#空投与代币申领 Seeing the launch of Espresso's airdrop registration page, I was reminded of the pattern changes in some old projects I've seen over the years.

Remember the ICO boom of 2017? Back then, airdrops had already started, but the methods were simple and crude—transfer addresses, follow on Twitter, join Telegram groups, and you could quickly claim tokens. What was the result? Many project teams used these fan-gathering tactics to boost popularity, only to disappear afterward. It was only with truly valuable projects like Uniswap and 1inch that people realized the real tricks behind airdrops.

Espresso's approach this time is worth pondering: the registration page is open first, but claiming will only be available in early 2026, with additional eligibility criteria added in the meantime. This pacing is quite sophisticated. On one hand, it creates sustained anticipation, keeping the community engaged; on the other hand, it filters for genuine participants—those willing to wait and continue following the project. This is much more mature than projects that promise "register today, claim tomorrow."

But there's an underlying old problem: how eligibility criteria are set determines who can truly benefit. Historically, many project airdrops have been exploited by professional airdrop hunters and bots, leaving genuine long-term supporters with limited gains. The key is whether Espresso's new eligibility criteria genuinely protect core contributors, rather than just looking good on paper.

Cycle repeats, patterns iterate, but the essence remains unchanged. We should still be wary of those airdrop promises that sound loud but can't change the fact that the project itself lacks real application and implementation.