FILE SHARING : Help!

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FILE SHARING : Help!

Can someone explain to me how to get started with file sharing sites? What are good free ones to start off with? What amount of storage do you get? How do you sign up? How do you upload your files? How does someone else download from them? I have been playing around with creating some papers, but how do you share them as freebies with other people?

Total confusion here, so any help and advice would be appreciated!

Congratulations for your new acheivements Robyn. The best topic about it we have is this one. There is another one here.

Basically, avoid 4shared, Mediafire (unless you´re willing to pay) and sites where that have adds on the download page. Dropbox is a good one, but sometimes when you have lots of downloads on the same file in one day they take your download down temporarially. But it´s also used on collaborative projects between designers, so it´s good to have an account. If I´m not mistaken you start on Dropbox with 1,5gb if you don´t use a link from an old user, but if you have someone else´s link both you and the person which link you used earn extra 500gb. If you don´t have a link, you´re more than welcome to use mine.

The other ones that I use are google drive (everyone who has a google account have access to it) and sometimes copy.com. For me, these two aren´t as simple as dropbox, but it´s good to provide more than one link in case dropbox reach the traffic limit I mentioned above. I never shared digiscrap files through copy, but they do have this option too, and they have way more free storage space. It´s 15 gb if you open an account spontaneously and 20gb if you have a link from someone else (my link is here, if you don´t have another one).

Lorien, thank you so much for responding! I'll now go and check out the links in your reply. smiley

I would also suggest Google Drive. I find it's pretty easy to use, as long as you (the one sharing the file) make sure that the sharing settings are correct - for example since a lot of my items are for sale, I keep the settings at "anyone with the link" and provide the link to shoppers. And of course, hope they don't redistribute.

Lorien and Jessie, thank you so much for your replies to my question - I really appreciate it! I have now set up 3 alternate file sharing sites - Dropbox, Google Drive, and Copy.com (thank you for your Dropbox & Copy referrals, Lorien!) As I said in my initial post, I have only been "playing around" with creating papers, so I don't actually have anything finished yet!

I chose Dropbox because it's one I like using myself, due to its clean and simple look; Google Drive because a lot of people should be familiar with it; and Copy because of the amount of free storage space!

So, when I do eventually have something worth sharing, people will be able to use whichever one they prefer. smiley

Thank you so much for using my link - very appreciated smiley My favorite is also dropbox, but G!drive and Copy are for sure useful and trustworthy!

I am using Dropbox, and I really like it. It was recommended by a professor in my ITE class. I am thinking as a backup I will try out Google Drive one day as well. So far, I have no complaints with Dropbox.

Robyn, that's such a good idea and one I'm thinking about doing. I already have Dropbox and have thought about doing Google Drive and hadn't heard of Copy. I'll check that out as well.

-Lisa

Thanks for asking such a good question and having such good answers! I wanted to know the same thing, and just hadn't got around to posting it!

@Stef, I guess it's something a lot of people want to know!

@Lisa, I just know that I prefer it when someone gives a choice of places to download from!

@Nicole, thanks for your feedback on Dropbox!

@Lorien, thank YOU for providing the link!

Concerning Dropbox - when uploading smaller files, it doesn't take long at all, but those (huge) papers take upwards of 20 minutes each and a zip file takes even longer. Am I missing a quicker way to upload besides drag and drop?

-Lisa

I finally have a finished paper kit that I would like to share with you, and have uploaded it to all three sites I mentioned - but now I'm tearing my hair out trying to figure out how to use said sites - why on earth don't they have instructions!!!!!!!!!!! It's driving me insane!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And, how do I share the kit here?

I feel as if I'm so stupid............ smiley

I can help a little with Dropbox;

1. There are icons at the top of the page next to the search box, you can hover over them to get descriptions. Choose the first icon, and upload your file.

2. Once the file has been uploaded, you should see it on the main page, You can click 'files' on the left side.

3. Locate the file name you want to share, in the columns it will look like so;

FILE NAME - FILE TYPE - MODIFIED - LINK IMAGE

Click on the little link icon, and click 'share link', a box will pop up and you can set the restrictions and also copy the link for the file to share. I always upload my image previews to photobucket, and then my zip files to drop box. I hope that helps! smiley

Thanks, Nicole - your help is much appreciated! Regarding the image previews, do you think I could just upload them to Dropbox, instead of having to use yet another site?

