What is cryptocurrency? + How can you earn Cryptocurrency?

If you are reading this article then you have probably come across the term, "Cryptocurrency" or "Bitcoin" somewhere in the past. As with a lot of people, these terms come up online and in the media regularly but the majority of people don't know much about them. "Cryptocurrency" refers to a digital asset that is stored on a blockchain or digital ledger. There are thousands of different ones with "Bitcoin" being the original and most well known one. "Cryptocurrency" or "cryptos" should be stored safely in a secure wallet when not in use and can be traded on a number of online exchanges for other "cryptos" or transferred to "fiat" (Government issued currencies) and sent to an account. (This will require extra steps).

[Ref: Pixabay](https://pixabay.com/illustrations/crypto-currency-bitcoin-blockchain-3130381/)
"Bitcoin" is a digital asset that operates outside of the government banking systems. It can be bought, sold, held or transferred and is capable of moving large amounts of value across the world in a quick and cost effective manner due to it's digital nature. It can also be held as a store of value against both the dollar and against "Altcoins." "Altcoins" are various types of "cryptocurrency that have been built to perform a range of online functions. As stated they are digital assets which can be held, traded, used or stored depending on its intended purpose. (Disclaimer: Cryptocurrency is operated on the basis of you controlling the assets. All passwords and keys are your responsibility and should be treated as such. Save them securely. Print them off and store a copy securely. Don't share your wallet keys. )

It all seems so complicated. How can I get started?

It can all be very complicated. One of the huge barriers to mass adoption of "cryptocurrencies" are the number of steps for people wanting to buy some or get involved in the various projects backed by them. This has improved over the past few years with a lot of exchanges now accepting deposits from your bank account or with your cards. While you could then go online and buy some "Bitcoin" there are a number of ways to earn some for free while performing regular tasks online.
For the purpose of this article I will be focusing on two "altcoins". - Both are quick and easy to get involved with. - Require very little technical knowledge. - Can be earned on a daily basis and are well regarded projects within the "crypto" space.

Cryptocurrency Rewards

A lot of the projects at the moment are still in progress as the whole area of digital shares and currencies is still in it's early adopter stage but these two are both well established and functioning "altcoins". For the purpose of this post and the two "altcoins" that I have chosen you will be able to earn them through either "Consumer rewards or "Creator rewards". "Consumer rewards" are earned by using the products and getting small amounts of their token in return. "Creator rewards" are earned by adding to their platform and being rewarded by it's users. Not everybody wants to create but by consuming this content you are adding to it's value and will earn small amounts of crypto from the platforms or projects. It's a quick and easy way to dip your toe into the crypto world with zero risk until you gain a little bit more knowledge and these earning's can be used to invest further into different projects and get you on your way to being a Bitcoin millionaire. (Disclaimer: The amounts are small and might take decades and a strong market to get there. 😃 It is however a fun way to start and you can end up doing well over time and with consistency.)

BAT - Basic Attention Token

"Basic Attention Token" is a great place to start earning cryptocurrency as it has zero learning curve. To earn cryptocurrency in the form of "Consumer Rewards" you will need to download the Brave browser and then set up a wallet on Uphold.com to store your monthly rewards before using them to trade, transfer, tip or sell.
brave cryptocurrency rewards browser page

brave cryptocurrency rewards browser page

You will receive a few pop up banners while using the browser but it is a lot less than on your normal web browsers as they automatically block other ads and trackers so the experience is much better than with chrome or Firefox. You can also choose your own settings to receive as few ads as you want but I don't find it for the few ads that come through. The rewards aren't huge at current prices but you will earn a few extra dollars ever month and after the initial set up won't have to do anything for them other than use your browser as normal with the browser being better than your old one in my opinion.
brave earn cryptocurrency rewards panel for BAT

brave earn cryptocurrency rewards panel for BAT

Brave is built from Chrome open source code, so all of the Chrome extensions work with it and it's also possible to copy over any passwords or saved sites when you move, making it a painless experience.
To earn cryptocurrency in the form of "Creator Rewards" you will need to link your content platforms to Brave and sign up to their creator program here:

[Brave Creator Programme](https://brave.com/nia518)

This will allow Brave users to tip you BAT Tokens if they like your content. You will receive them into your Uphold wallet and can move them anywhere from there. Currently they support tipping on: - Personal websites - YouTube Channels - Twitch Channels - Twitter posts - Vimeo Channels - Reddit posts - Github posts
social media feed on rave creators site to earn cryptocurrency

social media feed on rave creators site to earn cryptocurrency

Once you have signed up to the creator program it is very easy to add your various channels and with over 10 million active monthly users and growing I expect the token to gain widespread use over the next couple of years and grow in value. That is why, now is the best time to sign up and start accumulating rewards from a great cryptocurrency. There will be more added over time which brings me onto the second "Altcoin" and one I would hope to see added onto the creator list in the near future.

