This online site Marketiva provides an avenue for learning how to trade on foreign exchange market. It even provides you a small start up trading fund for you to use for trading. Any good experience in this type of online trading?

Marketiva is a good training ground for newbies to forex exchange. It allows you to trade for as low as $1 and you can do live trading with your free $5. If you are not yet convinced that you can do well, then practice using the virtual money until you are confident enough to do live trading. Study of the current market prices and some basic terminologies will help you succeed in this type of investment.

Forex is such a high risk investment area, though - being able to trade small amounts is one thing, but it's worth remembering that forex is a zero-sum game - that means the only way one person gains is if another person loses.

Some kind of share builder program working with equities would probably suit most newcomers to investments, though if someone wishes to risk it with forex, I guess that's their call to make.

Most newcomers to investments would opt for a higher returns at once. It is only when they got burned that they realize some better programs are out there. I do not recommend forex yet I do not also deny the fact that it is one of the most lucrative and considered legal way of generating an income.

Right, you need to note that there is a loser for every winner on Forex. It is a very risky area, and for an amateur, it requires a lot of luck.

Forex is risky, and I don't see any real reason for the lay person to invest in it. Trading equities seems to make much better financial sense.

Forex seems to be very active and seems to be the best option in certain cases...look at this...

The foreign exchange (currency or forex or FX) market exists wherever one currency is traded for another. It is by far the largest market in the world, in terms of cash value traded, and includes trading between large banks, central banks, currency speculators, multinational corporations, governments, and other financial markets and institutions. The trade happening in the forex markets across the globe currently exceeds $1.9 trillion/day (on average)...btw I got it from Wikipedia.