How to Torrent in 3 Simple Steps. Lots of Notes, Though, Huh?

Trying to figure out how to use BitTorrent or one of its many variants? Wanna know what a torrent is to begin with? Here are two ways to approaching this pimp weapon: 1. Read the BitTorrent Wiki article, or 2. Do exactly as I say below. Exactly.

1. Download a torrent client. This is analogous to the p2p software, and the same rules apply: safety and simplicity. You want a client that isn't bundled with adware, spyware, malware, or any other type of shitware. You also want it to be user-friendly.

Go with µTorrent.

2. Go to any torrent site and download the .torrent file for whichever album, show or other application you want.

The most popular sites, according to slyck.com, are:
1. Mininova
2. The Pirate Bay
3. My Bit Torrent
4. Torrentz
5. IsoHunt

It doesn't really matter which site you choose, since there's a lot of crossover in the listings. Use Torrent Spy.

When you click on a listing, for example, this one, take a look at the files you will be downloading. If it's a single .zip or .rar file, you want to view the files after you're done downloading to make sure they're legit. If it's a single .exe file, it's most likely a virus or other malicious software. Fucking haters, I know.

Once you've determined the files to be kosher, click on the "Download Torrent" button, and a .torrent file will be saved onto your computer.

3. Open the client, and drag the torrent file into the open window. It will ask you confirm the download, and if you click yes, all you have to do is wait for the thing to finish downloading.

Now a note on the terminology:
Seeders - people who have completed downloading the files but keep the torrent on so that others may finish grabbing whatever they need.
Leechers - everybody else who still need to finish downloading.
Your ratio = the amount you've uploaded for others divided by the amount you've downloaded from others.

For the most part, your ratio doesn't really matter since there are enough people who can cover the shiz, so you won't have to waste your bandwidth after downloading. However, there are some sites that specialize in live shows and require membership, such as Dime a Dozen and Pure Live Gigs. These contain private trackers that keep count of your ratio from personalized .torrents. As long as you keep the ratio above .25, you're gravy.

The other thing with those particular sites is that the people in there are super uppity about lossless files, so they work with .flac files, which are ridiculously huge, instead of .mp3s and will excommunicate you if they find out you've converted to .mp3. In the words of Beach Boy Mike Love, "Who's gonna listen to this shit, the ears of a dog?" I use All to MP3 Converter 1.6, and I can provide you with a registration code after the 30-day trial if you wanna hold on to it.

So there you go. Now use your new powers, young padawan, and go get the new Outkast album.