I have very little RTS experience but am interested in this game mostly due to all the hype surrounding it.  I'm not really thinking of the multiplayer at this point because I'm well aware I'll get my ass handed to me every time but I have a few questions about the game before I decide on buying it:  
 
Is it worth it for the single player? How steep is the learning curve for single player?  How long do you think it will take to pick up on the strategies enough to play online and have fun?

Well its only in beta so no one knows what the single player is like. The first StarCraft was difficult at times and required a bit of strategy. But the structure of the campaigns sounds quite different this time around so...I don't know.

No-one knows much about the campaign yet, but the multiplayer did a fairly good job of matching you up with people of your skill level after a few matches.  From what I've heard of the campaign it supposedly does a good job of introducing new elements, and the basics of Starcraft are not difficult to grasp.
 
The first Starcraft had an interesting and well-told story so I'm betting the sequel will, too. I suppose you could wait for a demo to try it out, but after playing in the beta I can tell you already that it's a well-crafted game =)
 
I'll be picking it up for sure, despite my limited Starcraft-experience and my poor multiplayer RTS skills.

Ya that was pretty stupid to ask about the single player when it's only out in a multiplayer beta but I guess people can answer these based upon their experiences from SC 1

It's probably worth it for the single player alone. Don't know how the learning curve is for single player but I doubt it will be too bad. There is also some more content to ease players into multiplayer this time around in the full game, including challenges that help you improve on various skills you need to be competitive in multiplayer (if I remember correctly).
 
I was also pretty terrible at RTS games going into the beta, but after roughing it out online and watching replays for a while I eventually figured out what I needed to be doing. I'm getting pretty decent now.

I had never played Starcraft before the beta and I picked it up pretty quickly. You should be fine.

"Ya that was pretty stupid to ask about the single player when it's only out in a multiplayer beta but I guess people can answer these based upon their experiences from SC 1 "

I think I'm going to go ahead and buy the game when it comes out and with some luck I'll get the hang of it at some point. thanks for the answers

Despite what crazy people might think, it does play like a standard RTS. Its not a revolution and it really only evolves things from the original game and ignores nuanced additions that other games brought to the table. So if you've ever played and RTS, this is that but prettier. Single player will be fine for a new person if its anything like Warcraft 3's tutorial levels, and you'll think you're great right up until you go into multiplayer and get killed within 10 minutes.

I would say that sc2 is as simple as RTS games come, its one of those "easy to learn, hard to master" type of games. you'll be able to pick up and play it relatively fast and knowing blizzard, they will make the singleplayer intuitive enough for new players to learn the gameplay mechanics in no time. The singleplayer will be amazing but it won't necessarily prepare you for multiplayer. I don't think you should feel intimidated by trying out the multiplayer though because it places players on different leagues depending on skill level. You will be new to the game, yeah, but you'll be playing against players who are just as clueless and new to the game. eventually youll learn the ropes and maybe eventually become a diamond league player who knows

Was the skirmish mode taken out of the beta? I wanted to try out the factions before I went online and got my ass kicked but I couldn't find anything.

single player campaign will have difficulty levels. any gamer will be able to beat it on easy. you'll be fine.
as for multiplayer, you need to put the time in to be good in 1v1s. for 2v2s and 3v3s, it's a lot less competitive. so i'd start with those if i were you.

 bump so this thread dies.