RE: Crypto FTW: Building an AltFolio for the First Time (what are the sound investments, promising long shots, and innovative coins?)
Oh wow, where to begin. I could write pages and pages on this topic, but will try to keep myself under control. Personally, I would invest in Ether (ETH) and Ethereum based tokens. Augur Reputation tokens (REP) just launched recently on the Ethereum blockchain (I bought into the ICO a year ago) and have dropped a bit in value, making it a good opportunity to cost-average your way into a position. The Augur platform itself will launch within a few months. It's a decentralized prediction market which has the potential to be a killer application for Ethereum. Expect a large run up in REP price as the official launch approaches.
Synereo AMP also looks like a good long-term opportunity. See my previous blog post about it for more detailed advice about that.
When it comes to evaluating altcoins, I stay away from everything that is simply "a better Bitcoin" (in other words the vast majority of them). I look for innovative new blockchain 2.0 projects that offer something new and unique, above and beyond the standard store-of-value / currency aspect that Bitcoin is designed for. This is why I like Ethereum, which is a smart contracts platform (think Bitcoin but with a complete programming language built into the blockchain). Tokens on top of Ethereum, such as REP, DGD, and SNGLS all offer additional ways to generate revenue, like a dividend, which gives them built-in intrinsic value.
Other factors to consider: what are the credentials of the dev team behind the project, does the project have a well-defined development plan with clear milestones, how long has the project already been in development, how much do the devs interact with the community, and what is the potential competition (i.e. will this project corner a niche market or will there be a lot of competition limiting the potential market share).
I thought sales were closed on Augur REPs until the full, non-beta platform was released. Not so? Yes, Augur seems very exciting. I love the concept. I agree about Ether and the distinction between that kind of platform/idea and the simple and numerous "better Bitcoins."
Thanks as always for the great advice. I will into the tokens you listed.
REP tokens have been distributed on the Ethereum blockchain and are now actively being traded on several exchanges, including my personal favorite Poloniex. Note that the Augur crowdsale was last year. I don't know the exact crowdsale price, but current REP price is roughly 10x higher at the moment. So do keep in mind that there will probably be a lot of selling from crowdsale participants looking to cash out. I have sold about 25% of my holdings and intend to buy back gradually to increase my overall amount of REP as the current price decline continues. Eventually it will bottom out before skyrocketing when Augur gets close to launch. Same basic pattern that we saw with Ethereum itself.
Awesome. Just dipped my toes in.