Freeviews - General File Sharing

I am an avid user of free sites. For example, I've used Photobucket, Flickr, Picasa, Shutterfly, Webshots, and Fotki all at one point or another. And that's just for personal photos! I've decided to start reviewing free services sites so that others may benefit from my personal experiences, time, and effort. Many of these sites allow for an upgraded "Pro" account that gives more features and less advertisements, however I've never paid for a subscription in my life. Why? Because I'm cheap. And honestly, so is your institution/organization. "Freeviews" (Free/Reviews) will be a series of blogs that will include categories such as file sharing sites, image hosting sites, media converting freeware, and other sorts of free programs that you might find useful in your special collections, archives, libraries, and other organizations.

General File Sharing

With so many people having multiple computers/smartphones per household (or even, per person), ensuring that you have access to your own files can become quite a hassle. When I was in college, common solutions were flash drives, emailing files to yourself, or even the "ancient" method of burning CDs with files. These are cumbersome methods. Flash drives are easily lost, email inboxes get flooded, and CDs... well, who likes CDs anymore? Here are my picks:

3rd Place: YouSendIt has become a huge hit, earning itself a spot in Inc. Magazine's Top 500 companies of 2010. However, I've found that YouSendIt allows for limited file sizes, fast expiration times, and a less-than-stellar user interface. I also dislike that I have to stay on a specific webpage while my file uploads. However, it has earned itself a spot in Inc. Magazine's Top 500 companies of 2010, so they're doing something right. Plus, nearly everybody has heard of the website, making it easy to use with others.

2nd Place: Drop.io is a collaborative, file-sharing masterpiece. It allows real-time sharing on a page (similar to the Facebook Wall or Wiki) and also gives a unique e-mail address, voicemail phone number, and conference call phone number, all while protected under custom privacy settings. Here's a great example: A hiring committee creates a drop page for each candidate. Members can add the candidate's resume, references, and cover letter. They can chat on the page about the candidate's qualifications and share URL links, such as the candidate's blog or professional website. Using three-way calling with the Voicemail phone number, a phone interview can be recorded and posted to the drop page for all hiring committee members to review. Additionally, a variety of applications can be added onto the drop page to create a stronger collaborative project. The drawback to this is that it isn't the best tool to share your own files with yourself from device to device. It's clunky to download files that have been posted to the drop and space is limited.

1st place: Dropbox is the king of file syncing. It allows for file sharing both between different people and different devices. It runs quietly in the background and gives a substantial amount of space. Unlike other programs, Dropbox does not have a single file size limit, just an overall user space limit. The free version starts you off with 2 gigs of space and gives you the opportunity to "earn" more space by referring friends, up to 8 GIGS! (Speaking of which, if you want to give it a try, please use my referral link so I earn more space!) That's pretty generous for a free version with no advertisements. That's right, folks- no annoying blinking boxes telling me I'm a winner or pop ups offering me grants to go back to school for an Associate's degree. The front end of this site is also very nice- it makes sense and it very easy to navigate. It also provides automatic backup with your shared folders. Though it does allow for shared folders with other users and public URL links to share with those who do not have a Dropbox account, it really should be seen more like file syncing rather than sharing.



I think this will become an ongoing blog series. Next time I'll do my 3 favorite photo hosting and sharing sites. Stay tuned ...

iTunes U - Beyond Books and Chalkboards

Ever since my Library Automation course in 2008, I've been honking the iTunes U horn. With the latest Apple update, I was once again drawn to checking out new content on iTunes U and catching a few lectures. In case you're not familiar with iTunes U, it is a fantastic platform for quality content sharing. It is built into the iTunes Store in the iTunes client (available for free for Mac and PC) and allows for free educational materials to be downloaded by the masses. Designed to originally target educational content from colleges and universities, it has grown to include museums, libraries, media groups, and even state governments. You can download (for free!) lectures from Harvard, a library's read-aloud podcast, Supreme Court case summaries, and a virtual art exhibition and take them along with you on your iPhone or iPod. As its slogan says, with iTunes U, you can "learn anything, anytime, anywhere."

There are so many ways to use iTunes U since it can offer a variety of formats: video, audio, text, slideshows... It's almost hard to find a way NOT to use it. With so many people connecting to iTunes every day with their iPods and iPhones, it just makes sense to meet your audience. Here are just a few ways that you can give your organization a presence on iTunes U and start creating more access points into your collection:

PODCASTS This is a very simple way to keep featuring pieces in your collection or news about your institution. So many organizations blog or update a group Facebook page anyway, why not turn it into a podcast too? Go Daddy offers blogcasting software, but I've never used it. Why? Because I am committed to free and open-source software. Grab a webcam or video camera (give yourself an excuse to get a Flip!) and create your own video blog files! Use YouTube to double your exposure! Or, just record your voice and use a screen capture software to record a PowerPoint or Web Demo (I'm a fan of Jing). My only warning is to ensure that you regularly update your podcast (unlike how I've waited 3 weeks to update this blog!). Users who frequently update their podcasts generally won't continue subscribing if it hasn't updated in 20 days.

VIRTUAL TOURS It's within an archive's nature to keep things hidden. Let's be honest- stacks aren't very exciting. But how will people ever know what cool stuff is your collection if they can't see them?? Chances are, you probably have to pull materials out every so often for a tour group coming by (students, other staff, bosses, etc...). While it's out and you have your 10 minute speech ready, why not record it? Not only will it give some attention to these materials, but it will also draw more attention to other materials in your collections. "Wow, look at this fantastic little video on this vintage typewriter! I wonder if they have any others!"

PROFESSOR COLLABORATION Now this may only apply to those special collections that are within an academic setting, but I bet if you thought hard enough about it, you could translate this approach to other environments as well. Some professors (especially those historian ones!) like to encourage students to use primary sources. What better way than to offer your own collection? iTunes U allows you to group together information, almost like a course management software. By uploading some pieces from the collection, such as audio recordings, photographs, and/or documents, you can allow the students to download these materials at their leisure. Another way to look at this outside of a University setting may be to hold contests for your organization- for instance, the best poster designed from uploaded materials by a 6th grader gets a family pass to your museum!


Take a look at iTunes U if you're not familiar with it (you can download iTunes 10 by visiting http://www.apple.com/itunes/). There are so many ways that it can be used to benefit an archives, special collection, and library organization. On the iTunes U Profiles page, there are some great examples of how universities are using it to their advantage. As the Arizona State University's Adrian Sannier puts it: "It's not just books and chalkboards."