How to Use Telegram and X (Twitter) to Vet New Projects » The Merkle News
Investing in a new crypto project can feel like navigating a minefield of hype. One key way to stay safe is to vet the project’s community on Telegram and X (Twitter) for red flags like bots, fake engagement, and spam.
In practice, this means comparing a group’s size to its activity, analyzing follower quality on X, and double-checking that the team’s claims match reality. We’ll walk through each technique step by step, including real-world examples and tools – so you can spot warning signs before committing any funds.
1. Analyze Telegram Group Quality
- Member count vs. actual engagement: A healthy community shows steady, organic growth (often ~5–10% monthly) and lots of active discussion. In contrast, scammy projects often display sudden spikes in subscriber counts with very low chat activity. Tools like TGStat/Telemetr.io can chart subscriber growth. For example, one Telegram channel suddenly jumped by ~48,000 members in a day – a pattern flagged as “unnatural” growth. Steady, gradual growth is a better sign than huge overnight jumps.
- Bot presence and moderation: Most large Telegram groups use bots for moderation. In an active, authentic group you’ll see bots kicking spammers and announcing removals. If instead you see very few bots or repeated spam posts by bots, that’s suspect. Look for messages like “Bot ABC removed user XYZ” – these indicate the admins are moderating.
- Conversation patterns: Read the chat content. Genuine communities have varied discussions, ranging from questions answered by others, debates about features, or even non-project banter. In contrast, fake groups often have only hype posts, memes, or automated forward messages. If you join and find generic pump slogans or just the same news repeated without real Q&A, it’s a red flag. Watch for repeated message “steps” in the chat history – these often signal automated spam.
For any question you post, note if it’s answered – scammers often flood chats with hype but don’t engage in real help.
2. Evaluate X (Twitter) Accounts & Communities
- Follower audits & ratios: Use tools like TwitterAudit/FollowerAudit to estimate real vs. fake followers. These services analyze an account’s follower-to-following ratios, profile age, activity, and other signals to flag bots. For example, FollowerAudit checks if many followers have default avatars or thousands of accounts followed but few followers themselves. A Twitter profile with 10K followers but tiny engagement (likes/retweets) often has many inauthentic followers.
- Engagement patterns: Check the likes, replies, and retweets on posts. Some accounts are bots or trolls based on posting behavior. Also look manually: if an X post has unrealistically high retweets or likes compared to views, or if every single comment is from 10 other crypto influencers (and they all look similar), it’s likely coordinated. Another warning sign is circular engagement pods: several accounts that only amplify each other’s tweets. While this might be harder to spot, sudden surges of activity from a group of users suggest a “retweet ring.”
- Community versus real accounts: Check who is following and interacting with the project’s X account. Are they real people discussing the project, or just generic crypto profiles? You can manually inspect by browsing followers. If most comments on an account’s tweets look copy-pasted or off-topic, or if a follower list is full of brand-new accounts, treat that as a red flag.
3. Cross-Reference Team Claims, Roadmap, and Social Consistency
Verify that promises match evidence. Start by checking the team: do they have real, public profiles (LinkedIn/Twitter) and relevant experience? If any claimed partner or auditor doesn’t appear on official lists, dig deeper, a genuine partnership should be announced by both sides.
Review the roadmap and whitepaper: Are the goals realistic? Avoid projects with vague or unrealistic promises. If the roadmap promises 100x revenue without clear technology or timeline, it’s likely hype. Check on-chain evidence: if they claim an app is already live, is the smart contract address publicly verifiable? If they promise an audit, can you find a certificate from a known auditor? Also ensure social consistency, the messaging on Twitter, Telegram, and the website should align. Inconsistencies (different ticker symbols, duplicate content, etc.) often betray copy-paste scams. Watch out for it.
4. Spotting Scammy Tactics (Botted Hype and Engagement Pods)
Even if everything above looks OK, watch out for classic hype schemes:
- “Botted” hype cycles: Scammers often use automated bots to pump volume or likes. For instance, a project launch might see thousands of bots retweeting every announcement. If you notice an X tweet going viral with zero meaningful comments, that likely came from a bot network.
- Engagement pods and fake influencers: A sign of inauthentic community-building is when a handful of accounts keep amplifying each other’s content, creating a feedback loop. This can happen in Twitter threads or Telegram replies. It’s tough to quantify, but if you notice the same few usernames liking and commenting on everything, dig into those accounts. They’re often newly created.
- Air-tap (“fomo”) messaging: Be wary of tactics that create urgency without anything to hold onto. Tweets that hype “next 100x gem” or Telegram posts saying “join now or miss out” (often with a referral link) are classic pump behavior. These tactics prey on FOMO, while legit projects rely on value, not just hype.
To Conclude
Throughout your research, take notes. If multiple signals point to fakery (flat engagement, bot patterns, missing team info), trust the evidence. On the other hand, authentic communities will often self-moderate (members warn newcomers of scams!), actively critique roadmaps, and show industry knowledge.
Lastly, Never rely solely on impressive numbers or top notch marketing. By cross-checking Telegram and Twitter communities with the methods above, you’ll dramatically improve your ability to dodge rug-pulls.
Disclosure: This is not trading or investment advice. Always do your research before buying any cryptocurrency or investing in any services.
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