Given the relative ease of writing HTML documents and publishing Web pages, fifth graders, college students, nonprofit organizations, and small businesses can create information resources and make them available to an international audience.
Large companies establish Web sites and search for ways to attract the Internet masses.
The Internet is ripe for online databases of all kinds. A number of factual database providers are offering their products on the Net, and these ready reference resources can be of great use to both the information professional and the general public. Business directories of public companies, private companies, and specific industries receive heavy use. While they replace neither standard print business directories nor the commercial online business databases, a couple of very useful business directories are freely accessible on the Net. The full commercial version of the database includes SIC codes, sales volume, ultimate parent company, and employee size, along with the basic address and phone number.