INTRODUCTION
Just a few days ago, I was contacted by a representative of a local company (within the blockchain industry) and they had offered me an opportunity to work for them. I had already passed two separate 1 hour long interviews - ending up with very mixed feelings. Right now, my strong conclusion is that I'm not the right person for the offered job position, and to be honest, neither is this position something I would enjoy doing.
Regardless, whether I would end up working with that particular company or not - today, I would like to share with you some of that experience. I was asked some questions which made me feel quite puzzled and unprepared. Truth is, I'm still not sure how to answer some of those questions, however, the aim of this post is to ask you, dear readers, to help me out.
Perhaps someone here could steer me in right direction and help me find a way to reply one simple question:
HOW WOULD YOU EXPLAIN BLOCKCHAIN TO NEWBIE
How would you explain what blockchain is about to someone who doesn't know anything about blockchain?
I truly didn't even know where to begin. Part of me felt like I was being asked to explain what is the "Internet" to someone who has never used it before. At that very moment I realized that for over the past 2 years, I've only been dealing with people who are familiar with blockchain technology. I have stopped talking about it with those who are not familiar with the topic and do not understand the basics.
My TARGETED AUDIENCE has been very different. Educating people with ZERO knowledge has never been my goal. And at that very moment when I've heard this question - I ended up feeling so clueless and unprepared. Not knowing where to start and where to end. Unsure if it is even possible to achieve such a task within just a couple of minutes.
SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH ME
Please share your thoughts with me. How would you explain "blockchain in 5 minutes" to someone who doesn't know anything about it? What is this technology about? `
IMPORTANT: Please do that using YOUR OWN WORDS.
WITHOUT using google and looking at youtube to see how other people did it. Just imagine going through an interview and being asked a similar question. What would you say, assuming that you've managed to attract someone's attention for just a couple of minutes. And every minute counts :)
I WILL CONTACT AUTHORS OF BEST ENTRIES
I will contact the authors of most valuable comments and offer creating a publication on this topic - which will be then strongly upvoted with my personal account, project.hope as well as on our curation trail.
Yours, Piotr
@project.hope founder
Such a nice question I must say. I just hope my answer will be able to help a little.
I have met people who have zero knowledge about Blockchain and with my explanation many understand what a blockchain is.
In a bit to explain it to somebody who has zero knowledge about cryptocurrency and blockchain, I run faster to using the Bank as a case study. Now, this is how I explained it to them.
I go ahead to explain that Blockchain is just like your local bank. Imaging Blockchain as the structures, by structures, I mean the building where different bank related activities is been carried out. All activities in the bank is been stored in their database this same thing is applied to Blockchain. In Blockchain all your activities is been recorded in their database. Bank is the opposite of Blockchain. By opposite, I mean that the Bank is a physical structure while Blockchain is a coded structure that is build online i.e it is not a physical structure.
Just like in a bank, you can swap your local currency to any other currency, same thing can be done using the blockchain. Your different currency can be swap to any token.
Just like you have money like dollar, naira, pounds and so many currency in the bank, you have cryptocurrency in blockchain. The Cryptocurtency ranges from different money to the other. You have popular cryptocurrency like Bitcoin, Ethereum, hive, steem, litecoin, Uniswap, Eos, etc all in the blockchain, samething like having Dollar, naira, pounds etc
Now, how is this Blockchain better than our local. In blockchain, you can buy any Cryptocurrency without needing to leave the comfort of your home. You can easily sent token and receive token with ease without visiting your local bank. If the money hasn't delivered in your list of asset, you can easily check the transaction to ascertain if the person send it or not. But in case of bank, you will need to visit bank or call their customer care line to help you check the transaction status.
In blockchain, you can trade your token for additional gains, unlike bank. Although their is also the negative side. You have to have trading knowledge. While using the blockchain, just buying a coin and holding it can see you making good reward without you even engaging in any activities. This happens if the coin rises in value. You can still make loss just holding a coin if it drops in value too. This can't be done in banks except maybe you open a fixed deposit account and freezes your money for a particular time frame. You don't need to freeze your token before you can make good gain in blockchain.
With this few point of mine, I think I am able to explain what blockchain is in a lane terms.
