October '03 Tools

Have you ever gotten an email so large you had to wait forever for it to download - if it ever did? Ever been at home and wished you could access a large file that you had to leave on your computer at work because it wouldn't fit on a disk? Online file storage and sharing can make accessing large files so much easier.

Multi-megabyte emails...

Emailing a multi-megabyte collection of photos or files can make the recipient's email program freeze, preventing them from downloading the rest of their messages. This can wreak havoc for the recipient as they may not be able to process any email until they have been able to somehow either receive or delete the offending email. Usually the only way to do that is via web mail - which is not available with all Internet Service Providers (ISPs).

Good email etiquette dictates that you shouldn't send oversized emails for a number of reasons:

=> Most businesses and ISPs limit the size of their users' mailboxes. Mailbox sizes vary from one ISP to another and can range from 2MB to 60MB. The usual mailbox size restriction is around 10 MB. Even if the recipient has a large mailbox, it may be partially full, and not have enough room remaining for an oversized email.
=> Some ISPs set their mail-servers to automatically reject overly large messages.
=> If the recipient's Internet connection is a dial-up - and many are - it will take longer to download the message than with a high speed connection.
=> If the recipient is using and anti-virus program, it will examine all incoming emails before allowing them to download onto the recipient's computer. Examining an oversized email can make this an extremely lengthy process.
=> Some email programs - like Outlook Express - are not designed to handle large messages and frequently lock up while trying to download messages over 1MB.

There are better ways to store and share large files with others or to access for your own use. You can upload the files or photos to a file sharing site and give access to the people who need to get them. With file sharing, instead of emailing a specific file, you can send a nice, small email that includes links to your photos or files. The recipient can then decide when to download the files. It's just like an extra hard drive that you can access from any computer connected to the Internet.

File storage and sharing for FREE...

There are a number of services available for a fee, but there are two you can use that are absolutely FREE!

The first is the Yahoo! Briefcase. To use it, you need to be a registered Yahoo! member. Also, anyone who you designate to view your files, must also be a registered Yahoo! member. This is an extra step for some people, but joining Yahoo! is free, and has many additional benefits.

Yahoo! Briefcase allows you to store files online and then access them from anywhere. You'll get 30 MB of space that you can use to manage files from home, work, or any other location. You don't need to know HTML or any technical tricks to get started and you can store most major file types, including JPEG, GIF, BMP, all Microsoft Office file types, MP3, Real Media, WAV, AIFF, HTML, and numerous others. Yahoo! Briefcase allows a maximum file size of 5MB per file.

The second free option is Web-a-file. Web-a-file provides you with a convenient way to share documents with others, particularly if you travel or need your files while on the road. In order to sign up and become a Web-a-file user, you first need to download and install the free Web-a-file client Software - a very quick and simple process. With Web-a-file you'll get 40 MB of available space. Web-a-file can be used with a wireless Pocket PC, PalmOS device, BlackBerry or web-enabled phone. Scheduled uploads are available when you use Automatic mode. Web-a-file enables you to securely store and retrieve large files as you need them, from any computer.

File storage and sharing for a small fee...

Another file storage/sharing service that is not free, but is very affordable is My Docs Online. The Personal Edition My Docs Online offers 50 Megabytes of storage for $9.95 per quarter or $34.95 a year with increasingly larger storage options available. My Docs Online provides users with secure online file storage for backing up, accessing, and sharing critical files. Files can be accessed, shared, or delivered via web link, email attachment, or facsimile, using virtually any internet-connected device. Customers store, manage, and distribute files and documents using work and home PCs, wireless PDAs, and internet-enabled mobile phones.

The My Docs Online suite of wireless web applications allows users of mobile devices to translate and read file attachments, deliver files via fax or email, and wirelessly edit complex documents and forms. You can learn more about My Docs Online at http://www.mydocsonline.com.