I'm only going to try once more : it should be more about what your readers want than what you want to do. first impression really does matter.

once you install wordpress, you can make it as simple as you want it to be, and it takes no time to add new posts.

e:your link buttons work now.

Nah the links don't work yet.
And umm, that is not a requisite for wordpress. I can't write for shit - I don't write at all on either of my sites. Most everything you want is there for you, it's popular because idiots like me can use it.

Seriously, go make a wordpress site asap to prove to yourself how you don't need to learn php or write your own plugins. If you don't have a spare domain I will lend you one as a testing facility.

Functionally, none of the links on the top of the page are working for me, it's like it's an image instead of links.
How about some padding between the columns, and some between the horizontal lines and the headings.

Honestly if I were you I would run it as a wordpress blog.

Haven't put too much thought into this but:

-Every newb is confused at first about how they can get their first coins.
-When they do decide to get some, they wish that there weren't so many hurdles (accounts verified at exchange, bank, deposit clears).

So what about a rewards program where a merchant gives a bitcoin rebate to people who make a qualifying purchase in cash.
Just like a mail-in-rebate, the customer is responsible for giving them their address (this time it's virtual) within the redemption period or else the offer is void. But if a person redeems, he gets some BTC to play around with online before his items even get to him (obviously, institute a policy so people can't return the item for 100% back to get free btc).

Imagine an offer of something like 10% back in BTC from Target when you spend $100 on your credit card - wouldn't that be cool. Perhaps some online stores could offer something quite large like 30% back in bitcoins (the price of the item might have to go over MSRP) without being classified as a currency exchange since they are primarily selling goods?

Free idea if anybody can use it. Think how many kids would insist that their parents buy all their video games from this particular vendor, for some reason that perplexes the parents.

Participation outside of the US is absolutely vital (and will probably be responsible for the next growth wave).

But the problem is the rhetoric of "bitcoin is only fake money based on speculation only" will only get buried with sales figures from merchants, not profits by exchanges.
The percent of people who are buying bitcoins to buy goods with them needs to climb dramatically.

damnit you LIED

"satoshi's a pussy" is the new meme?

You're going to have to stop bending over and taking stagnation up the butt:

A) Spend some - preferably buying from one of the bigger merchants
-Someone's got to make money besides the exchanges. There needs to be success stories from VENDORS.
-Meze Grill accepting bitcoins is a success story to forumites, but it's not a success story to businesses. A follow-up article saying that they are getting 20% more sales now because bitcoin users in New York go out of their way to eat there, is a success story. So go out of your way and eat there. If you live in another big city, try talking to a local business owner.
-The 'bottom line' of most people here is to get BTC accepted in more places. Business owners' bottom line is MONEY. They want to know that they will get more business, they don't care about your utopia.
-Existing business owners will only be convinced to start accepting BTC as payment when they hear that others have had success with it. Enter a problem: the sales figures of our business are low. Is anyone making A LIVING? I'm as much for competition as the next capitalist, but honestly, no one's going to make money if what little BTC people are spending gets divided amongst a ton of small merchants. We need to prop up the 'bigger' merchants who have the best track record and know how to scale up. Get them PAID. They'll get press.
-Don't kid yourself - you shouldn't try to start your own unless you know what you're doing. Try offering your time to an existing one instead. Convincing one existing, already profitable business to accept payment in BTC would be worth more than 100 bitcoin startups from people who have no experience, connections, or face in the public. They are just going to get lost on the internet.

B) Draw attention    
-Don't be annoying, don't be a train-wreck - be entertaining. You can be ridiculous without looking like a lunatic. That dude who put the videos of himself dancing around in a costume on youtube (is he still here?) was confusing as all get up, but he wasn't an embarrassment to the community.
-If you don't have programming skills, try being a local consultant or an online entertainer (just not with crazy conspiracy political posts).
-Mass orchestrated stunts, anyone? Can ANYONE orchestrate something?

The price isn't the only boring thing right now - the whole energy level is low. It's like people coming to the forums right now are watching a made-for-TV-movie and don't know why they haven't changed the channel yet. Even Something Awful is bored by this forum, despite plenty of awful posts.

The media is not going to do it for you; we haven't given them any reason to care for the past few weeks. If bitcoin is to only be for a niche community, it still has only reached a fraction of its potential user base. Critical mass is only right around the corner, if the existing user base would just spend enough of their hoarded stashes on business, whose success will fuel awareness.

Even something like a tattoo race raises awareness. Your trading bot will not raise awareness.

Bottom line, this is the part that seems to fly over people's heads: long-term, you are not going to get yours unless you help others get theirs.

Signed, one lackadaisical motherfucker to another.

you don't trust mybitcoin huh?

so buy bitcoinuser.com from me and make something of it.

shit son your site (searchbitcoin) is nasty pretty and you have the right domain to match.
want to do a bitcoin for beginners site?

I'll sell you the list. Laffo. Maybe later, too lazy right now. BMA is going to do shirts through SquareWear!
Actually, I kind of enjoy name-dropping a new one in threads randomly.

Something like that -my feeling is they think they are doing good.

I'll push bitcoinscams.com to anyone for 1 BTC if I can trust they will develop it into a good reference for the community.

I don't want to touch my own domain with a ten foot pole anymore - but if you're willing to risk pissing off any scammers that you call out, be my guest.

Easily over 100 automated tweets in the last few minutes.
Coming from multiple new accounts with decent 'real-sounding' names but with no followers

https://twitter.com/#!/search/bitcoin

At least they don't LOOK like spam, but I'm not clicking on those short-links!

not anymore.

Wow you made a stove miner, that's really cool. I would build a spice rack or a condiment holder into the frame in the empty space next to the burners. You could also hang some cooking utensils on the top rail, maybe even install an overhead exhaust system so it's like a hibachi/stove hybrid.

Lucky I'm quick to post because everyone will doubtless have the same idea as me, and I probably couldn't come up with something original to say!

Got any more on this? sounds like an interesting story for me. http://www.bitcoinminingaccidents.com/?page_id=13 if you might be so kind to send in a short write-up.