Not all high speed internet connections are equal.  Some services are better suited to camming, and there are more and more alternatives with each passing year.  Most of you probably have the same three choices locally – DSL, cable, and dial-up. 

If you're stuck on a dial-up connection, either permanently or temporarily, you'll probably find camming and working on your website difficult.  Dial-up still gives you the ability to upload webcam images, post to a blog, upload photos... but these will be slow, and you certainly won't be doing things like video.

So let's focus on DSL and cable.  If you want to find out what speed you're getting on your connection, make sure you're not using your connection for anything and run a speed test (http://speakeasy.net/speedtest/).  The key thing to look at is the second number it gives you, your upload speed.  Your upload speed is what matters when you're sending things out to the internet, such as uploading files, updating your webcam, broadcasting streaming video, etc. 

This number depends on the maximum that your service provider offers, plus other factors such as line quality and distance.  Historically, cable has a faster upload speed than DSL, but that's not always the case.  If you're signing up for a new connection, make sure you find out what upload speed the package has, not just download.  Commonly this is 768 or 800kbps (which is what you should aim for), but it can sometimes be as low as 256kbps. 

Aside from the convenience of having your uploads finish more quickly, streaming video is probably the biggest benefit of a faster upload rate.  At 256kbps, that's only enough bandwidth to send one or maybe two (poor quality) video streams to someone else.  If you're going to be doing live video shows on cam, you'll definitely want to consider upgrading your connection.  Of course, the way around this is to send your video stream to another server first and have that server (on its fast connection) send the streams out to each person, but that's another topic.

If you're looking to really maximize your upload speed and don't mind spending a bit more, you may have some other options. 

Fiber to the home is looking promising, with Verizon FiOS rolling out services in several areas of the country.  You can get a connection with a 2 Mbps upload rate (2-8 times higher than that of DSL/cable) for $35/month!  The other option is wireless.  These are usually small, local companies providing service to a limited area.  Try searching on Broadband Reports for wireless service providers in your area.  This is also a great site to check out reviews of any internet service to find the best one close to you.