Yes, Ripple could be the next big thing. I hold quite a lot of Ripple since it was 6 cents. In my view we will have to wait a little longer for Ripple to cross a dollar or more. The faster the adoption by banks the sooner it gets there but due to the conflicts and split between founders in Ripple the community has stepped back. Jed one of the founders as per agreements is dumping huge sell orders weekly and has still control over more than 4 Billion XRP coins. Thats alarming, he has all the control even if tied by legal bonds, you never know. Ripple will grow but it long when we will be able to witness that.
Read the founder dispute story here:
http://www.coindesk.com/ripple-jed-mccaleb-settle-suit-over-1-million-in-disputed-funds/
How did you buy ripple? Please tell me about it.
I buy it from exchanges like Poloniex. Create an account at Poloniex, dont forget to activate 2FA and deposit some BTC and exchange it for Ripple (XRP).