The First Step (Duh? Buying a WebCam)
Just about any kind will do. There are many cameras for sale under $25 which are perfectly acceptable for most people. However, usually, you can get a better quality image from a more expensive camera.

If you have a video camera, either regular or digital, you can use that with the proper connection to your computer. This may consist of either a video capture card for older cameras, or a 1394 (FireWire® or USB) connection common on digital video cameras. However, if you are going to try a 1394 type connection, you will be very limited in the available software to make it work as a webcam. If you don't already understand these terms, then you should consider purchasing a standard computer webcam to begin with.

Once you have the camera, simply install the software that comes with it and you should be ready to go to the next step. Make sure you READ the instructions before plugging in the camera. Some require that you install the drivers first, others require the camera to be plugged in first. If you do it in the wrong order you may not be able to get the camera working at all.

SETTING UP YOUR WEBCAM
Just about every school gives you personal webspace with FTP access. This is ideal for hosting a webcam.

To use this webspace fluently with your camera you will need to obtain a webcam software program. Many webcams come with free webcam software. I use a program called ConquerCam which costs $10. You Can use this program flawlessly forever without purchasing it, but every few minutes or so it leaves a watermark that says "Evaluation Version" on your picture. To get rid of this you can pay the $10. I've tried numerous programs and continue to go back to ConquerCam. ConquerCam appeals to me and is the most flexible for the way I run my system. Many of the other programs are also good; Download.com has plenty of them.

Once installed and connected to your webcam, you need to setup the FTP system within the program. To do this in ConquerCam: go to View > select "Options"
click on uploading. Click the first button which creates "New Upload Connection" then "New FTP site". Host name is the name of your FTP server.
hostname: personal.ecu.edu
Username: EKR1022
Password: *****
(these are usually the same as your school email login)

Y ou can leave the directory blank which is the default root directory
File Name: just make it whatever you want your picture to be name (Ex: Evan.jpg)

ADDING YOUR WEBCAM TO PIC
Then go to your PIC Site and click webcam > Add Webcam > Add a title and description and the in the URL you put the location of your stored picture
(EX: http://personal.ecu.edu/username/filename.jpg ---> http://personal.ecu.edu/ekr1022/test.jpg )

Click "Add Webcam" and you are ready for your very own peep show!