Community Spotlight — January 2019 Edition

January is a wrap! We at ARK are proud of our determined and bright community,
and our monthly Community Spotlight newsletter will keep you apprised on some
notable community activities. Let’s dive into just some of the ways the ARK
community shined in January 2019.

10,000 ARK VIDEO CONTEST

In January, long time community member ‘gonggrabber’ decided to put forth a
video contest with 10,000 ARK up for grabs! Here’s what gonggrabber had to say
in the initial launch
post:

I have been preaching in this community that in order to grow this community and
push the ARK name into the light, you need to do something. Not just complain,
not FUD or troll, not yell at team members, not make fun of community trying to
learn, but get off your ass and use that free time to teach someone or do
something good. Now, I am going to take my own advice, putting my money where my
mouth is by giving away 10k ARK.

This contest is for anyone. Delegates, team, community, non-community, haters,
lovers. The first 25 accepted videos will receive 350 ARK per video and one
video will receive 1250 bonus ARK.

After 25 approved videos are collected, I will start a new thread with all 25
listed. From that second thread there will be some community voting via up votes
for your favorite video. The winner of this community vote will receive the
grand prize of 1250 ARK!

Good luck everyone!

Here’s what you need to do:

1. View the Contest Update
   Post.
   You can check out all the accepted and pending entries, and get some additional
   information.
2. Enter if you can. The contest ends February 5th, and if you squeeze your
   entry in, it can be considered for acceptance into the 25 slots. There is
   already a growing list of pending entries.
3. SUBSCRIBE to reddit.ark.io. Do not miss out
   on future opportunities to earn and win ARK via contests by ARK.io, Delegates,
   and community members.
4. Stand by for the voting post. When it appears, you can vote for your
   favorites that will compete to win the grand prize.

Special thanks to gonggrabber for coming up with this idea and making this
contest possible!

FEATURED COMMITS

As they say, the best things happen with help. That’s why ARK runs monthly
bounty programs for coders who contribute to our codebase on the ARK Ecosystem
GitHub. Independent programmers can work side
by side with our international team and make the ARK toolkit even more powerful
and stable. ARK is awarded to GitHub participants by way of the ARK GitHub
Bounty Program. Learn more about the bounty program
here.

The community Spotlight Newsletter will only include three featured commits
moving forward, and you can see all the hard work of our GitHub participants at
blog.ark.io!

• GitHub member ‘dated’ implemented a tabular layout in the ARK Desktop
  Wallet. This gives a better overview of all the addresses in the wallet.
• GitHub member ‘itsanametoo’ designed a feature in the ADW that lets users
  broadcast transactions to multiple peers if desired. This provides more
  stability in broadcasting a new transaction, making sure it gets included in the
  unconfirmed transaction pool.
• GitHub member ‘highjacker’ improved the sorting feature of the ARK Explorer,
  making it persistent and providing a smoother sorting experience.

Multiple coders are contributing to the ARK toolkit 24/7, and you can too — it’s
fun, rewarding, and you can earn ARK as well!

This guide will show you how to get
started.

NOTABLE REDDIT POSTS

The Ark Ecosystem Subreddit is a great
place to seek ARK knowledge, and you can always find new and engaging content
there. New to ARK? Check out my Welcome to ARK Reddit
Post
with simple instructions to follow.

Here are some notable January posts:

• ‘fakoshi’ kicked 2019 off with New Year’s
  wishes.
• This month we saw ‘Hello World’ posts from
  ‘wallaby61,’
  hod-ler,’
  and
  ‘doubledoublebeep.’
• ‘Engineerxd’ asked about ARK’s current funds
  situation.
• ‘Buycoin_ATM’ asked about the difference between a sidechain and a
  fork.
• ‘scooter_d’ asked what non-forging delegates
  do.
• ‘Zzzoem’ had some suggestions for
  features
  in the ARK Mobile Wallet.
• ‘avfcpieface’ reported a ledger version
  issue
  that was later
  resolved.
• ‘PedaalEmmer’ expressed
  interest
  in helping with ARK development. ‘ignatalexeyenko’ also posted a
  request
  for assignments and guides. If you would like to help, see
  bounty.ark.io. Delegate ‘Jarunik’ even posted some
  easy starting
  issues
  to work on.
• ‘rareu4ever’ asked about the
  possibility
  for ARK to be 51% attacked.
• ‘Lur7z6’ reported a
  scam
  running on Facebook. Be careful out there!
• ‘keeper0ff0n’ asked about the ARKVM
  situation,
  along with
  ‘Skallzbucket.’
  This blog
  post
  and this podcast
  episode
  provides some newer details.
• ‘ChooseArkChooseajob’ made some homemade ARK
  coasters
  using ARK Stickers. Nice!
• ‘YourDailyCoin’ asked about Ledger Nano
  X
  integrating with the ARK Mobile Wallet.
• ‘jamesc5z’ asked about the easiest
  way
  to migrate ARK from the desktop wallet to the mobile wallet. Spoiler Alert: It’s
  easy!

