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July 04, 2006
Sending Large Files - YouSendIt
We all have our limitations. There are few organizations, webmail services, or internet service providers that don't put some kind of limit on the size of attachments that can be received and/or sent. For example, my home ISP limits my mailbox to 10 meg, so large video attachments or photos sent to me by friends will most likely get blocked. At work, we also have limits on file attachments including size and type of file. Even Gmail, generous though they may be with storage space, limits email size to 10 meg. The problem is, files are getting bigger and bigger all the time, and sometimes you really need to send/receive a large zip file or PDF.
There are web services for just about everything these days, and luckily there are free web sites that let you upload a file, then distribute the URL to friends, families and/or co-workers. I've been meaning to try one out for some time, and since this weekend I needed to send a 4 meg scanned document, I decided now was as good enough time as any. Of course, I couldn't seem to locate the information I've saved on such services, (Where did I put that? Is it in Bloglines? Email? FURL?) but luckily, the July issue of PC World includes an article, Store it on the Web, that reviews web storage, including file download services which can be found in the section, Share the Web Way. The article also includes information about online backup and collaboration services, just in case you're interested.
I tried out the recommended choice in this category, YouSendIt. It's straightforward, easy to use, and free free free. Register, upload the file, enter the email address or addresses of the people you want to send it to, and you're set.
There are couple of things to keep in mind when using these services. If someone sends you a link to a file, realize that there's certainly potential for contracting a virus by downloading an infected file, just as there is with email attachments, so make sure your anti-virus software scans it and pronounces it safe. If you have sensitive information in the file, consider encrypting it. Even then, I probably wouldn't use this service for anything confidential, especially if it was work-related, just because I'm paranoid.
As always, keep in mind that just because you CAN do it, doesn't mean you SHOULD. But if you can't resist sending around that cute video of the dancing dog to 100 of your closest friends, at least this way you won't be forcing people to receive something they may not want to see.
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