Christina Comben Work Samples
From cryptocurrency, web3, and fintech to business strategy and marketing, I can turn my hand to any subject
Check out the following samples of articles and reports published in my name below. To protect my clients’ identities, for website content and specific articles, please contact me and I will provide samples upon request.
Cosmos Network
Why Blockchains Need Cosmos Proof-of-Stake for a Sustainable Environment
The energy debate surrounding Proof-of-Work (PoW) blockchains like Bitcoin and Ethereum is nothing new. While the world’s wealthiest man might have rekindled the flames with his sudden about-turn on Bitcoin, Elon Musk is hardly the first person to be concerned over the high amount of energy that Bitcoin mining and other similar POW chains require.
In fact, Tendermint co-founders and the authors of the Cosmos Network whitepaper, Jae Kwon and Ethan Buchman recognized this problem in 2014 when their research into Proof-of-Stake (PoS) and blockchain consensus mechanisms led them to develop Tendermint Core — the first and most widely used implementation of a Byzantine Fault Tolerance (BFT) consensus engine and PoS crypto-economics to date. Read more.
Deep Dive: How Will IBC Create Value for the Cosmos Hub?
Whether you’re familiar with Cosmos or looking to find out more, one of the first terms you’ll run into is IBC (Inter Blockchain Communication). Of the industry-leading developer tools that make up the Cosmos tech stack and enable its expanding ecosystem, IBC is the biggest game-changer of all.
So, what exactly is IBC and why is it such a big deal? Perhaps more importantly, how will it create value for the Cosmos Hub and its native ATOM token? Read more.
Cointelegraph
Unforgettable: How Blockchain Will Fundamentally Change the Human Experience
From the invention of the wheel to the printing press, new technology has changed the human experience. Our comprehension of the world is no longer limited to a village. Our collective knowledge grows by inconceivable exabytes of data every day. And our memories, our very recollections of the events that shape our lives, are changing too. Read more.
Extinct or Extant: Can Blockchain Preserve the Heritage of Endangered Populations?
Around halfway between Hawaii and northern Australia, the Marshall Islands are a long way from anywhere. It would be hard to find a place more remote. And in the glory of the sun, the Marshall Islands seem to be a tropical paradise.
But the sprawling array of coral atolls in the Pacific Ocean is characterized by stark and tragic contrasts. With its coconut palms, white sands, turquoise waters, coral reefs, and friendly people it should be a major tourist hub. Yet many of the 1,156 islands are uninhabitable, and the isolation that makes The Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) so attractive to adventurous tourists also made it the perfect place for extensive U.S. nuclear bomb testing between 1946 and 1958. Read more.
CCN/Yahoo Finance
Interview: BTC.com’s Alejandro de la Torre on Bitcoin, Crypto Mining, & Whether Satoshi is Female
Alejandro de la Torre is a busy man. His role as VP of Business Operations at BTC.com, Bitmain’s largest mining pool, involves managing the team, educating users, speaking with potential new customers, scouting out business opportunities, talking about BTC.com and Bitmain on the conference stage, and traveling — a lot.
Born in Venezuela and now living in Holland (with a multitude of miles in between), Alejandro spends most of his time on airplanes. In fact, right after our interview at Web Summit in Lisbon, he was jetting off to Tel Aviv, although not for work this time, but for a friend’s wedding, “we lost another one,” he sighs ruefully and shrugs his shoulders. Read more.
Why the Women in Blockchain Movement Makes Me Nauseous
I’m almost completely over Netlifx. As a single mother of two, that’s a pretty sad spot to be in. Netflix was basically my social life. But all this political correctness is starting to irritate me. The tidal wave of ‘strong female leads’, and the exact proportion of people of color scattered throughout their movies is not exactly subtle. And it feels just a little bit forced–which brings me to women in blockchain.
Before you start to yell ‘fascist’, ‘racist’, or ‘sexist’, you should probably know I’m a female writer with Arabic roots–and also how irrelevant that is. I know how to appreciate great content and exceptional actors. But I can tell when they’re filling a quota. Read more.
Bitcoinist
BitMEX CEO: ‘All in, Motherf*ckers’ on Bitcoin and Gold
BitMEX founder Arthur Hayes put out a thought-provoking piece on the company blog today. He talks about the effect of the COVID-19 crisis on the global economy and states that nothing will ever be the same again. “The USD fiction is over. It’s time for a new mental crutch.” He’s opting for Bitcoin and gold–what will your fiction be? Read more.
Federal Reserve Prepares to Print 50 Bitcoin Networks Worth of USD
Central banks around the world are firing up their money-printing machines. The collective opinion seems to be that the best way to combat the economic effects of the coronavirus is by throwing money at the problem.
