I have a love-hate relationship with ERC-20 tokens. Not that I'm a block-chain expert or developer, but it seems that anybody can just have an idea (or lack of one, thereof), and create a new ERC-20 token to add to the myriad. There's nothing wrong with this in itself, but just the fact that there are so many make it difficult to distinguish the "sh*t-coins" from the strong altcoins.
Basic Attention Token distinguishes itself in so many ways.
In terms of cryptography and the deployment of smart contracts, I can imagine it works similar to Ethereum and other ERC-20 tokens (just look at the receiving addresses on your Publish0x; it's likely the three addresses are the same). However, the numerous applications of BAT are what truly make this coin stand out from the other.
Potential for charity and altruism
If you have ever been to Wikipedia to look up quick and digestible information on any topic, you may have noticed that the first thing on the page is a request for donation. Since as long as I can remember, Wiki has been asking the public for donations (usually around $3), even since I was a kid with no income! It feels bad reading their convincing pleas and not being able to support them; BAT changes this.
Wikipedia is a certified BRAVE Browser content creator, which means you can seamlessly donate tokens to them with a few clicks on their web page from the Brave Browser.
Furthermore, one of the more popular cryptocurrency donation websites known as "The Giving Block" gives a platform for donating BAT straight to the ETH address of a charity of your choice. Here is an example:
Personally, I like donating to No Kid Hungry, because they actually pay to advertise on the Brave Browser. I might as well add, you can also donate to No Kid Hungry from their webpage here directly from the Brave Browser.
Basic Attention Token has fostered a vibrant and passionate community
Realistically speaking, you can have the best idea in the world, but if nobody is backing you, that idea is not going to go very far. This is definitely not the case with BAT! The vast amount of daily users alone, which this year has reached the millions, amounts to a community which has grown too large for big tech to keep ignoring. I'm simply waiting for the days when Brave Browser competes with the likes of Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Opera, etc.
Not to mention that they keep an actual community webpage complete with news updates, a merch store, and direct ways for you to use your BAT tokens. Look up their "BAT Community Podcast" on Spotify, Youtube, Apple, or Google for more dank news, updates, and interviews with cryptospace juggernauts.
Last but not least, it's enables free money for browsing the internet.
Let's face it, besides all the different tech and applications behind it, the fact that we can potentially be paid to do something we love-- that's hard to compete with for other coins. That's also part of the reason PUBLISH0X has such a vibrant and dedicated community, amirite? :p
I read somewhere that BAT is not truly anonymous or decentralized because it is provided to us by the BAT team through Uphold (a KYC wallet). In this sense, it is slightly centralized but the true decentralization comes in the form of power from the bondage of ads and information stolen for targeted profiteering. Just last night, I tried reading an article on a major news outlet, and the ads took up more space that the actual text! I switched to Brave Browser for reading it; problem solved. Aced it.
In conclusion, I believe that BAT is going to help develop crypto-altruism, technology, and bring a lot of awareness to the fast-growing cryptospace. Admittedly, I should be holding a lot more than I currently do. One flaw I do think prevents me from holding more is the spread costs from buying it, but I'm not sure if this is true across all exchanges. If anyone has any suggestions on where to buy BAT at a spread of around 1% (not including fees), please let me know in the comments section! Also, don't take my word for it, but I happen to think that the BAT team is hinting at launching a main-net. Thank you for reading!
All tips I receive for this article will be donated 50/50 to Wikipedia & No Kid Hungry.
