Crypto Q&A: Interview w/ Charles Bovaird – Co.Invent
Question: What made you want to be a writer? How did you get your start? How did you break into publications like Forbes?
Answer: I first started writing (of my own free will and accord) when I was in high school. I outlined several thoughts I had on the U.S. educational system, including proposed improvements. I submitted the piece I wrote to several local publications (this was right around 1998, and people still read newspapers.)
Six places accepted that first piece I wrote, in one form or another, and five of them went on to publish it. One of the places told me they were so impressed they might be able to give me a regular column, but when they found out I had published the piece elsewhere, they didn’t want to run it.
I ended up getting published roughly 15 times before I finished High School. I also published 3–4 times when I was in college.
As for how I broke into publications like Forbes, it took a while. I started writing for Forbes because a Senior Editor reached out to me through a common acquaintance, telling me she was interested in having me write for her.
Before that, I published in The Washington Post and Fortune, having submitted pieces to those publications. I actually submitted several pieces to Fortune before they published me, figuring I was getting closer and closer to giving them something they would want to run.
Question: What is the most important advice you can give other writers within the cryptocurrency industry?
It’s difficult for me to say what advice I would give to other writers in the cryptocurrency industry. Everyone has unique circumstances in life, so guidance that benefits one person might do little for another.
One thing I will say is that if writers in this industry want to safeguard their reputation, they must be careful about where their work appears. Some publications are more credible than others, and writers must keep this in mind.
Another thing is that there is always room for improvement. Whether you are a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist or new to the game, there are always ways you can get better.
Likewise, there are always ways to boost your profile. You could aim for bigger publications, try to establish a wider audience or take on more speaking engagements to enhance your reputation.
Question: How would you describe the overall content output in cryptocurrency?
I would describe the overall content output in cryptocurrency as voluminous. In other words, there are plenty of articles being written on every facet of this particular industry. Readers can pick and choose what they want to delve into, and writers have countless topics they can cover.
Question: What was it like to transition from being a staff writer to being an independent consultant? Would you recommend that up-and-coming freelance writers do this?
As for transitioning from being a staff writer to an independent consultant, I will say that it took me some time to get a solid client base up and running. If writers feel they can succeed on their own, it is certainly something they should consider.
Like I said earlier, everyone has unique circumstances in life, and there are certainly benefits to working as a staff writer (aside from simply collecting a salary). Working as a staff writer may be far less solitary, for starters. It could provide appealing networking opportunities as well.
Question: How will cryptocurrency change in the next 5 years?
I would like to emphasize that nobody knows for certain what cryptocurrencies will look like five years from now. However, one can make predictions by looking at the past. Bitcoin was the first digital currency to scale, its first units mined in January 2009.
Since then, thousands of digital currencies have been created, some of them doing far more to achieve Bitcoin’s original objectives than the world’s most prominent cryptocurrency. Bitcoin was designed to offer its users privacy but has fallen short in this regard.
Bitcoin transactions are not anonymous, as some might think. They are pseudonymous, and they are all recorded on the blockchain, which makes them publicly available. Using blockchain analytics, law enforcement officials have been able to successfully track criminals who leveraged Bitcoin to make illegal transactions.
So-called “privacy coins” like Monero and Zcash have done more to offer their users privacy. Only time will tell what future developments will do to bolster the privacy of digital currency users, or provide them with other benefits.
Question: How would you describe the state of cryptocurrency in the USA/ the world right now?
I would describe the state of cryptocurrency in the USA — and in the broader world — as being one of perpetual change. Facebook has proposed Libra, Walmart has filed a patent application for a stablecoin and J.P. Morgan has rolled out its own digital currency.
Past that, a wide range of companies have indicated they are looking into blockchain technology, and even some central banks have revealed that they are looking into the possible use of digital fiat currencies.
Long story short, major corporations, central banks, and government entities are all exploring how they can use cryptocurrencies and distributed ledger technologies.
Question: Why is CoInvention an important event for the larger industry?
I believe this event is important for the larger industry because it takes place right at the end of Summer, and fosters networking and education. Past that, the event headlines Philadelphia Blockchain Week.
Published at Wed, 04 Sep 2019 16:00:33 +0000
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