from all the dealings i've been reading about in reddit, localbitcoins requires vigilance and caution. you can definitely meet people and work out a trade, but i've read a bunch of stories about people getting ripped off.
i'm in the uk, and the situation is really annoying. in my case, i have american accounts so i do all the btc stuff that way. but it's super annoying.
i've been on slush's pool for a while. it felt like the payout was better than bitminter, but i don't have a very large sample size. he's been around for a long time and everybody vouches for him and says he's pretty upstanding, so i'm happy there.
heya, american guy in the uk ... i got in before the first "bubble" and cashed out at that one's peak. in retrospect, i should have rode through the bubble, eh? got in just before this "bubble" too back in feb. this time i'm not really a speculator, kinda in it to see what happens and maybe i'll get to buy some cool stuff too now that vendors are into it.