The greatest advent of the personal computing age has been file sharing. This is where a copy of data, for example music, documents and presentations, is made available to another user who is in a remote station. Man has always been a social creature who requires regular feedback from peers as a yardstick of how he fares in life. So, it goes without saying that the networking of computing devices was actually pre-destined by the need to share data.
Electronic mail, email, was a forerunner in communication over the internet. Over time, sharing of files by email in the form of attachments became a popular way of sharing information. The use of email attachments served communication needs fine for a period of time before users demanded more capability in tandem with the increasing affordability of bandwidth. This article will examine ways in which you can share files over the internet and email.
Share Large Files over the Internet – Email
To send files via email requires you to have an active email account with an email provider. This includes Gmail, YahooMail or HotMail. Below is a description of how to go about sending large files over the internet via email:
• When sending a file using Yahoo: Sign in to your account. Go to the ‘Applications’ link and you will find a feature to attach files. 100MB of data can be attached to your account for a maximum of 30 days.
• When sending a file using a Microsoft account: Sign in. You can use either HotMail or Windows Live ID to access Microsoft accounts of SkyDrive or Outlook. After a successful login, choose the file to be shared from your computer then indicate the recipients and click ‘Send’.
• When sending a file using Gmail: log into your account and click the ‘Drive’ link at the top of the page. Attach files by clicking the upload button; add addresses to share with then send.
To efficiently share files using internet, some points need to be put into consideration to make the experience safer and economical:
• In case of low bandwidth, it is recommended to upload smaller file segments. If a file is of considerable size, it can be split using popular Zip utilities like 7-zip. Specify the split size of a file when compressing it to create multiple, small sized constituents.
• For enhanced security, you can also combine multiple files in an archive that is password protected before sending. The password should then be communicated separately to avoid hijacks.
• Services like Hightail, maintain a link that can be used to remove the uploaded files from their servers any time the user wishes. It is prudent to keep a copy of that link for use when need be.
Share Large Files over the Internet – Cloud Storage
File sharing applications employ straightforward paradigms like drag-and-drop to upload a file. They also offer free cloud space that runs into the Gigabytes, which can be significantly increased on paid subscription. Different services target specific categories of data, for instance some cater for photographs while others for music. This article will examine several of such services.
GE.TT
This a simple tool primarily used to share photos over the internet in significant volumes. GE.TT offers a free 30 day trial, where you can upload 250 MB worth of pictures. For more space, 2GB is offered when sign up with the service. The service provides other plans that offer space of up to 100GB for a subscription fee.
DropCanvas
This is a file sharing service that is more appropriate for large sized files like music and videos. DropCanvas does not limit the size of files that you wish to upload to the service. In order to share, you drag-and-drop a file into the DropCanvas application. DropCanvas will generate a link that will provide access to the uploaded file. The service applies compression to save on bandwidth costs and storage space. It is one of the simple-to-use applications among its file-sharing peers.
Ypix.me
This file sharing caters for photos that do not exceed 3MB a piece. It offers a different approach to sharing in the sense that it is provides a stage for you and your colleagues to explore photos, annotate them in real life all in a common link. The service is not your typical application that hosts files until the time that you choose to delete them. Ypix.me automatically releases your upload after a month.
Dropbox
This is a popular online file storage service that caters for any type of file. When installed in a computing device like a smartphone or personal computer, it syncs selected folders between the device and cloud storage. Using you registered account you can then access your files from any other device or location. If you wish to share content with collaborators, you provide a link that will lead to downloadable copy of the file.
In conclusion, the line between sharing files using email or internet file-sharing applications shall continue to get more blurry. Email providers now offer file transfer capabilities that rival the best file sharing applications. For one to choose a method to transfer files over the internet, it will have to be decided by other factors. Factors like security are a major concern for business due to the risk of hacking and intrusion. For an application or service to be used for file-sharing, it should have a proven track record of maintaining cloud security. Affordability also plays a major role in determining the choice of one service over the other. Unless a service is highly specialized, it is the trend to keep the limits between 1GB to 2GB free.