Do you use emerging cryptocurrency exchanges? What are your thoughts on trusting these smaller exchanges? Additionally, some of these exchanges host events where we can earn altcoins. What do you think about such events?
I believe that using a trustworthy exchange is very important when it comes to making online crypto deals. Exchanges are often centralized, so they store the money for you. That entails the risks of getting scammed, robbed due to an actual hack, having to deal with unexpected fees or other nuances (like KYC, minimum withdrawal amount, etc.) to get the money out. Thus, using a new exchange isn't something I'd do.
There are also decentralized exchanges, where you don't store the money but transfer it directly from your wallet to a specific BTC address when selling it. In that case, you're only risking the amount you're currently selling (or buying), but I still think that reputation is significant and wouldn't use an unknown exchange even for that purpose.