Thank you for this brilliant comment @tfame3865
It's hard man, I guess it's like trying to explain to my mom about blockchain. So, let me see if I can explain as easy as I can
I could say that blockchain is an accounting record of digital currency (called cryptocurrencies) transactions. This digital ledger is replicated on millions of computers all over the internet. This makes it indestructible, reliable, and perennial.
Initially, the blockchain was created to keep track of cryptocurrencies, however, today the blockchain not only saves transaction records but also all kinds of information. Making it a secure means to save and maintain untouchable information in a perpetual way.
Maybe these fellows could help you better ^_^
Love your explanation @jadams2k18 :)
Certainly it is something difficult to explain in such a short time to someone who does not know about the subject. One could say that it is the technology behind cryptocurrency, since many times it is the term with which it is most associated. That this is a system of distributed data by means of which a list of online transactions is recorded through cryptographic processes, i.e. encrypted. It is like a coded book ledger.
Just as in a ledger the operations are recorded in the pages, the transactions made in this platform are stored in a set of data called blocks, that is, permanent files with data from the network. And so, just as when new information is written on a page of the book, a block is also created, only this information cannot be changed afterwards. And the blocks form a chain because each one has a time stamp that links it to the previous one and then links it to the next one. That is, it's one page after another.
What makes this ledger special, is precisely that way of storing data. Because instead of storing the whole book in a single entity, call it a bank, each page is distributed in a network of computers around the world connected to this platform.
I hope this makes some sense to a newbie.
Greetings friend @crypto.piotr
Love your explanation @emiliomoron :)
Hi @crypto.piotr
It was very difficult for me to explain this to my students then I understood that the blockchain title is associated with this image.
So to be able to explain better, I must have broken that chain LOL
In this way, I told my students that it is simply information that travels on the Internet but in blocks and each block contained a specific amount of information that could be replicated in other blocks. and that the blockchain name is given because it is somehow a chain reaction, one after another,
in conclusion one block behind the other block but united.
Then I make a drawing on the board of the closest thing I can find to be able to make a graphic image of the blockchain-
After that other questions arise.
But I think that with this very basic way of explaining I can answer your question.
Thank you for taking the time to share your view with meAmazing comment @lanzjoseg
Thank you for taking the time to share your view with meAmazing comment @lanzjoseg
That's actually an interesting question and I agree with you it's not easy to explain this to a newbie. I would answer the question as follows:
What is a blockchain?
Imagine that you produce some kind of data. Normally you would store this data on your computer or on a database on a server. The problem is that there are safety issues with this. The computer and the server can be compromised and you might loose your data or it might be transformed.
With a blockchain, you send the data to this blockchain in a encrypted form. This data is stored in a kind of block. This block is linked to the previous block and to the next block. So that it becomes impossible to alter the content of the block without having to alter all the blocks before and afterwards. Only you can access this data with a kind of key which you are the only person in the world to own.
The blockchain is maintained by a network of computers that make sure that new blocks are created and verified.
The big advantes of the blockchain
Only you can access and modifiy the data on the blockchain thanks to your personal keys. The blockchain is secured from attacks because it's not possible to alter the content of one block without having to alter all the blocks before and after it. The data is stored on a network and even if a server is down, there will be no chances that the data is lost.
These caracteristiques make a blockchain perfect to store and transfer value, like Bitcoins. A blockchain is also an answer to many different systems were data has to be accessible to many and stored in decentralised secured situation.
Best regards,
achim
Thank you for taking the time to share your thought with meAmazing comment @achim03, @achim03.ctp
What a tricky situation! It is so simple but NOT easy question.
And when faced with a query like this, I think it is best to focus only on the main aspects and ignore small details.
Even if your explanation is not complete, I think it is better than drowning the newbie recipient with so many details that will eventually obscure the crux of the subject.Greetings dear friend @crypto.piotr
Let me try:
Imagine a room censored by cameras from every direction and these cameras are broadcasting live to all parts of the world.
You have in this room well-locked boxes (block) made of transparent glass so that anyone anywhere in the world can monitor the contents of these boxes without accessing them.
These boxes are linked together (chain)and each of them has an amount of money.
Each box has two types of keys: the private key and the public key, and each has its own use.
