I wouldn't write off the stock market entirely; 2008 was a bizarre year, and crises on this scale are very rare. This was a perfect storm.
I say what you should do depends on your skill as an investor...you're in the right direction by asking around. Investopedia is a really good resource. If you're not sure what to do yet, at the very least get a certificate of deposit or something to park your money in until you can plan out a portfolio.
mpimpin was talking about entrepreneurial investments, and these really can turn out some huge money. Keep in mind though that there is no such thing as a risk-free investment (except for US government treasury bonds, because worst case scenario the government can just print money to pay its debt off Zimbabwe style). Always do your research, and there are lots of opportunities out there that aren't just in the financial markets, but I wouldn't write off the financial markets entirely because of this year's crisis. In fact, there are a lot of solid companies out there that have had their share prices beaten up just because they've gotten taken down with the herd (hedge funds and mutual funds all selling at once) and not because anything fundamentally changed in their company for the worse. Probably 6-12 months out, these stocks are going to go back up, and maybe fast if the hedge funds and mutual funds all get back in quickly.