After days of frantic discussions between both parties, an initial $2tn deal has finally been reached. This is a “bipartisan agreement on a historic relief package for this pandemic,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said. But that’s just the start. The Federal Reserve has pledged to print as much as $6TN… and there could even be more to come. Read more.
Cryptoslate
Europe has taken a clear stance on crypto and businesses should be prepared
Days before the wave of international lockdowns began, CryptoSlate had the opportunity to meet face-to-face with Crypto.com’s General Manager for Europe, Mariana Gospodinova. We discussed the company’s upcoming plans, trends for the rest of the year, and why stricter regulation in Europe is forcing companies’ hands. Read more.
When crypto conferences and coronavirus collide
It isn’t only the markets that are being affected by the coronavirus. This image of the main stage at the CryptoCompare Digital Asset Summit in London tells a thousand words. As mass events and gatherings are canceled around the world, the CCDA Summit may well be the last major event of the industry this year. And beyond the explosion of crypto derivatives, DeFi, and the old chestnut of mass adoption, the main topic du jour is the coronavirus. Read more.
Coin Central
Elixxir CEO David Chaum: “Blockchains Lack the Ability for Privacy at Scale”
When most people think back to the origins of cryptocurrency, their minds turn to the 2008 white paper and the appearance of Bitcoin the year after. While no one knows for sure who the real creator of Bitcoin is, and there have been plenty of theories, the name Satoshi Nakamoto conjures images of a Japanese computer scientist.
But while no one knows the face, there’s not a person in the industry who hasn’t heard the name. Something that’s probably the exact opposite with David Chaum. You may not have heard of him, but if you’d seen him speaking or doing the rounds on the conference circuit, you would never forget his face, or his invention. Read more.
ShapeShift CEO Erik Voorhees Says You Can’t Change the World in a Smooth, Predictable Curve
ShapeShift Co-Founder and CEO Erik Voorhees has quite a reputation in the crypto world. As one of the original players in the space, he’s opinionated, outspoken, and no fan of the SEC.
A serial entrepreneur and disrupter who doesn’t mince his words, I spoke to Voorhees about days gone by, days to come, and why this bear market is a mere blip on the horizon of a global decentralized financial system.
As one of the first people to be involved in Bitcoin, I asked if he could shed a little light on those exploratory times and what the scene looked like in the days before “when Lambo” and “blockchain will solve [insert your problem here].” Read more.
SC Magazine UK
Are Cryptocurrencies More Than Just a Way for Criminals to Get Paid Anonymously and Avoid Tax?
We’ve all seen the headlines. Bitcoin’s rise and fall, high profile hacking attacks, and ICO fly-by-night scam teams riding off into the sunset with investor money. At a cursory glance, the cryptocurrency landscape looks an awful lot like the old Wild West – lawless, volatile, open; no viable law enforcement in sight… but is there more to Bitcoin than meets the eye? Read more.
Business.com
Stand Out: Why You Need to Localize Your Website (And How)
If you’ve been reading up on digital marketing strategies lately, then you’ve probably heard about website localization. But if you think it only applies to large multinationals or companies with production units overseas, then think again. If you sell your goods or services online, then the very nature of that gives you access to international markets. Read more.
Benefits for All: How to Attract More Women to the Workplace
I’m a woman. And a worker.
And in an age where we can clone a sheep from a stem cell, backup our entire lives on a cloud and watch reruns of our favorite show on our smartphones; it saddens me to know that these two concepts are still largely incompatible.
Or rather, it’s not impossible to be a high flying business executive and a woman.
It’s just a whole lot easier if you’re a man. Read more.
Calling All Angels: How to Attract Investors for Your Startup
Do you have a viable concept that you want to transform into a successful business? Or are you managing a bootstrap startup that desperately needs a cash injection? While many small business owners have relied on sheer grit and determination (as well as the occasional handout from family, friends, or even crowdsourcing) if your potentially prosperous company has hit a financial roadblock, then you’ll need to start thinking about attracting investors.
Considering the depressing statistic that nine out of 10 startups fail, you might be wondering what makes people even want to start a startup or to invest in an unknown entity in the first place. Well, here’s why. Read more.
Ahead of the Pack: 4 Ways to Keep Your Business Competitive
Whatever industry you’re in, there will almost certainly come a point when you need to make changes to your business plan to accommodate market shifts.
Regardless of your business type, financial situation or strength, if you aren’t constantly focused on your competitiveness in the marketplace, then you’re placing your business’s longevity at risk.
