What Does it Take to be the Best ICO List?
Is there any one best ICO list on the internet? It’s hard to say. “Best” is such a subjective word. Everyone has something specific they’re looking for, and one person’s best might be the next person’s worst. Still, there are some things that can be pretty universally agreed on. A list should be accurate, up to date, and easy to use.
It may sound weird to say, but a list has to be more than just a list. There’s not much value in a collection of ICO names and links, without any information about what the project aims to create. The whole point of a list is not just to make it easy to find ICOs, but to find ICOs that interest you.
Many lists will claim to be the best. Everyone wants to be #1, no matter what field they’re in. It’s our opinion that the best ICO listing sites provide you with as much information as possible. Pertinent details like a project description, coin description, whitepaper links and more make it a lot easier to find an ICO that’s worth investing in.
More Than Just a List
Of course, that information may not serve a purpose without a bit of interpretation. To really serve the needs of the community, an ICO list should include a rating system. Our community has been rocked by too many exit scams and shitcoins. The blockchain is a powerful tool but some simply see it – and the crypto community – as their path to a quick and easy buck. If a list doesn’t also include ratings, it makes it far too easy for scammers to reach a wider audience.
There’s a spectrum between outright scam and well-developed project, and it can be hard for the average investor to tell where any given ICO falls. Crypto ICO ratings give you the chance to assess how much of a risk any ICO investment might be. Once you’ve weeded out the obvious scams, you can look at the projects that interest you the most and weigh whether they seem to be on the path to success.
In order to actually be useful, an ICO rating system should take into account a variety of factors. The first and most important thing to look at is the team. Recent scams have relied on teams made up of fake CEOs and developers with photos stolen from other social media sites or stock photos. A good rating site will determine whether or not a team is made up of real people, with real experience, and save you the trouble of combing the internet for that information.
Even if a team is qualified, that doesn’t mean their idea is ready for the market. ICO raters have to ask themselves if the project is a good use of blockchain, if it’s filling a valuable market niche, and if it has the possibility of outshining its competition in the field. If an idea is only going to appeal to a handful of people, or requires a tiny company to go up against a multi-national corporation, it may be considered a high-risk investment.
Beyond that, a rating board looks at things like the quality and content of the whitepaper, the marketing efforts, the website, and even the community response. If the crypto community isn’t responding well to a project, does it point to some inherent flaw or just a failure to know how to connect with their target audience?
The Importance of Accessibility
Speaking of connecting with the audience, an ICO list and rating system don’t do the community much good if they’re not accessible. The information has to be out there and easy for people to find. Some ICO lists are hidden behind a paywall or require a subscription to be delivered to your inbox. And some may prefer that, but most people want instant access to information.
Accessibility doesn’t just encompass the visibility of the list. It should also be clear to an ICO what they have to do to be included. A convenient submission form, or contact instructions, should be available. After all, for a list to be the best, it also has to be the most inclusive. You want to have every ongoing and upcoming ICO on the list, in order to give everyone the clearest picture of the field.
Ideally, listing should be free, in order to maintain fairness and impartiality. ICOs who pay to be listed may feel that they’re somehow entitled to a good listing, and list organizers may feel pressured to comply. When money is taken out of the equation, it allows facts to rule supreme.
It’s a Big Job
Running an ICO list isn’t some small side project. At Cointelligence, we’ve got an entire team working on our ICO list and rating system. We decided that if we were going to do this, it was worth doing right. A thorough rating system backed by an anonymous team of experts, a sortable list, and daily promotion of ongoing ICOs across social media.
Rating ICOs has become a passion here. It’s a natural extension of spending all day immersed in ICOs and cryptocurrency news. Our people love data and knowledge, and finding ways to share that with the world. There’s a sense of excitement that comes from giving a good rating to a promising ICO. Likewise, there’s a certain pride in spotting a scam and calling it out.
Sometimes, when you see that there’s a need for something, you work to fill that niche. Just as ICOs look to use blockchain to solve problems in business and daily life, our crypto ICO list looks to solve a problem in the crypto community. There’s a definite need for an impartial, honest list and rating system. We probably won’t be the only ones to fill that need, but we aim to be the best.
What do you like to see in an ICO list? Is there some area where you think all of the current lists are failing? Talk to us. We want to know what the community needs.
Author Bio: On Yavin is the Founder and CEO at Cointelligence, the data layer for the crypto economy. He has extensive experience as a serial entrepreneur and an angel investor, as well as more than 20 years of experience in the tech industry. On uses his deep hands-on experience and knowledge of online marketing to create winning strategies for ICOs, crypto, and blockchain companies. Having earned the reputation of a crypto expert, On continues to contribute to this industry in ways that advance cryptocurrencies and blockchain technologies. On has a law degree (LLB) and is also a certified Advocate by the Israeli Bar Association.
