call us friends .....
Don't worry, it is going to be better when Asia is finished celebrating their new year, Wallstreet is getting their bonuses, Tax Day, the Summer was over, the December rally would start, because 2017 showed those patterns; 2017 did, correct - .... 2017!
But what was so good about 2018, the XRPCommunity, all those partners: Amazon, Xspring, Google, R3, Coil, Uber, YouTube.... NO.
I call the best of 2018: The Learning Curve. Where for many it was logical, XRP has such a big community, so it must be a good working coin, for others it was learning what Ripple/ XRP was all about. International Transactions, Remittances, Nostro/ Vostro, XRAPID ----> W H A T .... XRapid is not live ?!? .... No, it was not until October when it was announced XRapid was live. That was new to many XRPCommunity members, yes, you invested in something, that did not have it's price winning product ready till Q4 of 2018.
Jumping from one thing to the other, so let's structure a little bit. What was so good about 2018? I already mentioned the learning curve. We are so early to the show; cannot emphasize that one enough: WE ARE EARLY. So many things need to happen; the world is not ready... yet. We are adopting. Key words for 2019:
Adoption
Regulation
Use Case
Green
So asking some of our favorite YouTubers some questions regarding 2018 similar answers were given but ALSO some differences. It is so interesting to see why the individual YouTuber started his/ her channel:
Most of the Youtubers started in 2017 or 2018 with Matt Hamilton leading the pack by starting in 2015 with his current blog. You can tell he was early to the show as his videos look back at earlier happenings.
Initially Matt was reporting from tech events and conferences he went to, then it became more about documenting what he had learned. Matt's is all about moving knowledge sharing to a new format with his Cryptocurrency Explained YouTube show series. The interaction with the audience is the winner.
Crypto Eri, our favorite YouTuber from Asia, has been teaching us some blockchain tricks since 2016. Although it was more of a Sumo channel back in the day, she really started to give us Asia Blockchain content as of March 2018. She bought her first Crypto Currency in Jan 2014, so has been around in the market. She saw that many YouTubers couldn’t handle "the 2018 Winter", so she had to step to the plate. Japan embracing Crypto, Eri was so excited, so she to spread the state of Asian adoption to the rest of the world.
Why do I feel it has been longer ...... 2018 has been massive and probably many readers can concur: "2018 impacted us like it was 10 years long"!
Alex Cobb who started his channel in the final quarter of 2017, started his blog because there was so much false information revolving around the XRP ecosystem. He wanted to provide the community and potential community members the truth about XRP.
Very noble and if you have watched his channel, you can hopefully say also, that he has succeeded in doing so!
Brad Kimes is one of the new guys. He started in November 2018 and boy did he start at the correct time. He felt compelled to make videos about XRP and the new emerging crypto space.
CryptoESPI started a year earlier and started because he was finally passionate enough about something to make the effort. I am so pleased he did as CryptoESPI is one more YouTuber making this landscape so brought.
Foremost, I see Twitter as the easiest medium sharing information and finding information. Reddit, Telegram, XRPChat, Quora, Discord, all places to find information, but it all leads back to Twitter.
2018 has been an active year in Crypto Twitter (CT). I never did much Twitter, had a couple Tweets behind my name, but 2018 showed much more action in me tweeting but also in many fellow community members.
A lot of news was shared, and although lots of billions were lost, the atmosphere in the XRPCommunity was a feeling of being together; hearing others are in the same boat powers you. Lots of FUD though, but what could we have done without Dr. Trump (@XRPTrump) and Tiffany Hayden (@haydentiff). Knowledge came from every corner, do want to give a shout-out to a couple names: @BankXRP, @XrpCenter, @Hodor, @XRPMichaelB, @stuart_xrp, @Dave_Jonez_02, @erst69, @RabbitKickClub, @PeeIks, @rafschippers; those "handles" found and shared a lot of information with us. I am forgetting a lot of names, so please don't feel left out if I don't mention your name. YOU are as important. Please follow these people though.
