Internet owes the credit of presenting world as a global village. It has brought the entire planet earth to our rooms. Gone are the days when an event in A corner of the world remained unknown to those in the Z area, when we had to perspire in long queues and take an off from the days work to get our bills deposited, when long distance calls were the only mode to communicate with those dwelling thousands of miles away, when exams would not just commence without the invigilators around and businesses across the seas were a cumbersome task. Now from payments or investments to education or exams, everything is possible through Internet while relaxing on your couch. Thus Internet has changed our lifestyles, altered our parameters and has given us new horizons to achieve.

The foremost worldwide use of the Internet is in acquiring information. The task is well accomplished with the aid of remarkable search engines such as Goggle, Yahoo and others. These search engines display the requisite details the moment you enter the topic of research in the box and click on the search button. The variety of search engines that exist nowadays on the World Wide Web have information regarding any and every field of study like medicine, astronomy, philosophy, mythology and so forth. You can play and even gain knowledge about popular casino games, their rules and strategies via Internet. Along with the home page and other linked chapters of the site what flashes on screen are different types of advertisements from various sources? For instance "Click here and you will be a millionaire", "ensure your investments in safe hands through..." etc. Well, these are all marketing techniques that many companies opt for.

So, besides education, Internet is also a wonderful hub to business. Numerous companies market themselves globally through the channel of Internet. Though not all the companies receive loads of contracts yet most often they are not left barehanded. But advertising online is not as simple as it seems. The Interactive Advertising Bureau devises certain norms or standards, to be followed by all the Internet advertising companies. In 2004, IAB had created rules for the pop-ups that appear on screen. Similarly laws are also formulated for e-mail advertising like unsolicited commercial e-mail must not be sent etc.

Internet is an upcoming mode for the sale and purchase of stocks and for making investments too. The Dot-com bubble signifies a surge in the stocks and investments pertaining to internet. Amazon.com, eBay and other big companies have the onus of incredible gush in the Dot-com bubble. The bubble blew more due to increase in stocks and share prices. However, this tremendous upsurge had an undesired downfall when the companies overestimated their potential and their expenses superseded their incomes. In the Internet world, this came to be known as bursting of the Dot-com bubble.

The money so earned through e-business, can be invested in e-shopping. While chilling out at home you can take a look at the spectrum of items available online. From beach sandals to laptops and mobile phones, everything is available on the net for sale. Internet also brings at your doorstep numerous auctions where you can display your items and take home many others.

But the internet security i.e. viruses etc. remain an issue of concern for the users as well as for the internet authorities. Though there are anti-virus software and their updates yet pop-ups, spam's etc. fetch virus with them. Moreover, banking through internet has the risk of theft. Thieves catch your Wifi (wireless local area network) by presenting some phony networks. The user gets confused and avails this network to manipulate their accounts. Thieves trace these networks and the entire information gets stolen.

So users are requested to be very particular about the network to which you connect, avoid checking you account through wireless Wifi network, and close the browser window once you are through with your online payments etc. and last but not the least use ambiguous passwords to ensure safety.