Because even if the orders are flooding in and your customer base is more loyal than a German Shepard; if you don’t have an eye on your long-term vision, then you’re playing a risky game. Read more.
Need for Speed: Simple Ways to Make Your Website Faster
When it’s time to redesign your website, try not to get overly caught up in the aesthetics.
Of course, you want your brand to have personality and your site to be clean and visually appealing, and it goes without saying that you need to communicate a professional, capable and trustworthy image.
But even though all these aspects are important, if you have problems with your site speed, then not even an award-winning design will keep your customers coming back. Read more.
Set Ground Rules: How to be Successful Working from Home
Working from home can be tough, but setting a few ground rules for yourself will do wonders for your productivity (and sanity).
From personal grooming to meetings with clients, knowing when to disconnect, to asking for help when needed, here are my top tips for being successful working from home. Read more.
Elite Daily
30 Things That Will Happen in Your 30s No Matter What Path You Take
Hey you — 20-something socialite with a Starbucks in your hand.
On your way to work after being out all night? Is that smudged eye makeup and a guilty smile turning up the corners of your mouth?
Time to listen up. I am the voice of your future. Ever wanted a crystal ball to see what’s around the corner when you hit yours 30s? Well, you don’t need one. Check out this list of 30 things that will happen in your 30s … whether you like it or not. Read more.
7 Things You Need to Know If You’re Dating a Man With Kids
You’ve probably realized by now life isn’t all rainbows and butterflies. And if you haven’t yet, you soon will. By the time you reach you late 20s and early 30s, the baggage starts to add up.
As you get older, you begin to accumulate stuff. Not more expensive kinds of face cream, that’s just physical baggage. The emotional shit weighs much heavier. Your experiences, good and bad, start to take their toll. Read more.
Business2Community
Why Localization is More Than Just a Buzz Word
Localization is far from new, although the term may seem foreign to you. If you studied a business degree at college, it probably came under the umbrella of global marketing. Companies large and small have been adapting their products to suit foreign markets for as long as trade existed. Thinking global and acting local for centuries, in fact. Just think about the English and their tea. Read more…
Social Proof Is Here to Stay – So You’d Better Know How to Use It
It’s no surprise that the internet has changed the way we live, work and consume. Before we buy anything these days (online or in the store) most people read about it online. Actually, that’s no longer a trend, but the typical path towards making a purchase.
There are plenty of statistics to confirm this new habit. 90% of consumers read online reviews, and 88% of them trust the reviews found online as much as they do personal recommendations. Read more.
5 Fail-Safe Strategies to Drive More Traffic to Your Site
You’ve invested in a new website, set up your blog and have some pretty credible content. Now what?
If you’re feeling less than elated by the amount of new visitors per month, you need to find a way of getting eyeballs on your site. Not just any eyes either, but qualified traffic that actually has a chance of becoming converted customers.
Once your website is up and running and your support staff ready to help, what’s the next step to take? Here are five fail-safe strategies to drive more traffic to your website. Read more.
How to Effectively Catch the Attention of Gen Y
Like it or not, millennials are becoming harder to ignore. Already accounting for one third of the US workforce, by 2025, millennials will make up a whopping 75 percent! That makes them a growing demographic with sizable purchasing power. It also means that whatever line of work you’re in, it’s more than likely you’ll be marketing to millennials. But what do we know about this dominant market segment, beyond the fact that they can barely remember a world without smartphones or social media? Here’s a few ways to effectively catch the attention of Gen Y. Read more.
She Owns It
How to Make Your Business Attractive to Global Clients
If your business competes in a global market, with physical or online presence, then you should be thinking about localizing your marketing message. With so many industries hit by the global economic downturn, you’re operating in increasingly challenging and competitive times. The economy is leaving potential clients out of pocket and the emergence of more and more online competitors in your industry makes consumers harder to please, and the prospect of brand loyalty seem like the Holy Grail? Read more.
Day Translations
13 Things You Need to Know About Dating a Latino
What kind of a mother has to be involved in every single decision about absolutely everything? From the color of your couch to the cut of your suit? And since when was being independent a bad thing? In what kind of a world was your ability to make empanadas more important than your ability to make dollars? And what do you mean she’s coming over again? Gaww! Read more.
7 Things Every Interpreter Hates
Breaking down cultural barriers, helping people understand each other globally and aiding the preservation of languages throughout the world is a noble job. It’s also a hard one. Not only does it require years of training, hard work, and the ability to think on your feet, but interpreters have to be patient, neutral, and learn to keep their opinions to themselves. Here’s news for you – they wish you would too. Read more.
