New To Bitcoin? Welcome! Here’s How To Take Those First Steps

Bitcoin, Like Anything New, is Confusing at First
Four years into its popular adoption, even a well-regarded economist like Paul Krugman thought little of the Internet’s potential, predicting, “The growth of the Internet will slow drastically,” he wrote, “most people have nothing to say to each other! By 2005 or so, it will become clear that the Internet’s impact on the economy has been no greater than the fax machine’s.” It’s fair to look back and acknowledge not everyone fully appreciates a technology at the time of its inception or early years.
Install a Wallet on Your Phone or Computer
Think of it like electronic mail, email. You don’t really understand how it works either, but you’ve used it in some fairly serious communications. Same might said of social media: you have an appreciation of its power because you’ve experienced it. To really get bitcoin, you have to use it, experience it in some practical way. The first thing to do is download a wallet, a piece of software to install on your smartphone or home computer. Continuing with the email analogy, you’re setting up your email address, but for money. I am biased, of course, and believe Bitcoin.com’s wallet is the easiest to use, but there are many available options. For beginners, ours is ideal.
Buying Bitcoin, Buying with Bitcoin
Now that you’re set up to receive and send, you might wish to actually get some bitcoin. There are a few ways to accomplish this. One, if you have a friend who already has some and who wouldn’t mind sending a few fractions of it along as a test, ask. Sitting down with someone and getting a first-hand glimpse at the future of money is pretty great. Two, if you do not need instant gratification and can wait a while, try earning some. See if someone will pay you for a service you can provide, a good you’re selling. Check around. You may be surprised who might be willing.
Technical Stuff
On purpose, I’ve avoided technical issues like cryptography, hash-rates, nodes, blocks, decentralization, forks, and all the rest that comes with a deeper dive into bitcoin. They’re wonderful to explore as well, and they’ll broaden your appreciation for what bitcoin is, ultimately. But for now, spend just enough of your money, relatively small amounts, to dip your toes.
Images courtesy of: Pixabay, Bitcoin.com.
At Bitcoin.com there’s a bunch of free helpful services. For instance, check out our Tools page! The post New To Bitcoin? Welcome! Here’s How To Take Those First Steps appeared first on Bitcoin News.
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