Before you buy a camera, figure out what you're going to use it for. If you're only shooting to put photos on the web, grab a used 1 or 2 megapixel camera. You'll save a ton of money and have something to learn on that works just fine. Remember, a computer monitor displays everything at 72 dpi. 1 or 2 megapixels is fine for that.

If you want to print 4"x6" photos, 3 megapixels is about the lowest you should go. You'll even be able to get some decent 8"x10" prints from that with a little work in photoshop.

If you want to do mostly 8"x10" prints and larger, get yourself a 6+ megapixel digital SLR camera like the Canon Digital Rebel or whatever the comparable Nikon body is. Canon and Nikon are the BMW and Mercedes of the camera world. The money you spend getting one of those brands will make life easier down the line if you really get into photography and want to buy more lenses.

I have a Canon EOS D60 and a bag full of lenses. You can see some of my stuff at
http://public.fotki.com/photoben