Organic Lifestyle Magazine
Are You Struggling with Infertility? Donor Eggs Could Help
Many couples dream about starting a family together one day. They have long conversations into the night chatting about what their children might look like and grow up to be, who they’ll take after and how they’ll behave.
Fortunately, for most couples, getting pregnant is easy. They make the decision that they’re ready to have kids, start trying, and within several weeks or months, they receive the happy news.
For one in six couples in the USA, though, it doesn’t happen this way. Infertility is on the rise in the western world, and while there are some possible causes, there’s no cold, hard reason that wins out beyond age demographics. Read more.
Whey Protein for a Healthy, Strong Body: What You Need to Know
Most people associate whey protein with bodybuilders. You know, the kind we picture hanging around the gym pumping iron, making the rest of us feel bad with our spindly legs and flabby thighs, while their ripped muscles bulge provocatively out of tightly fitting shirts… Stay with me. For too long this powerhouse dietary supplement has been monopolized by the bodybuilding domain. Read more.
European Business Review
Why You Need to Localise Now
If your company does business on a global scale and you compete in international markets, you’ve probably heard a lot about localisation. While you almost certainly already adapt your products or services to meet the requirements of local markets, local legislation, tastes and habits; have you asked yourself how you can localise your website, software, or mobile app to increase your brand’s appeal to clients in different cultures across a varied demographic? Read more.
Why Localisation is Key to Global Marketing
If you want to increase sales, broaden your brand awareness and give SEO a boost, localisation is key. But, while most marketing managers are aware of the need to speak their customers’ language; how far are they willing to go to get it just right? The success of global marketing is about much more than merely translating your website into three of four different languages. While translation ensures that your message makes sense, localisation speaks to the heart. And speaking to the heart is the goal of any marketing campaign. Read more or download PDF version here.
Women on Business
Why It’s Important to Maintain Your Employability
In an increasingly competitive marketplace where qualifications + experience no longer equals gainful employment, it’s no secret that terms such as “job for life” and “financial stability” have become about as mythical as unicorns. While employers once criticized candidates with multiple positions on their resumes, these days the loyal long timers find themselves under scrutiny. Read more.
How to Make Your Productivity Skyrocket
There are a ton of articles out there about how to boost your productivity, some of them useful and some of them not (I think it’s fairly obvious that a productive day is more likely to come off of the back of a good night’s sleep). But I’ve never read one that made my productivity skyrocket. I’ve never really gotten into apps like Evernote or Wunderlist (frankly, I don’t have the patience or time to fiddle around learning how to use them). But while patience may not be one of my virtues, I certainly am productive. Like Superwoman productive. And I’ve learned to be this way through sheer grit and brute necessity. Let me share my secrets. Read more.
Glass Door
How to Manage Employees in Multiple Countries
Whatever line of work you’re in, it’s no surprise that running a successful company is hard work. Many business owners get overwhelmed by the amount of hours they have to put in because they can’t afford to hire help, can’t find the right help, or are simply unable to delegate. But loosening the reigns and assigning tasks to the people who are most suited to carrying them out is vital. Especially if your business is online and your employees are spread out over multiple geographic locations. Read more.
Should You Hire People with Noticeable Weaknesses?
As content manager at Day Translations, I have to admit, I’m a stickler for grammar. Or more accurately, I have an ingrained aversion to poor grammar. Sloppy wording, typos, double spaces, triple exclamation marks (!!!) and abbreviations have a time and a place—but not when applying for a job.
The absence of professionalism in written communications nowadays is something I will bitterly lament to my grave, and I can’t help resenting the way the Snap Chat generation has willfully eroded the English language. Sure, I can chat along with the best of them—lol—but if I want to be addressed in the style of a text message, I’ll give you my phone number, not ask for your resume. Read more.
5 FREE Ways to Attract All-Star Employees
Wouldn’t it be great if all the Harvard graduates, international superstars and MBA qualified candidates wanted to work for you? How much more productive would your company be if your staff was made up of all-star employees who not only knew how to work together as a team, but who also responded well to challenges, contributed bright ideas and moved your company forward? Read more.
Evan Carmichael
Stressed Out? How to Tell if You’re Working Too Hard
We all know about stress. That modern disease most of us have caught at some point or another. Whether you’re a chronic sufferer who finds simple, everyday interchanges nerve-wracking, or your stress levels directly correlate with moments of intense pressure; a certain amount of stress in your life can actually be healthy. Read more.
5 Ways to Be a Better Leader in 2017
Are you an entrepreneur, small business owner or line manager? Want to achieve greater success in the coming year and manage a team of happy employees motivated to reaching a common goal? Great! Then check out these five ways to be a better leader in 2017. Read more.
