Dear Crypto Community,   In 2015, I started many of the most | @crypto

Dear Crypto Community,

  In 2015, I started many of the most prominent groups on Telegram, including @Litecoin, @Ripple, @Monero and close to 100 more. Many of the names were given back to their founders for free. The Telegram handle @Crypto was purchased by me and used as a directory service for these communities. What’s important to emphasize is the history: before Telegram, many of the “OGs” would voice chat on Teamspeak in a community called WhaleClub. Many of the most prominent names in the industry used to hang out and voice chat, often daily… This lead to many of us forming true friendships and meeting in real life all around the world.

  Bitcoin, at the time, was something you had to explain to people. Spell check continuously corrected the word “bitcoin”, and most people didn’t see its significance.

  The 2017 bubble wasn’t quite like 2013. 2017 brought a huge wave of populism that none of us had seen. Many entered the market, our communities went from 50 members to millions, and we were shocked at how large it all became.. Telegram had now established itself as the primary platform for bitcoin and crypto. Telegram's founder Pavel was clearly managing the huge influx well, updating groups size limits and functionality accordingly, turning Telegram into what it is today; the home of Bitcoin and Crypto.

  During the 2017 bubble, we had a constant stream of people asking us to advertise within groups. As the groups were started with friends, we kept their integrity by not allowing advertising, and thus turned down millions of dollars in advertising revenue. I got so tired of explaining to people why I didn’t accept money, and our crew found the quickest way to not get a response was to say advertising cost 5 BTC per pinned post (5 BTC is a reference only the Whaleclub OG’s would know). Eventually though, people accepted 5 BTC for advertising and were utterly confused when we still turned it down.

  Telegram is evolving, big changes are happening with blockchain integration and a lot more coming. The handle @Crypto has served us well but its likely going to be used for bigger purposes, and after 6 years of ownership and use, its time for a new owner.

  I’d like to make clear that the communities we run will continue. We will continue to support the free anti-spam bots that thousands of communities use, but we will be going under a different name, and the @Crypto Telegram handle will likely find a new home.

  I have no doubt whoever is lucky enough to purchase the @Crypto Telegram handle will position themselves well on the most important chat app in the crypto industry. Whether the name be used as a payment gateway/platform, or what be it, Telegram has clearly established its history and prominence in the industry, and as the entire app is moving toward blockchain, @Crypto is realistically in the top 1 or 2 names that the app has to offer. For example; @bank sold for 1.5 million, @News sold for 1.7 million, and they didn’t have an established community behind them. Elon Musk, amongst others, has shown us that those who control the social media space also control its direction and future. I hope that whoever acquires this name puts it to good use and looks after the community as we have done.

  The starting bid price for the @Crypto Telegram handle will be placed at 1 million Ton. If sold, I plan on using some of the money to update our bots and website. If, for any reason, the Telegram handle doesn’t sell, we will open ourselves to advertising.

Thank you to all,

Aztek_btc

https://fragment.com/username/crypto