I think DASH (dash.org) will be the best pick of 2017 .
At the moment they have already :
-lower fees compared to other crypto
-much faster transactions
-private and secure transactions
-extremely stable node network
-instant payments
But they are also working on many more improvements :
-social improvements , like add payment notes,send money to users instead of crypto addresses, make friends lists, easy shared multisig accounts etc.
-a decentralized API
-making it much easier to integrate to online businesses compared to other coins (without the need of 3rd parties)
Read about DASH evolution (what they are working on) on their website , or join their slack channel dashnation.slack.com . As a surplus , they have a very nice and helpful community so don't be afraid to ask any questions .
If you are very new to crypto in general , the DASH school series on youtube is a must see :
It will explain every aspect of crypto you need to know as a user .
welcome to discussion dash-s
i think Dash is a good bet for 2017 but there is other strong competitor
and i like Amanda videos , she have nice ability to transform difficult complected concepts to easy tips
I bet dash too! Don't miss a new epidose of Dash Detailed posted weekly.