Most people who have Windows XP haven’t heard of Movie Maker, don’t know what it is, and don’t know they already have it. Yes, most of them have a digital camera or camcorder and are interested in making movies… if not today, then someday. Today they might just be collecting the pictures and clips to be used as inputs.

No matter how many books I write, Web sites I maintain, or online posts I submit, it seems that someone has to personally introduce each potential user of Movie Maker to it – word of mouth is still the key. Once into the topic and the online info, they go up the learning curve quickly as they get involved in virtual communities. Movie Maker (and iMovie) is entry-level software, the place for all to start.

A poll of the readers of my weekly Movie Maker 2/PhotoStory 2 newsletter shows that 1/4 of the readers are newbies and 3/4 of them are skilled users. If everyone knew about Movie Maker I’d expect the proportions to be reversed.