Going back to YouTube, what was so special about 2018. We all know it was red, but what stood out:
CryptoEspi learned all about charts and BankXRP saw a little adoption as most fun of 2018. If you would ask Jungle Inc., he would answer that the interaction with the XRPCommunity was pro in 2018. Many different people, from all over the world, sharing their knowledge, opinions, but also .... FUD. This was also something the KungfuNerd and CKJ enjoyed the most; not the FUD but the interaction. Having a channel that reached so many different nationalities, incredible.
Matt Hamilton deserves a little more words on what he liked about 2018, as I know everything about it. In 2018, the Netherlands was fortunate enough to host Money 20/20 where Ripple was speaking. Claire Arthurs also organized a little get together in Amsterdam, and it was Matt Hamilton everybody wanted to meet (besides David Schwartz and Wietse Wind). It was Matt who drove from the UK to Amsterdam to go meet up with all the XRP community. The whole journey was tweeted and that was my first encounter with this man; amazing!!
Crypto Eri indicated that 2018 is the real start of something that is going to be historical. The Zoo also likes the live entertainment it shares with the viewer during a live stream. Something more about the Zoo, starting in October 2018.
the XRPZOO was started for the XRPCommunity by the XRPCommunity. @KickBoyTriple, @1000bonesXrp and @JamesMalpass12 wanted to highlight the XRPCommunity to show everyone on YouTube just how great the XRPCommunity is. The XRPZOO does livestreams with different members of the XRPCommunity in a round table type setting to highlight them and their accomplishments during their crypto journey. If you have not seen this yet, 2019 is more than likely the stage for many more great interactions with big names of the XRPCommunity.
I have to agree, although 2018 for me personally, was blogging a highlight and believing in something, although a lot of people try to convert you into disbelieve. Let's see who laughs last if regulations knock on the door.
Another highlight for me is Kingblue (@kingblue_XRP) and his unstoppable hunt for more XRP for St. Jude Children's Hospital. Amazing. Incorporating Coil, he already raised more than 32.000 XRP for the children. Another person that stood out in 2018 is Wandering Ware (@wanderingware). Showing XRP is very eco-friendly. With his dedication well over a 1000 XRP have been donated which will go towards the planting of trees.
Talking about all the 'good' things of 2018, I will just highlight the things everybody probably recognizes:
- 'Friends' all over the world
- Surviving
- Maturing
- Little signs of adoption
- XRapid live
I loved 2018 because everybody knows EXACTLY what is going to happen. 2017 showed us this so..... well Feb slow, March peak, Summer slow, but you better watch September.... next week, oh boy.... Fibonacci... did you see that double top pattern .... sell the news brother, buy the rumor sister .... Amazing, everybody knows everything, and we all........ have no clue. Facts are true, Ripple Tweets are true, and some blogs hold the truth .... sooooo much good news, but the price is not moving ....... I had to laugh about it and somewhere in the second quarter of the year I understood it, there is nothing to understand, ride the waves and wait for adoption and legislation!
We all know that 2018 had some negatives. Besides for a lot of people to be below the amount they invested in crypto, my YouTube friends share a couple very important pointers.
Brad Kimes cannot wait, BUT waiting on Legislation and Regulation is his pointer why 2018 was red. XRPZOO doesn't like the fighting within the XRPCommunity, what will be discussed a little later. Crypto Eri just took it a step further by mentioning people having wrong expectations, whether they made those themselves or followed others. This caused stress, anger and too much negativity.
Alex highlighted the BOOM in ICO Scam and CKJ, Matt once again would like to underline the bickering with the Community. Jungle Inc. highlighted the hash war we saw with Roger and Craig. Lambo dreamers are not good for BankXRP and CryptoESPI highlighted a number: 589.
I do have to write something about 589. I will not say anything good or bad about it, I will leave everybody themselves to be positive or negative about the cute bear. Without saying anything about content, it got us through the year and boy, 2018 will be remembered with this fuzzy ball being the reason of many discussions. Interesting, ..... YES it was,.... very.
