DO YOU FEAR the Internet? If you do, you shouldn't.

The Internet is a communication tool and an information source that is the most powerful medium in history. OK, one could make the argument for television in that it reaches more people and its advertisements influence the buying decisions of hundreds of millions of people worldwide. But the Internet is an interactive medium, and it can satisfy entertainment, academic, social and commercial needs, or simply your curiosity.

But what does this mean for you and your business?

Plenty.

Setting aside, for the moment, the commercial possibilities and opportunities for even the smallest of businesses, look first at the Internet simply as a source for information. Remember your first visit to the library and how the sheer volume of information was overwhelming? Multiply that experience by (pick a number that means a lot) and you can catch a glimpse of how powerful the medium is.

On the Internet, you can search for information on your market or a new target market. You can study your core demographics or emerging ones. You can read about the various medical conditions and their causes to help you gain a better understanding of your patients. You can take a look at what manufacturers are up to, or even your competition (if they have a site on the Internet's World Wide Web, and if they do, they're less fearful of the Internet than you and probably a step ahead).

In short, you can stay informed.

But there are also the commercial opportunities.

So maybe it won't exactly be Amazon.com or eBay, but your own little slice of the e-commercial pie is waiting for you. Imagine your own Web site with your own name and logo where your clients, and your competitors, can go to see what products you carry and which services you provide. The site can be as sophisticated as being capable of generating an order and initiating delivery or as simple as a catalog. But the key point is that it's there and it's yours.

Time is working both for you and against you. The Internet is growing and improving every day, with the main issues being speed and access. It's not too late to get online and beat most of your competitors to the punch, but there is a learning curve and it takes time to tool up.

If you're not yet online, get there. The economic climate is not there yet, but there will be a time, in the not-so-distant future, when it dictates that you must be. If you don't have a computer at home nor use one for your business, buy one. Today. Before long, you'll wonder how you accomplished anything without it.