Most people think of tipping and faucets as a magnet for crypto leeches. There’s no argument that there’s plenty of people who will help themselves to free crypto given the opportunity. However, one of the viral things about distributing tokens and crypto to a wide audience for free is that it tends to trigger exploration.

I Always Start Off Free

I don’t think there has ever been a point where I got into a new token or crypto with fiat money since 2019. My first entries into the crypto field in general were through an exchange for some LTC or ETH, since that’s what I could afford at the time. But once I was done with that initial introduction, and especially after I explored and discovered the crypto world in Discord, it’s been about free introductions ever since.

How did I got about this? Simple. Look for new projects happening. More often than not, new projects need lots of energy, viral awareness and most importantly, distribution. So they are producing and giving out lots of the new token early one to the initial participants. Even if you weren’t among the very first, that’s not a problem. The early stages of a project tend to keep the distribution flowing to generate market activity and, more importantly, volume and liquidity. Once those last two elements occur, usually with the proliferation of very solid liquidity pools, then things die down. That’s about the point to be looking for the next new project, and repeat.

Where to Find Out More?

Most blockchains have some kind of central point where new projects get posted, listed, identified and so on. These DEX type platforms consolidate all the major activity as well as provide big channels for project creators to push their token and build awareness fast. That’s where one wants to be connected and regularly looking for the next big things. However, it’s very easy to stay stuck in these platforms and not explore the given project directly, which is a mistake. It’s only when you’re actively deep in the project that you see the biggest exposure to a token and how to make it worth your time.

Watch for Bridge Opportunities

A nice way to get into a new blockchain involves bridges. These are channels where you can swap one crypto token on a departing blockchain for the same token on a new blockchain. WUFFI on WAX is a great example. Collecting WUFFI on WAX is very easy as the token is being pushed and promoted heavily right now. WAX also provides a bridge for WUFFI over to Solana.

While I’ve known about SOL and the Solana network for years, I was never involved in it much until WUFFI. Once I was able to move WUFFI over, I could swap it for BONK, SOL or other Solana network tokens, expanding a foothold for my activities in that network as well. Now I’m $100s in there, and only within the last six months. I originally wrote how that bridge works in this article here.

There are bridges to Polygon as well, famous for its MATIC token but also a number of other coins as well. As the Web 3.0 universe continues to integrate, more of these bridges make it extremely easy to take your initial investments and expand them further.

Social Media Does Have Value, Sometimes

Both X (formerly Twitter) and Discord, and now definitely Telegram, have been offering lots of opportunities on how to get into new crypto projects. More importantly, they are providing lots of distribution opportunities, giveaways and introduction bonuses to new members. While the classic avenue for most new tokens in one place tends to be the TIPCC server on Discord, Telegram has been exponentially exploding. While X has been providing lots of chatter, 99% of those ads and posts are fake, clickbait to get traffic for the poster, or worse, scams. I’ve only realized tokens through one Solana post, KONKE token.

However, even with those challenges, your biggest friend in finding projects involves active looking and curiosity. Make sure to use your free gains for testing, protecting your real value from scams. If it turns out to be a loss, you didn’t really suffer much after all. Also, it’s a very good idea to use a second wallet for testing and connecting to projects. I never use my primary crypto wallet to connect to anything I’m not sure of. It’s just a fast way to get drained of your savings in moments.

So be the digital Erik the Viking and get out there finding new token lands! Drop me some notes as well on what you find. I’m always interesting in trying out new channels and avenues.

Published simultaneously on Medium as well on 8/18/24.