by: Jim Edwards
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 service has emerged to help the technically or time- challenged masses share their huge files online.
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 his ISP wouldn't let him send such a huge file.
So, he logged on to www.yousendit.com and completed a 4-step process.
(1) He entered my email address, (2) chose the file he wanted to send by browsing his hard drive, (3) entered his email and typed in a brief message, and (4) 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 1 gigabyte file.
This 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.com did when first starting out, YouSendIt.com encourages message recipients to turn around and use the service to send files to their friends.
This "viral marketing" effect should help them spread the word quickly without a huge marketing budget.
DropLoad.com also enables users to send large files, though they restrict file sizes to 100 MB.
However, DropLoad.com offers one extra feature lacking in YouSendIt: delivery confirmation.
Dropload enables you to know when the person you sent the file to actually clicks the link to download the file.
This cuts down on the "I never got the file" claims and acts like the Post Office making them sign for registered mail.
You can't prove they read it, but you can prove they received it.
DropLoad.com does require you to register for a username and password, but the service is free.
Overall, both services do an excellent job of solving a growing problem for a huge audience worldwide.
Also, if you sell information products customers download from the Internet, the link expiration and confirmation features can come in handy (such as giving out free samples or preview copies to potential joint venture partners).
© Jim Edwards - All Rights reserved