From Signals to Social Glue: Why Alpha Callers Matter in Web3

What are Alpha Callers?

The Solana Blockchain processes around an average of 1000-4000 transactions per second. Imagine a Barista at a coffee shop accepting payment, passing out coffees to over a thousand people in the space of one second. Crazy, right?

If you follow that analogy just a little bit further, and we decide to separate each customer by what they buy, and how much of it they buy, you start getting specifics like Lattes, Espressos and Matcha. Those are insights into what happens on the blockchain. With that, you can figure out who’s buying what, what is most heavily requested and what will likely be sold out faster tomorrow. Congrats, you now understand what Alpha is.

Alpha callers share early insights, trade signals and project picks to and with their community.

But here lies the important question raised by this analogy. Are alpha callers just hype machines, or are they essential to Solana’s growth?

The Emergence of Alpha Callers

Telegram channels. Discord servers. Twitter influencers. Those are the first thing that come to mind when someone mentions alpha or callers. Much like the rise of launchpads, and newfangled aspects of crypto, alpha didn’t used to be a thing, until it actually became a thing. The right information, a certain private network, signals being provided that allowed people make money or stay ahead of the mainstream crypto population. That’s how alpha came to be a thing. It evolved rapidly to be about coins, sometimes DeFi protocols too, but mostly just tokens.

Solana, with it’s extremely fast finality and block confirmation rate, as well as low fees and it’s active trading culture, instantly became one of the most important blockchains. Unique for it’s sense of culture, acceptance and a willingness to continue pushing borders, it’s rapid memecoin launches has positioned it to be a unique combination of a hotbed for innovation and the proving ground at the same time. And so Alpha becomes something most sought after, almost attaining currency-like status.

With callers like Muraad, Gudmansachs and SullyDeets leading the way and providing value back to the “trenches” by increasing signal for the rest of those who would rather not flounder aimlessly on the chain, it’s obvious that Alpha as a culture is here to stay.

Why Alpha Callers Matter

The truth is, they do. Whether by actual value, giving people things to believe in and rallying morale in low times, Alpha callers are essential to the ecosystem. They come in different breeds and personalities, but that’s okay. We all like certain coins over others anyway. But while we’re here, let’s see a list of things that they actually do.

• They act as curators in an overwhelming sea of tokens and NFTs.
• They accelerate community growth by rallying traders around projects.
• They provide social proof: if a trusted caller signals a project, others follow.

With the SolCypher Trading Bot, alpha callers are given a chance for recognition and rewards. Uniquely, it also serves as a training ground for potential alpha callers.

Risks and Criticism

We have had our fair share of bad actors, and we still do today. But the truth is, sometimes it comes with the terrain. Understanding that market behavior is usually a direct or indirect result of human behavior, fear and errors might help. Genuine insight is sometimes colored by external factors, and it takes experienced eyes to see and call the “play” even after considering other factors. Callers who are consistently right over 1-2 days, weekly timeframes are usually quick to become favorites, and that’s because of an inherent flaw in memecoins being an attention market; the best memes should spawn and run over days.

So callers are not perfect, and they have to account for followers wanting to get in and out.

The Future of Alpha Calling

The gamification of alpha calling through SolCypher and it’s associated leagues (like SolCypher’s Meteorite Alpha League) is one of a kind. Not only does it create a safe space for winning and losing on trades, it also gives back, rewards passion and makes it cool to share tokens and plays with others on the same mission as you; make profit.

This may look like small beginnings, but it surely feels like a slow evolution toward a possible on-chain reputation system. With systems like these, it’s not unforeseeable that callers begin to emerge who make their names and monikers known, especially for accuracy.

With Alpha callers finding community and a shared sense of purpose, the importance of community building will be increasingly established in the minds of traders and callers. So rather than just being signal givers, we will start to see more of them already caring about others winning. That’s a net positive for the ecosystem. That, more than anything, is a vision that SolCypher finds worthy of building.

In conclusion, alpha callers are both influencers, as well as educators. With SolCypher and Meteora rewarding reliable alpha, the drive to make good calls should become a baked-in expectation for callers.