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Way to send large files for free: www.yousendit.com

I use this site probably once a week. I've sent hundreds of files using YouSendIt's free file transfer service. Generally speaking, you should never email something over 8 MBs. So if you want to send someone a file, go to www.yousendit.com and sign up for one of their free accounts. It basically works like an FTP (File Transfer protocol) replacement service.  FTP used to be the way you would send a large file. FTP was a less reliable and more technically difficult way of sending large files by uploading it to a server so the receiving person could pull it down.

After you've tried the free services, you may want to try their paid features. The one I like the most is a "Return Receipt". It sends you an email once the recipient downloads the file. I've used this to send small and large files when responding to RFPs (request for proposal). I used it to test a theory that people flip to the pricing page then decide to look at the rest of my RFP response. Using www.yousendit.com allowed me to confirm that it sometimes is the case.

Here are some things to keep in mind:

1. Unless you pay for the premium delivery and password protect the file, anyone with the web address to the file will be able to download your file. Of course the chances of someone guessing your file location are extremely rare but if someone forwards the link to someone, say a competitor, they would also be able to download the file.
2. The file will only be there for 7 days. I actually like the fact that they don't keep my file indefinitely. If I were willing to bet, I would say that they made the decision as a company as a way to reduce not only the server load that could happen if it was used as a file sharing site but also as a way to reduce liability for files.
3. If you use their direct notification service by entering the recipient's email address as you're uploading the file, you're going to want to let the recipient know that you're sending it via yousendit.com so they can add them to their approved list so it doesn't get flagged as spam.
4. I recommend that you copy and paste the link to the file in an email and send it directly from your own email account. This also ensures that you'll have a record of when you sent it even though yousendit.com emails you a confirmation file that the file has been sent.

This is one of the best ways to send large files for free.