Read all the responses. I spent the money because I've been tracking bitcoin for a long time, and I felt confident that I understood the markets. Even if I completely failed as a trader, I should expect to get a fair chunk back. I put in $1200 because as a student it was everything that didn't need to go towards housing.

I expected it to grow very fast. Bitfloor seemed reliable, and many people seemed to be trading on it. I thought it was sound. Even if I lost 100%, I expected the loss to come from my failure as a trader, not from my exchange's failure as a business.

If I do get my money back, I will probably try to join a different bitcoin exchange, though more carefully. I've been trying for almost a month(since btc was about $90 before the crash) and it's incredible how difficult it is to trade bitcoins.

Maybe I'll open my own exchange.

Can I ask why you'd ask?