How to Share Files — Part 1: Overview
Over the last few months I’ve answered a lot of questions about online file-sharing.
“Should I upload my files to my own website or put them on a file-sharing service?”
“How can I make a PDF available on my blog?”
“What about sites like Google Docs and Zoho?”
As with nearly anything, the answer depends on the question.
And as with nearly anything, the question is: what are you trying to do?
Begin with the End in Mind
First, ask yourself, “What do I want to do?”
Understanding that in some cases there’s a lot of overlap, I divide file-sharing tools into two heaps. Publication tools let you put a file where others can get it. Collaboration tools let you cooperatively create a document with others.
Publication Tools
What Are Publication Tools?
The goal. You want to make an existing file available to others. You want people to download your file and use it exactly as you created it—or if they do change it, you don’t expect (or even necessarily want) to see the changes.
The means. A tool that will put a file where others can get it.
An example problem.Your organization’s job application is a Word document. You want people to download it.
Some possible solutions. Uploading to your own website. A blog like WordPress. A file-sharing service like Dropbox. A content management system (CMS) like Drupal.
Uploading a Word Document to WordPress
Publication tools offer many benefits.
- You get to use your own favorite programs to create documents. Love Emacs or WordPad? Knock yourself out.
- Generally you can share any type of file you want to, though some sites do impose restrictions (for example, Flickr is just for photo sharing).
- Low commitment required: in most cases your audience doesn’t need to create accounts to access your files.
- The original document lives on your computer, and you can access it whether you’re online or not.
Cons
And of course, there are trade-offs.
- It’s awkward at best to create a document collaboratively with others.
- Many sites impose a limit on the total size of your files, though in most cases they let you add space through a paid subscription.
Collaboration Tools
What Are Collaboration Tools?
The goal. You want to create documents along with other people. Maybe several people are collaborating on a particular document, or maybe several people are creating their own documents in a shared place that they and others can access. You want to see others’ changes, comment on them, make changes to others’ documents, etc.
The means. An application that creates and stores documents online. You don’t install software on your computer, you just open your browser and start editing the document, which is stored somewhere on the Internet.
An example problem.You and a colleague need to work on a presentation to show at an upcoming meeting.
Some possible solutions. Google Docs. Zoho Show. ThinkFree’s Show. Once it’s available for everyone, Microsoft’s Docs for Facebook.
Zoho — An Online Office Suite
Pros
No question: collaboration cools are tool.
- You can create documents with a colleague.
- Some tools (like Adobe Buzzword) provide sophisticated revision tracking and commenting: who made that change? What did the document look like two days ago?
- You can edit documents almost anywhere. It just takes a browser.
- All your contributors use the same software to create documents. You don’t need to make everyone install the same software, and you don’t need to resolve things like iWorks-vs-MS Word incompatibilities.
Cons
But they’re not perfect for every situation.
- Each site typically supports only certain document types. Want to upload a PDF to YouTube? You’re out of luck.
- You have to use browser-based programs to create your documents. While these are very cool, and sometimes very easy to use, they’re rarely as powerful as their desktop-based counterparts like MS Office, OpenOffice, and iWorks.
- There are often size limits unless you opt for a paid subscription.
- If your Internet connection (or the site) goes down, in most cases you can’t access your documents.
What’s Next?
In the next post I’ll take a deeper look at Publication tools — specific tools, how to use them, and their appropriateness for various situations.
After that we’ll take a similar look at Collaboration tools.
There are 2 responses to this post.
By How to Share Files — Part 2: Publication Tools » Blazing Moon on May 21, 2010 at 5:18 pm
[…] to Share Files — Part 2: Publication ToolsIn last week’s post, How to Share Files — Part 1: Overview, I drew a distinction between publication-based online file-sharing and collaboration-based […]
By How to Share Files — Part 3: Collaboration Tools » Blazing Moon on May 29, 2010 at 4:11 pm
[…] between whether you’re file-sharing for publication or for collaboration (How to Share Files — Part 1: Overview), and then explored some options for the publication-based options (How to Share Files — Part 2: […]