Also, can you (or anyone else) point me in the right direction to find a thread that explains how to share the file here on DigitalScrapbook.com?

Thanks in advance!

I couldn't ever get the image to show up from Dropbox, so maybe they don't allow hotlinking of files, or maybe I just cannot figure it out.

This thread that shows you how to share layouts in the fourms has the basics of adding a image and linking it to a link. THREAD I can't remember if I saw any other threads.

Basically, instead of copying a image URL from the gallery here, you need the link to your own image. And then instead of linking to your layout in the gallery, you link to your dropbox file.

Hope that helps, I am horrible at teaching through a computer, lol.

I'm hoping for help in linking an image to the forum here as well. I posted in another forum - down at the bottom about the site - can't remember exactly where right now lol, but hadn't gotten any response last time I checked. Surely we can't be the only ones trying to link an image from Dropbox? I've tried doing the link thing and that's all I get - a link to the image for someone to click on.

I've got an account at Fotki that I've had forever, guess I could try using that.

-Lisa

ETA - I got it to show!!! I moved it over to the Public folder in Dropbox, copied the link, edited my post here and badda bing, it shows.

Oh my gosh, I will have to try that.

Ok, really showing my ignorance here - where is the Public folder in Dropbox? I can't see anything named Public.

I now have a paper kit in the freebie forum FREEBIES PU: Dancing Tiger Designs (Robyn Denton) - but I can't get the preview image to show up, just the link. I followed Jordan's instructions and uploaded my preview to Imgur, but I can't get the image to show up from that link either. Obviously, I'm doing something wrong.....

Oh, and how do people have a word like 'Link' or 'Download' as the link, so you can click on the word instead of a long URL?

Ok, I just figured out how to make the word the link: When you are in edit/reply mode, click on the second button on the left, next to the picture button. The box next to the URL button is for the actual link, while the box next to the Text button is for you to type in whatever you want e.g., 'Download Here'. Then click OK, and the words become the link!

Now, I've finally figured out how to make the preview image appear in the forum - WOO HOO! It just seems to take a bit of time for things to sink in to my brain!!!! And I've written it all down, step by step, so I'll even be able to do it again! Go, me!

This was really bugging me, and I was so frustrated that I wasn't able to do it. I'm now hosting my preview images in imgur.com, so if anyone is using it, and still can't figure it out, just let me know and I'll post a list of what I did.

smiley smiley

@Lisa: I´ve been using dropbox for a year and a half and could never make the image link work. Thank you! I´ll try this soon!

Thank you so much to everyone has commented on this topic - you've really helped me, and I do appreciate each one of you!

Oh yay, so glad I could be of some help for a change instead of always asking for it!!! smiley

-Lisa

It feels like that sometimes, doesn't it, Lisa? That's what's so great about this site, though, so many people genuinely want to help where they can.

Agreed!

Soon you´ll be a pro and helping everybody, you´ll see!

Being part of this community is so exciting! And everyone is so supportive, both when you're struggling to figure out how to do something, and also when you finally achieve it. You have that "Aha!" moment, and everyone is right there celebrating with you. I know that I'm learning more and more every day - in fact, I feel a bit lost if I can't get on the computer and log in every day (and sometimes more than once a day!)

(Ummm, I think I might be a wee bit obsessed with this site!)

Lorien, if that was for me ... you're so sweet! lol And if it was for Robyn, you're so sweet!! lol

Robyn, I agree! So many have helped me and I gotta say Lorien was one of the first. smiley

-Lisa

@Lisa - I absolutely agree with you about Lorien!

@Lorien - You are a true gem!

@Anyone Else - I really appreciate all the help you have all given to me, personally, since I first came across DigitalScrapbook.com!

@To Myself - What did I ever do before DigitalScrapbook.com? smiley

To be really sincere it was... for both smiley

and Robyn, I can´t remember my life before PS either... It was the first international digiscrap community I joined, and I don´t think I wouldn´t have improven my digiscrap skills without being here... The brazilian forum which I was hanging at didn´t had the in-depth discussions we have here, so there were very simple things that I haven´t even noticed that existed before learning with you all...

@ Lorien, here's a smiley right back at you! As this is the first forum of any description that I have ever participated in, I can't comment on any other ones - but I do know that this is the friendliest digiscrapping site that I have ever come across. Marisa and Jordan have created something very special here, and that is enhanced by the designers, moderators, users.... in fact, everyone who contributes to this community! So here's a smiley to all of you!

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