By Kate Russell Click Webscape-r

Kate Russell gives us her latest selection of the best sites on the World Wide Web.

The trouble with digital cameras is that you end up taking hundreds and hundreds of photographs - just because you can - but what do you do with them all? Here is an idea: Slide.com lets you create your own slide shows. You can use photos on your computer or from the net eg Friendster, MySpace, Flickr; you can get them from anywhere.

Once you have uploaded an image, you can add captions and music, and then display your photos as different styles of slideshow. There are some really silly styles to choose from, like "cube". You cannot see the pictures very easily, although increasing the overall size does help.

There are also more simple styles, such as sliding between the images to package your bio-pic a bit more. You can also add a theme, like butterflies. Or you can add a picture frame, including diamante (a little bit tasteless perhaps).

Once you have made a slide show, you can keep it private and save it as a screensaver for your computer or share it in a variety of ways. You could allow users to comment, or cut and paste some code that will publish it on your own blog or website, facebook page or anywhere you can think of.

Despite the name, Slide.com is not just about slide shows. You can also create a Skinflix, which sounds a bit dubious but basically means you can customise videos too. Anything on YouTube can be given the Slide.com treatment and then once again you get the code to display it on your own website or social networking site.

Expect to see a lot more pimped-up videos and slide shows right across the net from now on. Whether that is a good thing, you decide.

Next up, instant messages. With AIM, Yahoo, Googletalk and MSN, there is no doubt about it, there are too many different systems.

But visit meebo.com and you can connect to them all over the web. So you can use them all at the same time without having to download all those different applications. Putting it to the test, I must admit I felt uncomfortable giving away so many passwords and usernames all in one go.

But, having said that, this is a great way to get in touch with all of your friends through one single portal, no matter what system you use. And let us not forget, it is free and it works. There are not many things you can say that about, but here is another one:

Planet SciCast is full of short films about real science, made and presented by kids. One film shows how to make a vacuum cleaner bazooka that shoots bubble-wrap pellets. Most films come with clear instructions on how to copy the experiments with your own kids at home. Or you can make your own film to add to the site. The Film School section gives away tips and know-how.

It is all part of a UK-wide competition and any team can enter so go for it. The only downside to SciCast is that, in the days of YouTube and MySpace, you expect there to be a bit more of a community vibe, such as more ways to become part of the site or to customise.

Still there is plenty to watch here for all ages and, unlike most video sites, the production values are high right across the board. I made their balloon flute with my kids and it makes a great sound.