Thought Catalog
5 Warning Signs That You Could Be Too Nice
Here’s the thing about being too nice: you probably won’t notice it on your own. You’re too sweet natured to tell when people are stomping all over you or abusing your trust. You can’t see through the fact that they’re taking advantage.
Lucky for you, though, I’m willing to bet you have a ton of friends who aren’t too nice.
This means that, sooner or later, one of them will point out your flaws. Open your eyes and show you how to yield the power of no. Read more.
Healthable
Why It’s Important to Look After Your Health as You Age
Time is a bit more forgiving to the young. Remember when you thought you were invincible and that those late night parties and summer camps would go on forever? When you may be consumed some things you shouldn’t have, or over-indulged while wildly disregarding the consequences? When you’re young, your body has a greater chance of nullifying the harmful effects of smoking, drinking, or packing in too many slices of chocolate fudge cake. Read more.
Upwork
5 Reasons Why You Need a Human Translator
There’s no denying the merit of Computer Assisted Translation (CAT) tools for aiding human translators, or for giving you a vague idea of a short written text in an instant. But a vague idea isn’t going to cut it when it comes to important correspondence. Computers were designed to help humans with necessary tasks, not to make us obsolete. Read more.
Why Localization Should Go Beyond Translation in Your Website
Localization is vital in global marketing if you want to increase sales, broaden brand awareness and boost your SEO. But, while you may have heard the term used a lot, can you say with absolute confidence what it actually means? Many people get confused between translation and localization, and it’s not hard to see why. But, while translation takes care of the words and maybe even uses a little creative license with the copy, localization goes way deeper. Read more.
Miscellaneous
The Best Place to Move for The Next 4 Years
Suffering from post-election stress? Suddenly realized that the majority of the population are racist, sexist, ignorant — and now there’s a misogynistic reality show star as a president? It’s time to get the hell out of dodge.
If you’ve been looking for an excuse to make a change in your life, or telling anyone who’ll listen that if Trump wins, you’ll move; then why not keep your word? Check out the best places to move for the next four years (that don’t include Canada). Read more.
How to Start Your Own Small Business
Have you got an incredible idea that you want to transform into a business? Do you ache to start up on your own and take a leap into the exciting world of entrepreneurism? So what’s stopping you? Money? Fear? Self-doubt? Commitments? Insert your next excuse here… While it’s true that launching and maintaining a successful small business can be a (scary) and overwhelming process; it can also be challenging, thrilling, and educational above all. Read more.
5 Tips For Writing Kick-ass Online Content for Your Website
While you may enjoy reading novels, I’m betting you only do on vacation. And while a well-written thriller can keep a reader captivated for hours, the same simply doesn’t apply to online content. With the average attention span of an adult estimated at around 8 seconds, and with an infinite source of competing information at your prospect’s fingertips, your website content doesn’t have to be good to get read; it has to be extraordinary. Read more.
How to Make The Most of Your Content Marketing
It’s no secret that content marketing is the new black. Whoever you speak to about improving your visibility online these days will undoubtedly mention these buzz words. So if your website’s looking about as high-tech as a cassette player and your content’s reading like a kick in the head, then it’s time you started making the most of your content marketing. Read more.
How to Create a Budget that Works for You
If you’re like one of many people in the United States today, then you may be struggling to keep your personal finances on track. But coming up with a budget (and sticking to it) can be hard. Managing your money is about thinking smarter and planning well. You also need to set realistic goals and create a budget that works for you and reflects your personal situation. Read more.
Definition of a Torque Angle
The term “torque angle” is not very commonly used, even among experts in industrial measurements, yet the torque-angle method of analysis is simple, highly accurate and straightforward, greatly reducing the margin of error in the measurement of force needed to secure bolts and fasteners of varying sizes and lengths. Read more.
How to Create an Inspirational Company Video
You’ve done your research about content marketing. You’ve got the program, designer and budget in place to create a corporate video. That’s great. Now what? How do you design a truly inspiring piece of audio-visual content that will speak to your buyer personas and urge them to take action? This can be challenging within the language industry, as the benefits of localization and translation are not always understood or appreciated. Read more.
SMS Marketing: Is it Still Useful for Your Business?
With terms like SEO, SERP, DA and PPC floating around, it’s safe to say there’s been an important shift in the way we manage our marketing these days. In a digital world, where more than 3 billion people have access to internet, inbound marketing has become key, with companies large and small investing their resources in content marketing to attract and retain customers and increase their ranking in Google. Read more.
Investors’ Guides for ABC:
Honduras, un potencial por descubrir. Read here.