This is my very first post on Steemit, hopefully the quality isn't too bad on my first try. I want to make this blog an informative place for everyone interested in cryptocurrencies, bitcoin, and the blockchain. Considering the amount of press and coverage bitcoin has been getting recently, I figured there is no better topic to talk about, than a step by step guide of how to get started with your bitcoin journey.

Get moderately informed

Before you start investing in any kind of cryptocurrencies you must get moderately informed about the field. Aquire the general knowledge before you dive into putting real money on the line.

Steemit: Considering we're all already here, this website is a new decentralized version of Reddit, it is a block-explorer where content lives on the web, it's immutable, and censorship resistant.
YouTube: You want to be looking for content that is relatively new, considering how cutting edge this technology is. I will list some of my favorite channels below, these people have a wide array of knowledge and are always a great time to learn from.
Dave Levine Dot Com: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCT4X1qiEPR0gsZYfze6JOyA
Louis Thomas: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpceefaJ9vs4RYUTsO9Y3FA
Crypt0: https://www.youtube.com/user/obham001
ColdFusion: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4QZ_LsYcvcq7qOsOhpAX4A
Jerry Banfield: https://www.youtube.com/user/dukeacem

2. Find an Exchange to Buy Bitcoin

There are tons of exchanges out there, and pretty much all of them will be your first step in acquiring bitcoin.

Abra: You can use this app for person to person transactions, this is an amazing company which was recently on "Planet of the Apps"

Coinbase: This is an online exchange with a very user friendly platform, and would be a great first stop for any beginner. Only downside is the very high fees and limits on how much you can buy.

Gemini: An online exchange founded by the Winklevoss twins, has a solid platform, and fairly low transaction fees.

3. Storing your Bitcoin off an Exchange into a Wallet

As you start to build up your skill level, upgrade, get smarter and more informed, you want to start using wallets.

Cold Storage Wallet: This would be using a hardware wallet, Trezor or the Ledger Nano are great options. You might want to get two as a backup, as the amount of money you invests starts to increase.

Hot Storage Wallet: This would be your web wallets, different wallets supports different kinds of tokens. Bitgo is a great choice if you are dealing strictly with Bitcoin. Jaxx is a great choice for mobile as well as on your desktop or laptop, and will cover multiple currencies.

As a final note make sure you always save your passcodes on paper in a safe place, because there is no such thing as a forgotten password in this world. And lastly always use two factor authentication to make sure that all of this is secure, and never use SMS.

Hopefully this cleared up some things for you guys, I know whenever I started everything seemed to be overwhelming, but hopefully this get's you started on the right path.

fiatkiller44