XRP YouTube also gets more and more adoption. Maybe I was a little late following YouTubers, I have seen a couple video's from the different lady and gentlemen. They also have to see some kind of trendline in their shows, so let's ask what their best show was in 2018:
Brad Kimes - Has $589 already happened
XRPZOO - XRPZOO streams
Crypto Eri - My best are always those videos where I uncover something nobody else found.
Alex Cobb - Swell live stream 4k+ concurrent viewers
Matt Hamilton - the video regarding Wallets - most useful to people, according received feedback
CKJ - I love working with other content creator's raising XRP for ST. Jude: we hit 20,000 and 25,000 on CKJ live
Jungle Inc. All of them/ None of them. (keep going on Jungle)
Kung-Fu Nerd forgot to answer this question, so I will answer and say the girl in the park - everybody will know!!
CryptoESPI - June 13, 2018 - XRP Price Analysis, David Schwartz MoneyConf, XRP Symbol, Uphold
but what is there most MEMORABLE stream:
CryptoESPI - Being Santa on live stream with fake beard in my mouth, nose and eyes
Jungle Inc. - I think the most memorable thing I did in 2018 was the story about my buddy Billy who dumped like 60K XRP for peanuts right before the price took off. I came up with the tag line #dontbeabilly This stood for give things time to evolve and play out before you make any decisions. I believe the tag line should have been Be a Billy though. He didn't sweat what could have been. When he saw where XRP was going he jumped right back in and got a peace of the revolution. As we work through this we are going to make mistakes. Just have fun with it and enjoy the ride.
CKJ - It's been a honor working with King blue and the XRPCommunity to raise XRP for stjuds to fight cancer
Matt - The most memorable show was the one in which my 7 year old daughter who should have been asleep in her bedroom (next door to my study) appeared on the live chat! She heard me, and knew I was doing a show so searched me out on Youtube to watch.
Alex - xRapid going live during my livestream
Crypto Eri - My first comment on my channel. Without a doubt
XRPZoo - Alex Cobb streaming swell when Brad announced xrp going into production - XRapid!
Brad - The Episode- "Dilip Rao answered my Tweet"
So this is a little bit of a wrap up of 2018. Was nice, not nice, absolutely horrible, it totally depends on how you look at it.
Leaves us to 2019. May be like 2018, but it may also be like 2019. I definitely think it will be better than 2018, specifically price-wise, but adoption and legislation will mature the market, more institutions will be part of the eco-system and ALL the different crypto currency will benefit. Some won't make it but XRP will not be included in that list.
2019 may be the start of something new: Crypto Eri would like to remember 2018 as the year with many “remember when” stories. XRPZOO may not see 2019 as recovery year yet, where Brad is going to see something Epic. Alex says we will see Ripplenet usage continue to come to fruition in online banking.
Jungle thinks 2019 will be massive. We will see the laws be finalized which will really open up the flood gates for big companies and investors to jump into this arena. This will not only increase investments dollars flowing into crypto currencies themselves but investment dollars into the actual technical and financial infrastructure. CryptoESPI cannot wait for 2019 and CKJ thinks it is gonna be one hell of a year. We have become a global economy and with the technology we have, it's the perfect time for a global currency and XRP is the last key to globalization.
With those words, let's see how the year is going to be. I definitely think US legislation is around the corner and hopefully will guide the world in adopting crypto currency. We may still have to be a little bit patient, but the word of 2019 - inevitable.
Everybody in this Story brings good content to the XRPCommunity and deserves to be followed. If you do not follow yet, It may be a good year, :-) , to follow!!
Thank you Alex Cobb, BankXRP, Brad Kimes, CKJ, CryptoESPI, Crypto ERI, Jungle Inc., Kung-Fu Nerd, Matt Hamilton, XRPZOO for assisting me in writing this. I hope I wrote everything down as it came from your own mouth. I would also like to thank XTRA HRDCOR for creating a lot of the Twitter Handle Emoticions (@XTRA_HRDCOR_XRP), he deserves the credit.
