CREATE YOUR OWN DOWNLOAD LINKS

CREATE YOUR OWN DOWNLOAD LINKS
BY: MARK MESHULAM
copyright 2009 poingo.com

ONE OF THE GREAT FEATURES OF WORKING WITH THE WEB
is the ability to download a file by clicking on
a link. as most earthlings know, a link is most
FREQUENTLY VISIBLE AS BLUE UNDERLINED TEXT
displayed on a website, or on an html email.
links can also be presented as hot spots on an
IMAGE, OR A BUTTON WHICH CAN BE CLICKED.

sometimes when we click on links, we are
MAGICALLY TRANSPORTED TO A NEW WEB PAGE. BEHIND
the scenes, we are actually receiving new files
from a web server, and our browser software is
"RENDERING" THE FILES ON OUR SCREEN ACCORDING TO
instructions contained in the files.

THESE NEW FILES COULD BE SERVED UP BY THE SAME
web server which served up the previous page, or
with equal ease we could be receiving files from
A TOTALLY DIFFERENT LOCATION, POSSIBLY FROM
halfway around the world! such are the wondrous
ways of the web.

other times when we click on links, we get a
different experience. our browser offers to
DOWNLOAD A FILE AND PATIENTLY AWAITS OUR ANSWER.
when we accept and possibly tell our browser
where to file the download, the web server sends
THE FILE TO OUR COMPUTER AND A DOWNLOAD TAKES
place.

THE USEFULNESS OF THIS FUNCTIONALITY IS OBVIOUS.
we don't always want to see the information
painted on our screen, sometimes we just want to
USE IT. CONSIDER A SPREADSHEET FILE AS AN
example.

IF I WANT TO SHARE MY SPREADSHEET WITH YOU, I CAN
easily send it to you as an email attachment, but
what happens if the file is too large? chances
ARE, YOUR FILE ATTACHMENT COULD HIT A BOTTLENECK
somewhere in your, or your recipient's email
system and may never deliver.

however, if i send the file as a download, email
system bottlenecks are bypassed and the pipe is
WIDE OPEN. HERE'S HOW IT WORKS:

1. first, i upload my large file to a web server
SOMEWHERE.
2. then, i place a download link to that file in
my email to my pal.
3. WHEN HE RECEIVES THE EMAIL, HE EITHER CLICKS
on the link or pastes it into the address bar of
his browser.
4. HE EASILY DOWNLOADS THE FILE.
5. he is incredibly impressed.

TO DO THIS, HERE IS WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
1. rights to a web server to host your file -
many web hosting companies offer this.
2. SOFTWARE FOR UPLOADING YOUR FILE - FOR
starters you can actually use windows explorer.
3. knowledge of the correct "path", or url which
WILL ALLOW YOUR RECIPIENT TO ACCESS THE FILE.
this should be available from your web hosting
company.

the format of the url will look like this:
http://www.domain.com/downloads/myspreadsheet.xls
WHERE "DOMAIN" IS THE DOMAIN YOU HAVE REGISTERED
for your use, which is targeted at a folder on a
web server, which has a subfolder named, for
EXAMPLE, "DOWNLOADS". YOUR EXAMPLE FILENAME, IN
this case, "myspreadsheet.xls" should match the
actual filename exactly. filenames should not
HAVE SPACES OR ODD PUNCTUATIONS.

in case the above steps seem too intimidating or
LABOR INTENSIVE, THERE IS A SOFTWARE/WEBHOSTING
package available called personal ftp
(www.poingo.com).

the software uploads your large files to your
private webspace on the personal ftp server,
OPENS A NEW EMAIL, AND PLACES A DOWNLOAD LINK
onto the email, all in a few clicks. in addition,
you get your own subdomain, which not only adds
YOUR IDENTITY TO THE LINK, BUT ALSO ENHANCES THE
reliability of the download.

about the author:
mark meshulam offers poingo productivity suite,
UNIQUE & INEXPENSIVE SOFTWARE WHICH SPEEDS YOUR
work and makes it more fun. includes: email
reminder system. create jpgs and pdfs. edit
IMAGES IN OUTLOOK. DO ANYTHING WITH HOTKEYS.
http://www.poingo.com see [2]mark's blog,
educational ruminations on people and technology
IN THE WORKPLACE AT HTTP://WWW.POINGOLOGY.COM [3]

CIRCULATED BY ARTICLE EMPORIUM [4]
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