your BitCoins from pretty much anywhere, but means that you have to trust the service with your BitCoins. Have a look at the BitCoin client window. This is the Mac version, but like most cross platform applications it‟s pretty much the same for every version. That‟s all there is to it. Pretty simple, right? Filling your wallet Now it‟s time to put some „Coins‟ in that wallet. There are three main ways to add BitCoins to your wallet file: donations and free BitCoins, currency exchange, and BitCoin trading (or becoming a BitCoin merchant). Each one is fairly self-explanatory, but we‟ll go a bit more in-depth anyway. Before that, though, it‟s time to introduce some new terminology. BitCoins are sent to your wallet via a receiving address, which is a long string of randomly generated characters that points to your wallet file. The process is similar to the sender writing a cheque for a certain amount, although the process is all automatic and the cheque doesn‟t need to be manually cashed in. Interestingly, you don‟t need to use a single receiving address forever; on the contrary, it is generally recommended that you create a new receiving address for each expected transaction so that it is easier to track individual payments. All previous receiving addresses remain valid and active, so it is possible for old receiving addresses to be reused again and again. You can also fill your wallet through BitCoin mining - we‟ll be dealing with this later. Virtual Currency: The BitCoin Guide http://lachlanroy.com | Lachlan Roy MakeUseOf.com P a g e 9 Donations/Free BitCoins As you may have guessed, this section deals with free BitCoins from websites and