It's a hungry medium, so use fast equipment, big storage (9 gig drive minimum), so you can encode at best quality before reducing to 320x240pixels, 24 bit uncompressed, 15 fps, or eventually to less to reduce to 176x132pixels (which retains 4:3 TV size ratio at the smallest scale). Go to freeze-frames or stills for effect whenever you can. What you most want to avoid is that jerky effect when the frame-rate wavers or overloading the pipe so everything stops while your audience awaits re-buffering. And still, your audio is going to suffer.

At this point, you may - and should - be considering two alternatives. One, become a full-time professional audio-video/Net engineer. There's a great book to point you in the right directions if that is of interest to you. It's "The MP3 and Internet Audio Handbook" by Bruce Fries from TeamCom Books which gives you 300 pages of the "basics" involved and then steers you on to higher ground. The other alternative is to find your own pro and spend the extra money to make sure you actually get some back in the end. Fortunately, they're at hand.

Find A Pro
It's at this point you have to decide. Do you have a product that is simple to handle and market both tech and market-wise? If you do, almost anything you do with the current streaming media producers on the market will serve you well, with a little patience in the learning curve. If not, there is a growing market of folks who'll help you out for a fee or a piece of the action (or both) and you'll be the better off for it. The first that comes to mind is Liquid Audio, who will master your product, based on your input on where you want it to go and what it is, and they'll even distribute it and sell it for you over the Net. There are lots more companies in formation, from net radio stations to major record companies, that will be offering competitive services, so keep your eyes open.

But your best bet may be your local audio recording studio. The pro audio biz is increasingly connected with the Net and Net marketing standards, and most top studios have invested in all the best equipment which you likely can't afford, will soon become obsolete, and which can make all the difference. Plus, they know things you don't, because they're paid to stay in touch.