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Store and Share Huge Files - Fast And Free

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Published: 03Feb2009
Word count: 535
Viewed: 246 time(s)

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If this problem hasn't hit you yet, it will. With the ever-increasing popularity of sharing home-videos, mp3 audios, and other large files online, actually transferring those files to your customers, friends, and family presents a problem. Most email systems limit the size of the files you can send, and often completely restrict some file types, such as .exe, from passing through their email servers. Most computer geeks say, "Just ftp it to your server and I'll download it from the Web." Unfortunately, that solution often proves too much of a hassle, and actually rates impossible for those without ftp access to a website and the knowledge to use it. To solve this problem, a new breed of website file transfer services has emerged to help the technically or time-challenged masses share their huge files online.

YouSendIt.com

I discovered this website as most people discover new sites, I saw someone else using it. A friend wanted to send me a 10MB "zip" file while he traveled from San Francisco to Boise. He couldn't use his ftp program to upload it to the web, and AOL wouldn't let him send such a huge file. So, he logged on to www.yousendit.com and completed a 4-step process. He entered my email address, chose the file he wanted to send by browsing his hard drive, entered his email, typed in a brief message, and clicked the send button. The service uploaded the file to the web and sent me an email message with a link to download the file from their website. After I downloaded the file, I clicked a link to delete the file from their server. If I didn't bother to click that link, the server would automatically delete the file after 7 days.

A few things make this service unique. First, it allows you to send files without forcing you to register as a user; it's totally anonymous. Second, it allows you to send up to a 100MB file, which enables you to send virtually anything you can think of to anyone with an email address and Internet connection. The site appears to make its money from advertising revenue generated by popup ads and Google AdSense (where they earn a commission every time someone clicks a link). Third, like Hotmail did when first starting out, YouSendIt.com encourages message recipients to turn around and use the service to send email to their friends. This "viral marketing" effect has helped them spread the word quickly without a huge marketing budget.

Drop.io

www.Drop.io offers basically the same service as YouSendIt, only with two main differences: web 2.0 look, and options for sharing and saving. Drop.io allows you to create a unique folder accessible only to those you give the link to or invite. You can also keep your files stored on their server for up to a year in a password protected folder. And, unlike YouSendIt.com, Drop.io allows you to add multiple files to your folder without upgrading to a paid account.

Overall, both services do an excellent job of solving a growing problem for a huge audience worldwide. But if push came to shove, I'd pick Drop.io as first choice.

FREE ONLINE VIDEO: Check out http://www.CoolSiteWeekly.com for a video that demonstrates exactly how you can use both of these free services send and share huge files.

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