How to Buy Bitcoin - Step one

The best way to learn about bitcoin, is to jump in and get a few in your "pocket" to get a feel for how they work.

Despite the hype about how difficult and dangerous it can be, getting bitcoins is a lot easier and safer than perhaps you believe. In a lot of ways, it is probably easier than opening your free account at a traditional bank. And, given what has been happening in the banking system, it is probably safer too.

There are a few things to learn: getting and using a software wallet, learning how to send and receive money, learning how to buy bitcoin from a person or an exchange.camisetas bitcoin

Preparation

Before getting started, you will need to get yourself a wallet. You can do this easily enough by build with one of the exchanges which will host wallet for you. And, although I think you are going to want to have several exchange storage compartments eventually, you should start with one on your own computer both to get a better feel for bitcoin and because the exchanges are still experimental themselves. When we get to that stage of the discussion, I will be advising that you get in the habit of moving your money and coins off the exchanges or diversifying across exchanges to keep your money safe.

What is a wallet?

It is a way to store your bitcoins. Specifically, it is software that has been designed to store bitcoin. It can be run on your computer's desktop, laptop, mobile device (except, as yet, Apple) and can also be meant to store bitcoins on things like thumb drives. If you are concerned about being hacked, then that is a great choice. Even the Winklevoss* girl twins, who have millions procured bitcoin, put their investment on harddrives which they then put into a safety deposit box.

*The Winklevoss girl twins are the ones who originally had the idea for a social networking site that became Facebook. They hired Mark Zuckerberg who took their idea as his and became exceptionally rich.

What do you need to know about having a bitcoin wallet on your computer?

Below you can download the original bitcoin wallet, or client, in Windows or Apple pc format. These are not just storage compartments, but are in fact an area of the bitcoin network. They will receive, store, and send your bitcoins. You can create several addresses with a click (an address is a number that looks like this: 1LyFcQatbg4BvT9gGTz6VdqqHKpPn5QBuk). You will see a field where you can copy and composite a number like this from a person you want to send money to and off it will go right into that persons wallet. You can even create a QR code which will let someone take a picture with an request on their phone and send you some bitcoin. It is perfectly safe to give these out - the address and QR code are both for my donations page. Feel free to offer!