This is inrespons to 
https://steemit.com/life/@lawrenceho84/meme-just-stating-a-fact-about-ripple.
He asked
"So may I ask as a newbie, how do we info such as this out when Im searching out cryptos to invest in ? This sounds seriously dodgy and totally manipulative and gives the general cryptocurrency community in general a bad name, especially to people who don't understand!
The newbies need an 'Idiots' guide please. All advice gratefully recieved.
Best wishes
"
I did start to reply, but figured I'd make a universal post so more people could see it. The question comes up alot it seems.
Ok here's some tips from a programmer/veteran/college student, who has friends and family that trust me in my knowledge enough to send money to invest in any crypto I want and am happy to only charge 1.5% on any gains gained in a month above the previous month and as long as everyone is above the initial investment. I'm not a ace by any means, but I know enough and am always learning.
Search for the main websites that belong to the crypto your interested in. (also how I first found steemit). Read the white pages.
Read on forums what users of their services and coin owners are saying. Are there negative reviews? Are the reviews current? Are they reliable?
Use a good trading platform. I recommend bittrex combined with coinbase.
If an ICO is said to be going on your market platform after they release coins, confirm this, if you have followed the othersteps and like high risk-> gains chances be ready with your prerelease coins for the market to open. (Typically the first people to post up the coins to sell set the price people start buying at, you can sell the coins for several hundredif not more times their actual value. eg. PAY at .5BTC SC at .4BTC STORG at 1.5ETH METEL .69BTC. you can get screwed at this point tho so be careful.)
If the coin is lower then when you bought it, hold... seriously, unless you read the coins getting shut down by their native goverment, or closing, hold, unless you bought it like your trying to sell it in step 4 hold, it will go back up.
If a new coin arrives on the market, dont buy it for several days or even weeks until the value approaches what the company says its worth.
Have a balanced portfolio... seriously everything riding on one coin is high risk enough to be either crazy, stupid, or you know something no one else does.... probably one of the first two.
Have the majority of your portfolio spred between the main coins. BTC, ETH, LTC, and XRP. Also only buy these when they are down, to ensure your getting the most for the least, and thus see positive gains sooner.
When the market crashes and everyone is crying, panicking, and selling.... buy.
Have a mobile trading platform set up for when your away from your computer, set up automatic sales for a portion of your total from 2x to 10x until you are satisfied you wont miss a gain, and even then set up alerts. I recommend tabtrader, plus they give you the news.
Read the news in step 10, and any-other information you can find. The ICO that made the coin typically has multiple media platforms as well. They could post giveaways, let you know their getting listed on other platforms, making new features, or they failed... the more you know.
Don't invest more then you want to lose, don't invest money that needs to go to bills, and don't take out a loan to invest. People may scoff at this one, but it's been known to happen, and is sad to hear about.
Hope this was helpful. I do apologize for grammatical errors and capitalization problems. written on a phone waiting for the girlfriend to finish omelets. If this was helpful, then share it, if you liked it, then like it. After all, someone else may be asking the same questions. If you have a suggestion, comment.
Good luck and more importantly, have fun.