I just searched “18-24 years old AND email usage” and came across a short post entitled I only use email to communicate with old people. When I was working full-time for a valley homebuilder (really glad I’m not in the housing industry right now), I relied on email a lot. I also worked with a lot of old people that didn’t know any better. I agree that email is no longer the most relevant form of communication for college students. But what happens when you have to send a big file to someone?

This is one of the main reasons I dislike email: it’s just plain inconvenient to share large files with people. We’ve all experienced it. Friends sending videos, pictures, documents that take forever to load. Space isn’t much of a concern anymore for ASU students now that we all have over 2 Gb of Inbox storage, but with pictures and videos, that 2 Gb can fill up fast. (I like to stick to a self-made rule of keeping attachments to under 1 Mb.)

So what is one to do? Here is a list of solutions you should try before attaching that huge file to your email:

1. Drop.io - create a custom site (called a “drop”), add your files, and share the link to the site. No account setup, no registration. Add files via web, phone, fax (who has a fax machine?), widget, or email. WOW. This is cool. Password-protect a “drop,” if it has stuff you don’t want the world to see. Set time limits for how long a “drop” is available.
2. Box.net - free account allows users to upload files and share them by sending a link. Through their OpenBox services, 3rd party sites are compatible with their services, such as Zoho, Piknik, Facebook, etc. (10 Mb-per-file limit for free accounts. Bigger upload options available for paid accounts.)
3. Eatlime.com - similar to the previous two. Upload your files to your eatlime account, share them via link with friends and family. Offers easy interface for sharing stuff to your friends on popular social networks.
4. Google Docs - use those fancy “share” buttons in your ASU Google Docs account. Share or collaborate on a document with anyone. Making a document “public” will give it a unique web address that you can send to anyone. It even syncs with your ASU Gmail contacts, so you don’t have to worry about remembering an email address.
5. Zoho.com - similar to Google Docs, Zoho offers a wide variety of web-based applications where you can create documents/spreadsheets/presentations and then share them with friends or family. Zoho also has Zoho Viewer - a simple web app that allows you to upload and share a file with people.