Let me start with the private key:
The private key is the ONLY way that you can own one of these boxes and can access its contents. Anyone who has a copy of the private key to your box can control the money so you MUST be careful with it.
If you want to withdraw your money or transfer it to another box you will need your private key to confirm the withdrawing or transferring process.
Public key:
Assuming that you own one of these boxes (box A) and want to transfer money to another box (box B ), then you need the public key of box B to make that transaction, and after confirming, the money will be transferred from (box A) to (box B) through the links between the boxes, and given that there are cameras in the room anyone can monitor the transfer process.
Now, we have miners:
Think of them as the ones who are responsible for getting all transactions between boxes executed. In exchange for doing so, they take a fee from each transaction process.
Certainly, This approach does NOT cover all the aspects of Blockchain technology, but I think it could introduce the basic description to someone with zero knowledge to get started.
Thank you for sharing your experience :))
Thank you for taking the time to share your thought with meAmazing comment @qsyal
My instant and impromptu answer....
I would start by saying "Do you you you can use the computer to record and store information?"
Think of a blockchain as a large number of computers running the same software.
This software enables the computer to talk to each other and create a log very much like a physical world note book.
This network keeps a record of what is happening in the network or blockchain.
The idea of having a blockchain is to log information such as transactions between two people.
Since it is not one computer instead a lot of computers running the software we also refer to these computers as nodes.
Together they act as a peer to peer network where each node contributes in sustaining what is known as a decentralized ledger or log of transactions.
Well this was the idea behind Bitcoin.
I feel this should be enough to explain the idea of a blockchain. If you want to go deeper one can elaborate about the rewards of running a node . How it provides stability and how rewards for validating transactions are distributed.
A little insight into how I arrived at this way of answering
I did a mental map where bockchain==> Bitcoin
How was the bitcoin blockchain and I put together my thoughts..Dear @crypto.piotr
I think the next time you face such a question think of bitcoin and explain how the bitcoin blockchain works.
Since your information and level of understanding is much advanced you may find too many ideas and complex solutions popping up in the head all at the same time.
So to keep it simple and noob friendly one could answer w.r.t bitcoin and its blockchain.
I truly appreciate your time buddyThank you for this brilliant comment @thetimetravelerz
Thank you for sharing such interesting content with all of us, the truth is that it would be quite a challenge to be able to transmit in a few minutes the blockchain information with a person who does not have any information about it, but nevertheless, it would be important to start transmitting some aspects in a general way and that you can awaken the attention of that person.
For example, that the blockchain technology will be the payment transaction system of the future through digital currencies called crypto-currencies (something similar to payments by transfers between banks), however, this technology is independent of the platforms of the banks and their charges for commissions and restrictions on amount, ie the relationship is entirely person to person.
And that the above is one of the most outstanding advantages of this type of technology and also provides a great support to our cryptographic investments (or digital money) due to its great shielding system for being a series of chains or computer equipment that support and protect our investment.
Thank you leader for allowing us to be part of this extraordinary debate, and that sometimes we believe that the transference of any type of learning is trivial, but nevertheless, it is not, here a sample of it.
Greetings dear friend @crypto.piotr.I truly appreciate your time buddyThank you for this brilliant comment @rbalzan79
I will start by simply telling the person to imagine a single excel sheet that is opened across multiple computers such that any change in the excel sheet is effected automatically across all the computers and such that any previous information on the excel sheet cannot be altered without the approval of a required number of the computer operators. Now, I'll tell the newbie how this invention is capable of replacing the ledgers of banks and reshaping the face of banking. I'll then also tell the newbie that this invention can forever change the way records are kept across all sectors of the human society.
Actually, I have also been with people with some knowledge of blockchain, so I never thought about how to explain blockchain to a newbie.
But if that happens; I will tell them that blockchain is like a group of ledger (or transactions) that are connected with each other to form an interconnection or a chain, in which a particular transaction is linked to another. In this case, you cannot undo a particular transaction that has been initiated because they are immutably connected to other transactions.
Okay I don't know if I'm making sense here :)
I come to you, out of respect, in regards to these messages:
Our dear friend passed from cancer in 2019, so there is no need to continue to send messages, as he will not, of course, be seeing them...
