Hi Hive, I'm chainexplorer – Starting My Crypto Journey at 50+

Hey everyone!

I'm writing this from my home office, slightly nervous but also excited to finally take this step. My name is chainexplorer (well, that's my Hive name), and I'm here to document something I should have started years ago: my journey into the world of blockchain, crypto, and DeFi.

Why am I here?

Let me be honest – I'm not a tech genius. I'm not a 20-something coder who grew up with Bitcoin. I'm in my 50s, and for the longest time, I watched crypto from the sidelines, thinking "that's too complicated for me" or "I've missed the boat anyway."

But recently, something clicked. I realized that blockchain isn't just about getting rich quick (though let's be real, we all dream about that a little). It's about understanding a fundamental shift in how money, ownership, and trust work in our digital world. And I don't want to be the person who looks back in 10 years and thinks "I wish I had learned about this."

So here I am. A complete beginner. A middle-aged newbie. Ready to learn.

What I know so far (spoiler: not much)

I've been on Hive for a little while with my other account, mostly lurking and reading. I know the basics:

Bitcoin is the OG
Ethereum does smart contracts (whatever those are exactly)
DeFi means "Decentralized Finance" (still figuring out what that really means in practice)
NFTs exist (and I'm still confused about why people pay millions for digital art)

That's about it. I can barely explain what a blockchain actually IS without Googling it first.

What I want to learn

Everything. But let's start with the fundamentals:

How does blockchain actually work? (Like, really work – not just "it's a chain of blocks")
What's the difference between all these cryptocurrencies?
How do people actually make money in DeFi without losing everything?
What are smart contracts, and why should I care?
How do I not get scammed? (This one keeps me up at night)

My plan

I'm going to document everything here. The wins, the losses, the "aha!" moments, and definitely the stupid questions. I'll share what I'm learning, the resources I find helpful, and probably some embarrassing mistakes along the way.

I'm not trying to become a crypto influencer or guru. I just want to learn, share my journey, and maybe help other people who are in the same boat – feeling like they're too late, too old, or too "non-technical" to understand this stuff.