This month's BEST bitcoin list is what?

[TonyT]

You will notice I am very clever in posting this request.  I am asking for "this month's" BEST bitcoin list.  So if you point me to another thread, I will ask whether or not this thread is current or not. 

By "best bitcoin list" I mean:

- "best place to buy a bitcoin" - is it from an exchange or a private person?

- "best place to trade bitcoin" (is it MtGox?  I've heard some good and bad, the bad being it's hard to get your money out)

-  "best online wallet" - best in terms of user friendly interface, not security.  I don't care too much about security (of course everybody will use some form of encryption) at this point since I, personally, don't intend to spend more on bitcoin than I can afford to lose, and for me that's about $1000 USD.  It's just a hobby at this point.  BTW why would you even use an online wallet?  Just store your private keys offline, right?  My guess is that if you want to trade bitcoins, like foreign currency, then you need to use an online wallet.

- "best way to send bitcoins to another user who is offline"--this is somebody who does not use an online wallet

- "best way to send bitcoins to another user who has an online wallet"--does every online wallet accept bitcoins sent from anybody, even if they don't have the same online wallet?  I would think so.

- "best offline wallet" (is it just anything you can keep your private keys in?  Even an encrypted Excel file?  I will use Excel probably--the latest version is actually pretty secure when encrypted)

- "best place to trade bitcoins for fiat currencies"

- "best FAQ to explain bitcoins" (probably this site seems to me: https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/FAQ)

Thanks for your replies.  I am still learning about bitcoin and have not yet bought my first coin.  I am thinking of buying one--but where?  Of storing one but where? online or offline?  Of converting one into fiat currencies for profit, but what exchange?  Also, I have dual citizenship including a non-US citizenship.  Does it help buying and trading bitcoins if I'm not an American?

Cheers,

TonyT

[Scott J]

People's replies to this thread will be more valuable, but my website coinindex.org may be helpful in getting an idea of what sites are out there.

I'll reply later with some personal experiences.

[xchanga.com]

we can surely help out in buying and selling of bitcoins as we offer the service.

[TonyT]

People's replies to this thread will be more valuable, but my website coinindex.org may be helpful in getting an idea of what sites are out there.

I'll reply later with some personal experiences.

Awesome!  This is exactly what I was looking for, bookmarked!  I think I will go with Kraken for online trading, which is from Frisco USA and therefore regulated somewhat (I can sue somebody if they run off with my money, whereas if they're in some developing country that's harder to do).

I look forward to your replies.  I also see Mt.Gox is flagged with this helpful thread: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=179586.0 

Also if you or anybody can tell me whether I can set up a small "play" account somewhere, and buy/sell/trade fractions of a BTC (bitcoin)?  Something as small as 0.001 maybe?  That way if I screw up somehow, I'm only out a couple of USD rather than several hundred dollars.

TonyT

[lolipop]

BTC-e And Bitstamp !

[TonyT]

BTC-e And Bitstamp !

OK I am learning more...

more questions:

--thin client or fat?  Should I store all the block chains on my hard drive, which is something like 12 GB in size?  Do I need to?  Does the BTC wallet need to?  It's not a big deal now, but in a few years maybe the size is 120 GB?  So thin client is best unless you are a miner or have let's say a serious amount of money at stake?