Respectfully,
Wes
Dear @wesphilbin
I'm so sorry to hear about @wolfhart death. I've just realized that he suffered with cancer?
Hopefully he died in peace.
Yours, Piotr
I would explain the blockchain as a series of ledger accounting books that keeps records (the blocks) all connected to each other with a tether link (a chain).
That is how I see it.
Thanks for dropping by @darthnava
I'm not sure if any beginner would understand. Especially if you would use word "ledger" in your explanation lol :)
Cheers, Piotr
Any idiot that craves to be rich knows what a ledger is.
Ehm. Your reply does sound quite offensive @darthnava :/
Okey, let's say that you take 10 random people. Few of your family members, few of your random friends and few people from the street. Regardless if you call them idiot or not ... how do you think conversation would go if they would ask you:
hi buddy. you've been involved in all those crypto and bitcoin. Can you tell me what is this blockchain about?
blockchain as a series of ledger accounting books that keeps records (the blocks) all connected to each other with a tether link (a chain).
?
Well, in order to explain it well to them I would have to show a video to make it short and avoid myself a potential nosebleed.😄
thx darthnava
💕👌👌
Greetings dear friend @ crypto.piotr .
Thank you very much for your initiative to share such an important article for all the members of this great hope project.
It is something difficult to explain in a short time but not impossible either, they are challenges that would have to be assumed and it would be the biggest challenge to be able to explain and to transmit in such a short time all the information of blockchain and more taking into account that the person does not have any knowledge about it, beginning with the basics it would be easier for us some aspects of global form to be waking up the interest of the people and their motivation to continue knowing about the blockchain
Thank you partner and friend for providing us with this space where we can share and be part of this great debate. Greetings
Thank you for dropping by and for this awesome comment @sandracarrascal
Interesting to read that nowadays employers ask this type of question I've always had a vision that e certain occasions "less is more" and I sense that this time it applies.
A blockchain can be imagined as a long chain of steel links, where each link contains an important piece of information, and all together form a solid and resistant piece capable of withstanding a lot of torque.Think of this as a multi-party signed entity where information is shared and with peculiarity that this information is publicly visible and accessible.All this without intermediaries and without third parties, we ourselves control the operations we do Each link is an important part and the information contained in them is virtually impossible and incapable of disappearing because it remains stored in each link of the chain.For a newcomer it can be difficult to understand this and I think the best way is to invite him to use it and experiment, which would clear up c one of the future questions and concerns.And regarding your job interview, I wish you success and if they answer you, I hope your stay in that company will be prosperous.
Love your explanation @reinaldoverdu :)
Big thx for taking the time to drop this comment
HIVE.D!
Excellent Post!
Blockchain is a way of sharing a Spreadsheet so that the participants keep their transactions safe and the Shared network keeps the activities on the Spreadsheet TRUTHFUL. The first useful APP for a shared spreadsheet would be to use it to secure an Accounting Ledger; which is what BitCoin is. But spreadsheets can be used to track other information securely and transparently which is why HIVE is designed more for messages and blogging information where the Blockchain secures each individual's account seperately.
That's my 2 cents Piotr! Kind regards good sir!
And please keep up the AMAZING work you do for this Chain.
~Frank
Love your explanation @frankbacon :)
Big thx for taking the time to drop this comment
ps. do you use Discord? I would like to invite you to our Project.hope community discord server:
https://discord.gg/uWMJTaW
Greetings friend, a pleasure to greet you, with your question I have remained the same as you, with a blank thought, especially because I am one of those users you mention that have little knowledge about it, I am dedicated to publishing content that is something with which I identify.
But I will take the risk to say, that a Blockchain in a system that allows you to perform certain operations or transactions in a transparent way since it can corroborate the procedures performed without so much bureaucracy or mystery.
See you later, I hope you feel well, blessings for you and your family !
The simplest and most understandable comparison of a blockchain with a database, where a lot of data files are constantly created and always saved.
@tipu curate
Upvoted 👌 (Mana: 42/48) Liquid rewards.
The simple answer I will tell is a database that a middleman or central entity cannot change and be used for use cases like, voting, record transaction, digital arts, collectibles, etc...
Your post has been voted as a part of Encouragement program. Keep up the good work!
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