HIVE

The HIVE token is part of a social eco-system. HIVE is the main token behind all of the different apps and websites that run on it. It is earned by receiving votes from people that have it staked into their HIVE wallets as this stake is used to decide where new HIVE is rewarded to. To earn cryptocurrency in the form of "Consumer Rewards" you will need to sign up for an account at:

[HIVE Blockchain](https://hiveonboard.com/?ref=hive-blockchain)

While you will mainly earn votes from users for producing content, you can also receive them in the comments section if a user wants to reward you. It's a great way to earn while interacting with the different videos and articles, the same as you would on Facebook, twitter or any mainstream sites. The only difference here being that you can earn while being active. The other benefit to this is that if you stake some of these rewards in your own wallet then you will be able to vote on content relative to the size of your stake. These votes are split 50% to the creator and 50% to the consumer so that you will both benefit from being active users of the eco-system. (votes are not unlimited but will recharge with time.) Once you have a wallet as part of your account it is automatically linked to any app that you use on the HIVE eco-system across video platforms, blogging sites or video streaming platforms making it easy to keep growing your stake. The larger you grow your staked balance, the more your vote is worth and the more rewards you will earn from actively using it.
peakd wallet on the hive blockchain

[Wallet example at Peakd.com](https://peakd.com/)
To earn cryptocurrency in the form of "Creator Rewards" you will need to add content to the HIVE platform, where you can earn from people either voting it, (votes can be up or down but cannot minus your personal balance.) or people tipping it from their personal HIVE wallet. Luckily there are a number of apps on the system where you can create content. Especially through the communities system where you can get involved by posting material to group of people with similar interests. You can create your own community to write about anything from poetry to Harry potter or a favorite sports team. That, or find one that interests you and just start reading other peoples thoughts and articles. Some of the current HIVE apps are: - Blogging: https://peakd.com/ or https://hive.blog/ - Travel bloggging: https://travelfeed.io/ - Financial blogging: https://leofinance.io/ - Marketing: https://www.ctptalk.com/ - There are dozens of separate sites that could be listed for specific projects or just go to the main blogging site to browse everything and look at the different communities/websites to take part in. All can be accessed once you have a HIVE account.
- Videos: https://3speak.online/ - Live streaming: https://www.vimm.tv/ - Fitness tracking and reports: [https://actifit.io/](https://actifit.io/signup?referrer=niallon11) - There are also multiple gaming apps that you can use your HIVE to join and play where you can post results and battles form to the relevant community. - If you already have a Wordpress blog then you can integrate it into the HIVE eco-system and autmatically enable it to recieve comments and rewards through a special plugin. Just check out [Steempress.io](https://steempress.io/signup?ref=niallon11) and make it very simple.
I could go on and list 100 places to get involved but if you are still with me, it's enough for now. This is a social blockchain which has been developed over the past 4 years and added lots of different interfaces for content producers and content consumers to spend time and interact over the different apps. Apps which are all linked to the eco-system and to your wallet for ease of use. You can set up a secure Brave extension using [HIVE Keychain](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/hive-keychain/jcacnejopjdphbnjgfaaobbfafkihpep?hl=en) for your transactions to keep everything safe, secure and simple for all users.
hive keychain cryptocurrency wallet

[Ref: Keychain extension](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/hive-keychain/jcacnejopjdphbnjgfaaobbfafkihpep?hl=en")
There is another great aspect to HIVE that I wont go into in full detail but will link back into this post in the near future and that is delegating HIVE for passive income. If you wish to earn without the effort. Once you have staked HIVE into your wallet it is possible to lease out to other users in return for profits of 10-15% APR at https://hive.dlease.io/
dlease crypto currency leasing platform

You can log into the site using the Keychain extension. Your HIVE balance will show in the website as will the people looking to lease some extra HIVE. All you have to do is accept one that is suitable and get a daily payout until the time runs out and you need to cancel the lease. Quick and easy with daily payouts. All leased securely using the Keychain extension and letting you earn passively without any risk.

Last part: The Exchanges.

Now that you have started earning cryptocurrencies in the form of BAT and HIVE. What are you going to do with them? Personally I would suggest to convert all of the BAT into HIVE and stake it to your wallet. By doing this you will be able to use it across the different apps if you become an active user or lease it to other active users for passive income. You can just let the coins sit in their respective wallets and hope that they will go up in value over time but that to me is a waste of a valuable earning opportunity. The other main option would be to use either of these "altcoins" to buy another established "cryptocurrency" like Bitcoin. Either way you will need to sign up to an Exchange if you wish to buy, sell or trade the crypto that you have right now. There are many options that you can use for this but my personal recommendation would be to use [Binance.com](https://www.binance.com/en/register?ref=11208816) as they trade in both of these cryptos and have a large range of other options as well as an established reputation. - ID will be required. - Email will be required. - Transfers from your wallet to the exchange will be required.

It's really not that bad, just try to get started.

Task List to start: - Switch to [Brave browser](https://brave.com/). - Sign up for [Uphold wallet](https://uphold.com/signup). - Sign up for [Hive](https://hiveonboard.com/?ref=hive-blockchain). - Download [Keychain extension](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/hive-keychain/jcacnejopjdphbnjgfaaobbfafkihpep?hl=en). - Register an account at [Binance.com](https://www.binance.com/en/register?ref=11208816). Task List for a content Creator: - Complete first list. - Apply for [Brave Creator Programme](https://brave.com/nia518) - Register your social media feeds. - Use [Peakd](https://peakd.com/) or [3Speak](https://3speak.online/) to post on HIVE Task List to invest your Cryptocurrencies: - Send your BAT to [Binance account](https://www.binance.com/en/register?ref=11208816) - Sell BAT to Bitcoin - Use Bitcoin to buy HIVE - Send HIVE to HIVE wallet - Stake HIVE to your wallet. (There is 13 week powerdown once staked but we are building for long term profit so it's the best way to increase your holdings. - Either use your stake to vote other users if you will be a an active user of the apps or lease it to other users at [Dlease.io](https://hive.dlease.io/)

That's it. It might still look a bit daunting but if you start with these few basics then you can be earning free cryptocurrency within a day, scam free. No stupid schemes. No get rich promises but adding value and getting rewarded for it. If you are still a bit lost but want to know more. You can always hit me up in the comments here with your new HIVE account. (You might even get a vote for good questions) on twitter https://twitter.com/niallon11 or on Discord @niallon11#6392