FileURLs Makes it Easy to Share Documents

Every now and again you find yourself stuck with a file that's just too large to e-mail but too small to package up and post on the Web, or to be worth using an in-group file sharing system such as Pando or Tubes. Maybe you're working from home on a PowerPoint presentation for a big meeting, or you're a photographer who needs to get raw photos from one computer to another for editing. FileURLs is a new service that wants to make it easy by giving you a custom URL that you can give to anyone for your uploaded files.








The largest file you can upload to FileURLs is 250MB, so don't expect it to be the ideal service for sharing your movie collection with your friends. That's fine, since the service is ideal for sharing documents and archives of files, as opposed to raw media that might get you in trouble with the authorities. There are no social aspects to the service either, meaning you can't see what other people have uploaded.



The service is incredibly simple: You browse to the file you want to share, select how long you want the file to live on FileURLs' servers (maximum is 7 days), and upload it. You can choose to make the file password protected if you want added security. You can watch the file progress as it's uploaded to FileURLs, and once the upload is complete, the service returns a custom URL that you can send to anyone who needs to download your file. If you've created a password for the file, recipients will be prompted for it before they download. If not, the service works as easily for the recipient as it did for you--they copy/paste the URL into their browser and they'll see a link to download your file.



The goal of FileURLs is to provide a simple, easy way to upload large files that also makes it easy to download them from other computers. Services like this, from ImageShack to Photobucket, already exist for images and video, but when it comes to documents, archives, and other files, most people are out of luck and just wind up e-mailing files that clog other people's inboxes.

With FileURLs, you can move those files around easily without extra software or any hassle. I do have some reservations about uploading personal content (especially data that might be personally identifiable) to a random Web service, so use the service carefully. When used wisely, FileURLs can save you a lot of time and effort.