Instructify

I’m always sharing some kind of large file with friends and co-workers—photos, PowerPoint presentations, or zip files with years worth of documents. Sometimes, these just get too big for e-mail, so I’m stuck using a file-sharing service on the Web. Sure, there are tons of sites for sharing large files, but most of them use infuriating tactics to entice me to buy a premium membership.

After months of using services that forced my friends to wait for downloads to begin, I found drop.io, a free service that allows me to upload files quickly and allows my friends to download them quickly as well. Drop.io doesn’t ask users to sign up, log in, or divulge any information beyond how long shared files should stay on the server—drop.io will store them for up to a year. Once you’ve created a “drop,” you can add files to it by e-mail, web, phone, or fax. Drops stay private until you publicize them, too, as opposed to other file-sharing sites that are indexed in Google.

Drop.io limits files to a sizeable 100MB and has several options for displaying and storing different kinds of files. The interface is elegant and ad-free, which means that I no longer suffer the embarrassment of sharing files with colleagues, only to have them see inappropriate or ridiculous banner ads. –ROSS WHITE

drop.io

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Back up Your Data with Mozy

If a hard drive crash scares you more than a house fire, you need to back up your data. Pictures, documents, music, all of it could be history. Fortunately, you can back it up safely and cheaply with Mozy.

Mozy gives you your first 2GB of data free. To salvage more than that, it costs a measly five bucks a month. But you can store a lot with 2GB–that’s a good chunk of photos, a few vital albums, and even your unfinished novel you’ve been kicking around for years. -BILL FERRIS

Mozy

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Back that Thing Up: Backup to Email

Note: I heard about Mozy from Leslie Fisher at the NCaect conference. She’s knows about lots of gadgets and do-dads. Check out her site!

It’s high time you started using Google Docs. In their ongoing efforts to take over the world, Google has created a free online word processor, spreadsheet, and presentation application. There’s nothing to download, you can save in Microsoft Office formats, and you can share your documents online with as many (or as few) people as you want.

We realize Google Docs have been around for a while. But you can now access your online documents easier than ever before with the new Google Docs Bar. This Firefox extension lets you access all your Google Docs with only one click of the mouse. You can also easily upload documents for collaboration, or for a backup copy.

Of course, you need to use the Firefox Web browser to use the Docs Bar. Honestly, though, you ought to be using Firefox anyway. Once you add the Google Docs Bar extension, you’ll be able to access any file you need, anywhere you have an Internet connection. -BILL FERRIS

Google Docs
Google Docs Bar

This utility means you’re never more than two clicks away from peace of mind. If you’re a Windows user, Backup to Email sends a backup copy of important files to your email address. The best part? Rather than logging on to your email, filling out your address, adding an attachment, then giving up because of the hassle and swearing you’ll do a full-scale backup “over the weekend,” Backup to Email takes about three seconds, and works for any file type. It splits large files so your inbox won’t be overwhelmed by one behemoth attachment.

Remember: a failure to plan is a plan for failure. And a hard drive failure can drive you to smack your head against a hard surface. This is a fast solution that beats burning a bunch of fragile CDs, and is infinitely better than “I’ll back up my files tomorrow.” –BILL FERRIS

Backup to Email

Does it bother you that when someone asks for that great PowerPoint presentation you use, you can’t e-mail it to them because your school e-mail account won’t let you send attachments larger than just a few kilobytes? Sure, you could toss it on a thumb drive and schlep on over to your colleague’s classroom… assuming she’s in the building. You could burn through your budget by burning the information to CD. Or, you could just use MediaFire, a file hosting service that doesn’t require registration and will let you upload files up to 100MB.

MediaFire will store your files for up to 7 days if you don’t register, so you’ll have to make sure to send the links to your content out pretty quickly, but it’s worth it to not have to provide your personal information to yet another site. That anonymity also makes it perfect for transferring student files, eliminating the time-honored excuse “The school system e-mail server ate my homework.” But beware- neither you nor your students should include any personal information in the file that you wouldn’t want shared. It’s great for that classroom PowerPoint or a zip file with a student’s project in HTML; it’s not suitable for report cards, address lists, or answer keys. -ROSS WHITE

MediaFire

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eSnips

eSnips is a file sharing site that allows you to sign up, search, share and maybe even sell your own snippets of life. Whether it’s music, paintings, video, or poetry, you can upload up to 1 GB of, well, stuff. Most any file format is uploadable into easily created folders, which you can then make public, private, or specific to certain groups comprised of members of your choosing. You can have as many folders as you need, and then its up to you to promote your content.

The uploading process is easy with a tool bar, and you can then apply tags so other members can search. Personalization is easy and maybe a little fun, since you can constantly make changes and additions to your profile, including video introductions and personalized greetings. eSnips is a great resource for those just peeking around, too, because of all the user generated content and sharing, most of it is free to use. –JEREMY S. GRIFFIN

eSnips