You can browse more content and contribute your own voice to the ARK Subreddit-
who knows, you may even receive an ARK tip from a community member using
Delegate Cryptology’s intuitive ArkTippr Reddit
tipbot.

JANUARY 2019 PODCASTS

30 Days Of ARK Catch-Up & What’s
Next

Community Questions & My Crypto Year
Resolutions

ITK Crypto Podcast Syndication With Justin Renken Of
ARK.io

Crypto Brew Show Syndication With Justin Renken Of
ARK.io

COMMUNITY SERVICE SPOTLIGHT

Some members mentioned in the community newsletter are ARK delegates, who secure
the ARK network and provide community services. Their inclusion in the
newsletter is in no way an endorsement from ARK.io to vote for specific
delegates, and you should always do your own research and consider all the
options when choosing a delegate for whom to vote.
ARK.io does not run the ARK network.

Here’s the January 2019 Community Service Spotlight:

• Delegate ‘Biz_Classic’ continued running their ARK
  faucet, which awards free ARK to its
  visitors.

• Delegate ‘Del’ also continued operations of their ARK
  faucet. In January ‘Del’ published an update
  video
  as well.

• Delegate ‘Rising_Sun’ ran general bounties in
  January,
  and gave away T-shirts, as
  well.
  Any community member can earn and win ARK for their creative expressions each
  month. Here’s how it
  works.
  They also generously agreed to provide some ARK each month to the ARK Community
  Committee for various project maintenance.

• ‘Msdhere’ runs ARK Trend
  Statistics
  for each month.

• Delegate ‘Jarunik’ launched a new web
  presence
  and continued his ARK recap video series, subscribe
  here. Jarunik also
  runs a continuous coding and non-coding general bounty service, with
  opportunities for both smaller and larger projects. Get involved
  here.
  In January, Jarunik released a
  video providing more details on
  his new concept (with visuals by
  Azure-Infinity).

• The now-forging Delegate ‘Alessio’ continued combing through ARK
  code
  to locate and repair vulnerabilities. Delegate ‘Alessio’ runs under a
  Forging for Security model, similar to ‘Jarunik’s Forging for Contributions
  model.

• Delegate ‘Fun’ continued to run ARK games online with daily ARK prizes.
  Play them here. In January, Delegate
  ‘Fun’ released a brand new ARK
  game
  with daily ARK prizes!
  
  Introducing T-Grexx, the newest game from ArkFun.io

• Delegate ‘The Foundry’ hosted an ARK meetup in Utrecht, Netherlands on
  January 25, 2018. Check out this podcast
  episode
  for a breakdown on what happened there, and subscribe to
  youtube.ark.io for an upcoming wrap-up video. Follow
  us on Instagram (ArkEcosystem) to see photos of the meetup during upcoming weeks
  on .Meetup Monday.’

• ‘CryptoMC’ released a new service,
  Arkifier,
  which alerts you by email when a delegate you’re tracking drops out of forging
  status. Arkifier also tracks running ranks of forging delegates. Arkifier was
  inspired by this
  post.
  Here’s an
  update.
  ‘jimnastic19’ had some suggestions to
  offer,
  as well.

• Delegates ‘Goose’ and ‘ArkMoon’ released a new service, ARK CSV
  Generator and Income
  Estimator,
  to aid in trading and income reporting. You can input public keys to ARK
  addresses and get a report including fiat values. The resource does not
  constitute formal tax advice.

• ‘JeremiGendron’ and ACC Member ‘dvdptr’ released a new service,
  ArkBlockStats,
  a Twitter account that publishes ARK network statistics.

• ‘Gurney_Halleck_’ helped out by promoting ARK on
  CryptoWars.

• ‘michaelthecryptoguy’ published an ARK Pay demo
  video.

• ‘htyspghtz’ created a map of the ARK
  network
  as part of ark.party services.

• ACC Member ‘Azure-Infinity’ created some community-sourced Pay with
  ARK
  buttons for web use, and released a 2018 collection of
  contributions.

• Delegate ‘Mak’ completed a new ARK Improvement Proposal
  AIP-25.
  Delegate ‘Mak’ is known for improving the ARK protocol through new technical
  theories and AIPs.

• ‘Spacelephant Labs’ published a step-by-step
  guide
  on how to launch your own ARK-based chain. ARK technology is easy, powerful, and
  extensible.

• ACC Member ‘ARKjd’ launched a
  blog
  discussing legal topics in crypto. ARKjd, also known as Ray Alva, is a
  bar-certified lawyer.

• ‘Arkstickers.com’ is running a sticker photo
  contest, with 200 ARK prize provided by Delegate Jarunik. Find all the details
  here.
  Now until Valentine’s Day, snap a photo of ARK Stickers on your stuff and submit
  to social media, then fill out this entry
  form.
  ArkStickers also intends to enhance its
  website,
  and development is ongoing.
  

