Can we do this?
While we wait for the press release, there is one thing that needs to be fixed to maximize our ROI.
When visiting BlackCoin.co I immediately notice that the "Buy BlackCoin" section is way below the fold. The Buy BlackCoin section should be above the fold and should be one of the first elements the visitor sees when visiting the homepage. When people read our press release they are going to visit BlackCoin.co, and they might want to buy a few BlackCoins. We have to make it easy as possible for them to get their hands on BlackCoin.
Unfortunately for the average person not familiar with crypto-currencies, using an exchange to buy coins is a daunting task. First you have to convert Fiat to BTC or some other crypto-currency, and then send that currency to an exchange, and then trade that currency for BlackCoin. The average person will never be able to do that. We need a service like CoinBase that will make it easy for the "grandma" investor to be able to buy BlackCoins without the extra steps. We as a community need to come up with a solution for that in the near future.
Whilst it would be amazing I think realistically a Coinbase type service coming on board this early is unlikely. Remember the big problem with running a fiat exchange is regulation (compliance on a day to day basis and then the cost of having the relevant licenses). So I can't see someone here setting up a service like this for Blackcoin from scratch either.
Instead I think we should focus on the simple easy things, such as making blackcoin.co as user friendly as possible and also as you say prominently directing visitors towards an exchange.
The best route into Blackcoin is probably still by buying Bitcoins. Perhaps we could even have on blackcoin.co the steps eg buy 1 bitcoin at coinbase at this link, then sign up for free at mintpal and place a buy order for 1btc worth of blackcoins.
I agree 100%. However, services like Coinbase are not going to be able to last long if they do not branch out to other coins. In regards to BlackCoin, it is hard to tell an "old school" investor he/she should buy BlackCoins and try to walk them through the current process. For us it easy, for the non techie it is nearly impossible.