It has never been easier to create and share videos. If you're a would-be movie mogul, that's the good news. But unfortunately for potential viewers, it's also the bad news. (Read about free Web video-sharing services in February's "New, Improved Web.") You might expect modesty and/or a lack of skills to prevent people from sharing all the mundane moments of their life with the world. But try telling that to my son, whose collection of realistic-looking lightsabers screamed to be filmed in the backyard at night for far-flung relatives and fellow 8-year-olds to behold.

Web Video on the Cheap!

The resulting mini-epic is crude but satisfying, and it took about an hour to film, edit, and post online. All you need is Windows XP, a video camera that connects to your computer via USB 2.0 or FireWire, an account at a video publishing site, and, optionally, a blog where you can advertise your ego-massaging opus. Follow the instructions that came with your video camera to attach it to your PC. Once you've connected it, choose Start, All Programs, Accessories, Entertainment, Windows Movie Maker to launch Microsoft's lightweight digital video editor (the program's shortcut may be directly under All Programs or under Accessories). I prefer 2.1, the app's most recent version, which Windows XP users can obtain through Microsoft's Windows Update site; click here for download instructions.

If you struggle with the program's video capture and editing, press <F1> to open its help guide. You can also consult Microsoft's Windows Movie Maker tutorial.

When your masterpiece is ready for viewing, click Save to my Computer in the Movie Tasks pane. (Don't click 'Send to the Web', which works with only a few video publishers and with none of the coolest free Web-video services.) In the Save Movie Wizard dialog box, enter a name, change the default 'My Videos' folder under 'Choose a place to save your movie' (if you wish), click Next, choose Show more choices, and select Other settings to enable the drop-down menu of video-resolution options (see Figure 1).

If you choose a low transfer speed, the playback may be small and choppy--why post something that no one will enjoy watching? Selecting a high transfer rate, though, increases your clip's resolution but may foist interminable downloads on viewers. Choose Video for Broadband (340 kbps) if you think your viewers are likely to have a high-speed connection--the resulting 320-by-240-pixel, 30-frames-per-second clip will probably do justice to the subject. For modem-equipped viewers, pick the 160-by-120-pixel, 15-frames-per-second menu option, Video for dial-up access (38 kbps). Or create files at each bit rate, and then upload both.

Once you've made your format selection, click Next to create the file.

The final step is to upload your file. See last January's Digital Video Tips column; scroll to "Play It on the Web") by Richard Baguley for instructions and links to several free video-sharing sites. However, Richard doesn't mention my favorite: Blip.tv. This site lets you simultaneously upload your video and post it to your Blogger blog (many video-sharing sites provide links to other popular blogging services). If your viewers subscribe to the blog, they will receive an e-mail notifying them of the new content as soon as you post it.

Talk about an ego boost.

Send your questions and tips to nettips@spanbauer.com. We pay $50 for published items. Click here for more Internet Tips. Scott Spanbauer is a contributing editor for PC World.