A Noobz Introduction to Cryptocurrency. 5 Resources to Jump-Start Your Knowledge

What some people are calling the "internet of money," cryptocurrency, is fast becoming the belle of the ball inside the tech world. Lucky for you this decentralized form of sending and tracking digital currencies using a blockchain is still in its infancy. Want to position yourself to be someone in the know when this inevitable and revolutionary technology hits the masses? Get started with these 5 easy steps to increase your knowledge and get involved.

Image courtesy of CoinSpace HQ

1. Connect with Others
Meetup.com offers an incredible free service that allows you to meet, talk and collaborate with like-minded people. I've found this to be the absolute best form of learning, not only for the personal attention you can get from someone but also for the wealth of additional resources you will be recommended too. It's easy to signup and find the groups you are interested in. Search for Ethereum, Bitcoin, Blockchain, Cryptocurrency and rsvp to the next meetup that looks interesting. If you don't see a group interested in your particular topic of choice, then create one! It's less than $10 a month and the return value you get will easily outweigh the monthly fee. If you are in NYC, two of my favorites are Coinspace HQ meeting up in Brooklyn every Monday and BitDevs NYC who get together on Tuesdays in Manhattan.

2. Watch a Video
Cryptocurrency technology can be overwhelming at first, especially for us who are not technically inclined. Enter the wonderful world of YouTube, where you can learn just about anything through video instruction. There are quite a few videos available that go over the basics of how cryptocurrency and the blockchain work but for those of you just starting out, I would highly recommend getting your feet wet with these guys.

• Curious Inventor offers great introduction videos that will give you a good overview of how the technical side of cryptocurrency works.
• Andreas Antonopolus is a leader in the Bitcoin community and breaks down the possibilities of the technology in an easy to understand and exciting way. Watching one of his talks will definitely get you fired up about the possibilities that crypto has to offer.

3. Stay Informed
While major mainstream publications like Forbes, The Guardian, and Wall Street Journal have all recently featured blockchain related articles, these large scale publications don't provide the day to day insights that a news organization solely focused on the matter can. I make an effort to check in with these sites at least once a day to stay on top of the latest news.

• CoinDesk
• Smith + Crown
• CryptoCoin News

4. Read a Book
They still make these? YES! And they are still one of the best resources for learning new things. Whether it's paperback, hardcover or electronic, whatever you do get some books. Books provide a richness in detail and overall perspective that keeps you reading for hours on end. Here are three I couldn't put down:

• Digital Gold by Nathaniel Popper This book delivers the backstory of Bitcoin, the cryptocurrency that started it all. After reading this you will realize how far we are from this reaching mass adoption and how you can still play a major part.
• Mastering Bitcoin. Unlocking Digital Cryptocurrencies by Andreas Antonopoulos Have a question about how something in Bitcoin works exactly? Andreas will answer it in clear terms and leave no stone unturned. You will experience many "ah-ha!" moments while reading.
• Debt. The First 5,000 Years by David Graeber Think you know what money is and why we use it? This anthropological look into the existence of money will make you question what you think you know.

5. Purchase a Coin
To truly understand something you typically need some hands on experience. You can talk, watch and read all you want but until you jump in and get your hands dirty you will not experience what you are investing your time into learning about. Spending what you would on a cup of coffee to get some digital currency yourself is a no brainer. If you spend just 1 hour going over some of the resources I have just provided you with there is no doubt that you will be giddy with excitement at the possibility to own some. While there are lots of ways to acquire a cryptocurrency I would recommend either exchanging your fiat with a friend who already owns the coin you want or for sake of simplicity using Coinbase. Coinbase is one of the most trusted services in the space and a nice UI makes it easy for beginners.

Next time we will be learning about How to Buy Cryptocurrency and Set Up a Wallet for Noobz. Please share any resources you find helpful as well. This community is great and I'm always happy to learn.