Skydrive.live.comLast week, Microsoft threw their hat into the social networking ring by launching Windows Live SkyDrive. I’m sure you’re familiar with those handy little flash drives that offer anything from 220MB to 8GB of storage. They’re convenient to keep on hand and to use for sharing files and photos. When I read about this website, I thought it would eliminate my need for a flash drive. The SkyDrive is similar to a flash drive; it lets you upload pictures, videos or documents but instead of doing it on a pocket-sized drive, your files are uploaded to a secure space online. Users can choose which friend(s) or colleague(s) to share their information with. When I discovered that users were being given a generous 5GB of space, I was impressed. It was like my prayers had been answered ... OK, not quite, but you get the point. I had 2GBs worth of photos and videos I wanted to share with a friend. I thought I could simply upload the whole folder to this secure server and let my friend download it. But to my dismay, they don’t allow folders to be uploaded. You have to do it one file (picture, video, document) at a time. And each file is limited to 50MB in size. Boo! So the idea of having enough space for 30,000 digital photos, at a resolution of 1200x1200 isn’t quite as attractive as it first seemed, but it might work for your needs. Travelers are always sharing their files and if you only have a few to share (or plenty of free time), this might be your solution. As for me, I have to run to the post office to ship my flash drive to my friend. Although it costs more money (SkyDrive is free), my time is more valuable.
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