• ‘frankreddit5’ made a post announcing the launch of a cold storage physical
  ARK
  wallet,
  featuring artistic designs by Lynx Art
  Collection.
  
  Cold storage physical ARK wallet available on Lynx Art
  Collection.

• ‘BroadcastJunkie’ created an ARK Desktop Wallet setup
  guide.
  Examples include creating a profile and ARK address, how to vote, and more.
  

• Delegate ‘Cryptology’ gave a detailed
  presentation
  on ARK Core v2 architecture at The Foundry’s ARK meetup in Utrecht, Netherlands
  on January 25th. Also, on Reddit, clarifications on
  voters
  were provided. Delegate Cryptology also implemented the REWARD function on
  ArkTippr, allowing multiple users to receive ARK tips
  in one public Reddit comment.
  

• Delegate ‘ARKland’ ran a New Year’s Raffle, with winners
  announced.
  ARKland is known for great raffles that the community enjoys, among other
  services.

• Delegate ‘Cam’s Yellow Jacket’ released an update
  article
  and plans for
  2019.
  Their second video is now fully
  funded.
  If you missed their latest video release, check it out below.

TEAM IN THE COMMUNITY

The ARK team has been sighted in the crypto community in January. Here are just
some of the activities:

• I recently participated in a virtual conference at DecentralizedSummit.com
  hosted by Mainframe. Watch my presentation
  here.
  

• I was invited back to The Wild West Crypto Show for an interview about
  ARK.
  WWCS syndicates on terrestrial radio and TV. I also appeared on The ITK Crypto
  Podcast
  to discuss ARK concepts, and joined in for ‘Taproom Talk’ on the Crypto Brew
  Show
  to discuss ARK as well.

• Members of the ARK team attended a community-run meetup event in Utrecht,
  Netherlands on January 25th. The team member in attendance were ARK CEO FX
  Thoorens, ARK CSO Matthew DC, ARK CTO Kristjan Košič, ARK CFO Lars
  Rensing, ARK Finance and Compliance Manager Gerard Blezer, ARK Core
  Developer Joshua Noack, and ARK Community Engagement Manager Sam
  Harper-Pittam. This meetup was organized by Delegate TheFoundry. See ARK CTO
  Kristjan Košič’s take on everything that happened in his interview on The ARK
  Crypto
  Podcast.
  The team also seized the opportunity by having an in-person team meeting as
  well.

.
Follow Instagram: ArkEcosystem for more pics

• ARK CEO FX Thoorens attended the panel of a blockchain cybersecurity conference
  on January 18. 2019.

ARK CEO FX Thoorens (far right, third from left) prepping for and speaking at a
blockchain cybersecurity conference

ARK COMMUNITY COMMITTEE

The ARK Community Committee creates and deploys community resources through
anonymous and sponsored ARK donations.

• The ACC’s first completed project is
  ArkTimeline.com. ArkTimeline now supports URL query
  string, to create links leading to custom
  views!
• During November, preparations took place for codename Project
  ‘LAUDE’,
  and the first phase of the project is launched and completed on
  reddit.ark.io.
  Dubbed ’30 Days of ARK,’ this month long campaign ran on the ARK Subreddit and
  asked everyone to provide their thoughts and opinions on 30 ARK concepts.
• Delegate ‘Jarunik’ graciously provided ONE THOUSAND ARK to be earned
  proportionally by word count. Payouts were given via Delegate ‘Cryptology’s
  ArkTippr Reddit Tip Bot on January 18th,
  2019.
• The ACC Dev Team is designing a community website resource that immortalizes
  Project LAUDE content, making it even easier for future newcomers to catch up on
  ARK. Development is ongoing.

To join the ACC, locate me on Discord.ARK.io which by
the way, just increased its powers
significantly
with new bots, features, and feeds, courtesy of CMO Travis Walker’s oversight.
ACC Projects are funded after the fact and pay is not guaranteed (fun is,
though).

ARK COMMUNITY FUND

The ARK Community Fund held elections for a new
board,
which happens every six months. The new board was announced, with board members
‘alessio (fun)’, ‘Marc (Cryptology)’, ‘Moon (biz_network)’, ‘Supercool,’ and
‘Ray.Alva (ARKjd)’. During the voting campaign, some articles were posted by
candidates
here,
here,
and
here.

If you have an idea for an ARK project, small or large, and you are looking for
funding, consider submitting a proposal to the ARK Community Fund for review.
The ARK Community Fund started as a community initiative, and the elected board
reviews ideas and projects that enhance ARK. Their website is
ArkCommunity.Fund.

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The opportunities that ARK Ecosystem provides are ever growing, and there are
many ways you can get in on the action. To reach me, you can contact me on the
ARK Slack or
Discord: @ Justin (doubled1c3).

Looking forward to February!

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