As we become familiar with the world of cryptocurrencies and the entire ecosystem that surrounds them, we discover some commonly used terms. Several of these terms are specifically conceived by new technologies and others are adapted to particular situations that occur in it.
Airdrop is applied in situations that due to war, natural disasters or any other extreme situation, access by land is impossible. With this method people are provided with the necessary supplies for their survival in the affected territories. However, in the field of cryptocurrencies, Airdrop has a different meaning and is specifically related to free money.
The team of the new project that the ICO will carry out, will look for a blockchain with an established token and will gather the people who have it in their wallet, and then distribute an amount of their token in proportion to the one they already have.
Another case in which the Airdrops have been seen, has been in the bifurcation of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin Cash and Bitcoin Diamond, where Bitcoin users received the same amount they had available in their wallets. In addition, exchanges of cryptocurrencies such as Binance and wallets can also be made.
These strategies are also implemented with the launch of new cryptocurrencies that result from bifurcations, as was the case with Bitcoin Cash. Here its developers threw an Airdrop as a way to motivate users to adopt the new version, matching the balance of Bitcoin users in their wallets.
On the other hand, for blockchain startups with a new project in mind, they often announce in advance the Airdrop to promote their project and thus excite the community. Most of the time a series of requirements is generated that the user must meet to be a candidate to receive the tokens.
Two of the most consulted pages that offer interesting and reliable information about the past, active and future Airdrops are Airdropalert and Airdropadict.
Another way to find out about an Airdrop is through the company that plans it. Some of them announce it through a press release and others through their social networks together with the requirements to be eligible.
It is important to keep in mind that to be eligible and to receive these Airdrops you must have a cryptocurrency wallet available and compatible with the tokens.
It is also important to take security measures regarding wallets. No project that has an Airdrop planned will ask for your private key or a transfer of funds to be eligible for the distribution of the tokens.
The cryptocurrency market, without having regulation, creates opportunities for hackers to make theirs through false pages or advertisements, looking for their private keys and then empty their funds. So the best recommendation is to never reveal the private keys of your wallets.
On the other hand, the only thing necessary to claim your new tokens, is the public key that you use in your wallet and have complied with the requirements to obtain them. However, a utility is not always guaranteed with the new tokens, since some are used in order to revalue a cryptocurrency and there is a likelihood that it will not always happen that way.
Sometimes, it is required by those who carry out the Airdrop, a wallet that has no presence in exchange sites, such as Binance and Coinbase just to name a pair.
If you have questions about which wallet to choose and that are compatible with the ERC20 tokens, this article can help you make a decision.
In conclussion Airdrops are a very useful strategy in different aspects. It has brought to the ecosystem a new way of capturing the public and revaluing cryptocurrencies. In addition, it has served the market to motivate users in new project investments and build loyalty in others. However, being such a striking concept, it is important to remain cautious with some deceptive offers, which clearly have harmful objectives for any user.
