The original version of the article was published by Cloudbet and is part is part of the Cloudbet Blog’s series on big-picture blockchain stories. For more in-depth discussions on all things crypto, tune into our In the Cloud section and follow us on Twitter.

Invitation: come celebrate our blog’s 1st birthday

To celebrate the Cloudbet blog’s first birthday, we’re giving away €1,000 in Bitcoin for the best ideas for improving on what we have built so far. Read on to find out how.

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One year ago we started our very own blog here at Cloudbet – and what a journey it’s been.

We created this blog as a way of having a voice, to speak to you and to share stories, our mission and our vision. Like a baby learning to talk, our first words were timid, tentative even. But oh boy did we grow fast. And now we’ve decided it’s time to take this voice to new heights.

As a business, this means offering the best resources you can have to get the best possible experience while playing with us, which we do on a daily basis. This includes guides, articles, strategies, knowledge and opinions which collectively tell the story of who we are, and why we do what we do. We summarised this story as Cloudbet itself turned five back in October, and we shared it right here, at the Cloudbet Blog.

As a community, this means so much more. As we have made abundantly clear, we are firm believers in a crypto future. Our success as a company so far is proof that we were right, back when we started, to bet on crypto as a value transfer platform. It led us here and made us who we are: one of the longest-standing crypto-based businesses on the internet.

But payments are only the first app built on top of this incredible new trust layer that we call the blockchain. And both as innovators and enthusiasts, we believe that there is a lot more to come. Today, as in the beginning, this belief remains an integral part of our values – and these are the beliefs and passion we want to share with you.

And community is key here. It seems clear that we must go beyond.

There is no point in having a conversation that is one-sided. We don’t want to speak to you; we want to speak with you.

So this is where the Cloudbet Blog is headed next. We have a voice, and now we are growing ears. We are writing to you. You, who are pioneers in your own right, the first wave of visionaries that – for one reason or another – understand the potential behind this revolution and use bitcoin, bitcoin cash, and thousands of other tokens.

And this is where you come in. We’re calling out for you – all aboard the block-train.

Our birthday, your wish

No proper birthday is complete without presents – and this one is no exception. But we do things a bit differently here at Cloudbet, so even though it’s the Blog’s birthday, the presents are all yours.

So blow out the candle and make a wish: it’s your turn to ask for a present.

The promotion: win free bitcoin

To mark this moment, we are launching a promotion to hear from you, our fellow crypto believers and enthusiasts. We want your help to guide our efforts during this month and give you the stories you want to read. For that, we’re running a brainstorm promotion in which we will reward you for your crypto curiosity.

First, we want to know what is it that you would like to know on all things crypto and blockchain, and which we still haven’t written about. Anything crypto-related – be it specific tokens or projects, impact in the real world, crypt regulation, taxes, whatever questions you may want answered right here..

And last but not least, we also want to know what was your favourite article on the Cloudbet Blog, and what did you like about it. Was it the topic? The writing style? The information you learned? Just pick one, add to your entry, and it’s done.

The three best ideas will be turned into full articles and posted throughout the month here at the Cloudbet Blog – with a special thanks to the curious mind who proposed them. It’s a present for you, our dear community. And we’re all ears.

Here are the rules. You can find the full terms and conditions in the bottom of this article.

The prizes: bitcoin giveaway

As we turn 1, we’ll reward the top three ideas with €1,000 in bitcoin prizes, which we think it’s a nice round number to go with. However, as we’ll pay winners in bitcoin, by the end of 2020, this prize can be worth almost €190,000 according to predictions by notorious internet millionaire and amateur clairvoyant John McAfee – a bold bitcoin believer who actually has (fore)skin in the game.

While we are not committing to that level of optimism or making any predictions, prices have been growing steadily since the late 2018 bottom. Crypto spring seems to be blooming now, so what better time to earn some free bitcoin?

Entries

A valid entry consists of two parts:

A maximum of three ideas per participant;
A link to your favourite previous crypto Cloudbet Blog article, and a brief reason of what you liked about it.

Ideas must be crypto-related and fresh. That is, it must be something we haven’t already answered in the blog. Ideas should be as specific as possible. They should offer a defined angle. For example:

“What is bitcoin?” – is too broad and too vague. We need more specific stuff.
“How is bitcoin being adopted in Africa?” – is specific, original, and focused. That is what we’re looking for.

As for your favourite articles, you can go back to the Blog, search, and refresh your memory. Also, you can get ideas from the comfort of your email from the Blog’s Byte-Sized newsletter, that delivers you the best of each month straight to your inbox. Don’t receive the newsletter? Just create an account with Cloudbet and you’ll start getting them right away.

Where to enter

You can choose from two channels to post your entries: Twitter and Bitcointalk. Participant accounts must be at least seven days old in order to be eligible.

For Twitter, you must follow Cloudbet and use the #CBBlogBday Ideally, enter all three ideas under the same thread, as well as your favourite article;
For Bitcointalk, all ideas and favourite article should be entered under a single post on the competition thread.

And that’s it – it’s that easy. Now go on, shake your magic crypto hat and let the questions flow.

Terms and Conditions

Maximum of 3 (three) entries per person;
Entries have two requirements:
Requirement #1: participants must state, as clearly as possible, what crypto-related topics they would like the Cloudbet Blog to cover;
Requirement #2: participants must share a link to their favourite Cloudbet Blog article, and briefly explain why they liked said article;
Twitter entries must include the #CBBlogBday tag for tracking purposes;
Bitcointalk entries must be posted in the dedicated competition thread in ‘Games and Rounds’;
For requirement #2, Twitter users can add a Tweet response to their own entries. On Bitcointalk, both requirements must be placed in the same entry;
All submissions must be made in English;
Entries will only be considered if they fill both requirements;
Bitcointalk and Twitter accounts must be older than 7 days to be eligible to participate;
Winners will be our top three favourite entries judged by Cloudbet, and all decisions are final;
In case of identical or nearly identical entries, the first one to be posted will take priority;
In case two entries outline the same broad topic, we will decide based on how interesting the proposed angle is. Given two entries that suggest the same broad topic, the latter entry can be the winner if we believe it has a more interesting approach;
There is no entry fee and no purchase necessary to enter this competition;
Entries for the competition will close on Monday 13th May 2019 at 10:00am UTC;
Winners will be announced on Tuesday 14th May on Twitter, Bitcointalk, and the Cloudbet Blog;
Cloudbet will contact winners via private messaging to arrange prize delivery;
The winners agree to the use of their nickname in any publicity material;
The prizes are as stated and no other alternatives will be offered;
The prize is not transferable;
Any prizes left unclaimed after four weeks from competition end will be forfeited;
You must be old enough to gamble in your jurisdiction, and at least 18 years old to participate;
Cloudbet reserves the right to change or cancel this competition at any time;
Cloudbet’s decision in respect of all matters to do with the competition will be final and no correspondence will be entered into;