purana_kagaz,
It's good you are thinking about investing in stocks. IMO, right now is the best time to buy. If you miss this opportunity, you will be regretting it for years to come. You know what they say, buy when everyone is selling, and sell when everyone is buying! Just to give an example, citigroup(C) is trading for $3 a share, Bank of America(BAC) is trading for less than 8 bucks. You won't see prices like for the next, umm, eternity! The market will bounce, as it eventually does and if you are going for long [term investment, say at least 2-3 years], I say any decent company (like Apple, Google, GE) will be a fine investment.  But do your homework before you make any investment decisions. You should want to invest, not speculate!

In terms of how to get started on online trading, all you have to do is register in one of those hundred online sites. What you need is some money ( I would say start with 5K), a SS card and you will be set. I would recommend etrade.com, ameritrade.com or scottrade.com .  Though a bit expensive (a trade will cost you 8-12 bucks), these are pretty popular sites and have very fast and reliable transaction time. I have heard a lot of complains about sharebuilder.com , where a commission for a trade is only 4 bucks. But people have said it takes hours, not seconds for your transaction to occur. So, spend a few extra bucks for a good service if you are going to invest at least 1K or more.
All right, good luck and I hope you make it rain.

Darknight, if you have no input in the thread, shut your disgusting mouth will ya.