- by Jim Edwards

(c) Jim Edwards - All Rights Reserved

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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.

 

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.

 

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.

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- By Jim Edwards

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Ever needed to write down an important appointment, only find your calendar nowhere in sight? 

 

Ever found yourself walking around the mall and had a million-dollar idea flash into your mind with no pen or scrap of paper to write it down?

 

Ever called a friend or spouse from your cell phone to ask them to write something down for you or remind you later?

 

If you answered “yes” to any of these or similar questions, then the free service at Jott.com may hold an answer that might very well change your life forever!

 

Jott.com allows you to call their toll-free number, leave a 15 second message, and then receive an e-mail reminder with transcribed text of your voice message. FREE! You can even schedule a specific time and date when the message gets emailed to you as a reminder. Upgrading to Jott.com’s premium services (starting at less than $4 per month) enables you to leave longer messages and integrate direclty with more online tools, such as: Outlook, Google Calendar, Twitter, and more. Bottom line, Jott.com makes it possible for you to communicate, remind yourself, make written notes, and organize your thoughts using just your phone.

 

Jott’s Basic (free) service makes a great way to get started making notes to yourself and scheduling reminders. Just sign up for the free service, enter in your phone number, make a quick confirmation call to a toll-free number (to make sure the phone number used is legitimate), and you can start jotting. You can even register multiple phones on your account (office, cell, home) so you can jot from anywhere.

 

By the way, putting Jott’s toll free number on speed dial rates a smart move rather than trying to remember and dial 10 digits when inspiration (or a panic attack) strikes and you need to get it out of your brain and recorded quickly.

 

Once you get a note recorded in Jott, you can optinally set it as a reminder that gets emailed you ton on a certain date and time right through the phone using simple voice prompts. Once your note gets transcribed (which usually takes less than 15 minutes), the site sends you an email alert to log in and access the text of your note. They even include the audio of your original note in case the text is off because of a poor phone connection or background noise. All your notes get organized on your Jott Dashboard in chronological order and you can delete, highlight, and prioritize them however you like.

 

Though the free level offers an excellent option, Jott.com also offers 2 premium levels worth a look. Most notably, the $3.95 per month level allows you to set appointments on your Google or Outlook calendars through your phone. Also, you can email and text your Jott Notes to specific contacts (or even a group) – a much safer alternative to texting while driving. With the Jott Pro plan ($12.95 per month) you can jot for up to 30 seconds per note and post directly to your Blogger, Twitter, and Tumblr accounts.

 

I like Jott most because of the service’s simplicity and that it just plain works as advertised! Remember to speak clearly and enunciate and you may just find yourself wondering how you ever got along without Jott.com.