[Hitch]

Originally Posted by CRussel

I use OneDrive for Business. With a basic, online only, Office 365 account (Office 365 Business Essentials, ~$6CDN/user/mo) you get 1TB of storage per user. Plus email and Office Online. I personally have an Enterprise E3 plan, but I doubt you need anything even close to that.

Charlie, my sweet: I have just asked over at the ODB forums. I poked around a bit, but although they are quite verbose about sharing folders and files, within one's own organization, it SEEMS that the functionality is much like Dropbox. Someone gets a link, and then, from that point, they might dl, might not...you can't tell.

I can't face the idea of Sharepoint. I mean, come on, kiddles. If my clients' heads explode because they can't download files from DROPBOX, can you IMAGINE an FTP solution? Yeeeeaaaaaaaah, no.

Originally Posted by Katsunami

Hitch, wouldn't it be a good idea to install a wiki or forum onto your website, where you put all the video's and instructions? Maybe you already have something like that, I don't know.

And with regard to instructing users on how to use computers: I know where you're coming from. I'm never ever going to work in support ever again. I'd rather go work in a factory or go stacking crates or something.

My parents always told me:
"If you don't know how it works, you either learn it, or stay away from it."

Most people seem to not have gotten this memo with regard to computers.

We have a VERY large FAQ, with I don't know how many articles. What I don't have is an FAQ that says "this is a file. This is a downloads folder. This is how you download a file from..." I mean...how could I? I already have special instruction canneds for "downloading from AOL." "Downloading from Hotmail." "Downloading..." Where does it end?

We TELL our clients, in B&W, in our T&C (terms and conditions), which we insist that they read (and sign a document stating that they have), BEFORE they accept our quote, which is effectively executing their end of a contract. I have an entire SECTION of the T&C, titled "What A client Needs to Know/Do:" during the course of production. I tell them that they have to be able to

• Download Word files & PDFs;
• Save and Email Files;
• Review Book in PDF Viewer: (for POD work);
• Download Proof Form;
• Fill Out Proof Form (Word) and Email It Back; (this one, for PODs in PDF);
• Review eBook Files in Reading Software;
• Download eBooks;
• Download E-reading Software;
• Download Proof Form, Fill It Out and Send It Back; (this one for the eBooks); and,
• Download Word files & PDFs.

These are the paragraph headings; I detail each aspect, beyond just a list. I am at wit's end, not knowing what MORE we can do, about alerting them, in advance, what they will be required to do and know. I don't.

I've hired someone--a UI forms expert--to help me with re-doing everything over the Downtime. I'm so fed up, if something doesn't give...well, let's just say that my Expat inquiries are becoming more and more frequent daily. I really am at the end of my rope, in terms of this specific thing.

And, yes, Kats: I agree. People should know what they know, and more importantly, know what they don't know. If a client would just bloody tell me that they are "not techie," upfront, I could build in some support time, and not grind my teeth when it's obvious that s/he can't follow instructions. (Which is actually my bigger whinge.) But what I'm dealing with now is just mind-blowing. I'm tired of having to invest hours and hours of my own time, making CUSTOM videos, to show someone (for example), how to download a file from Gmail.

And before you say, Oh, but the regular video...let me relay this. Just yesterday, I'd sent a screenshot of a dummy email I made up. I sent an email, with two eBook files attached, to my personal email, which uses Outlook, right? I took a screenshot of what and where the files are, with an arrow. "Files are found here." What did I get back? And email saying "what the hell are these? That's not my book name." {sigh}. He couldn't make the necessary mental leap, from "example file" to "my file."

Originally Posted by Toxaris

Hitch, when I need to sent large files, I use WeTransfer. However, with the regular version you need to re-upload every time you want to sent the files (you do get a confirmation though). There is also a paid version, but I do not know if that allows you to sent a link without uploading them again and again.

A solution might be, not a very friendly one for you I think, is put the files on your own server and have a system that sents the links to anyone you want. Depending on your actual usecase this can be a lot of work or relative simple.

Hey, Tox!

I've used WeT. It's a perfectly good GUI FTP. I like it. I'm looking into whether or not I can do what I USED to do, with perfect ease and facility, in Hightail. No doubt why they nuked it; anythign to make my commercial life more of a living hell than it already is.

n.b.: NOPE, it does not. If you do an email xfer--the same as Hightail--sure, you can see who downloaded what. But I can't do a link xfer and get the same info, so...

round and round and round she goes, where she stops, nobody knows.....

By the way, to everyone:

Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukah! Wonderful Kwanzaa! Season's Greetings, and a Very, Very Happy and Profitable New Year.