Here is something I stumbled across today. I was looking for a way to dump a lot of files into an online location so that those files would be easy to access from other sites. My files are Word docs, Excel spreadsheets and PowerPoint presentations. I found Scribd. The service is free and you can upload as many files as you like.
Take a look at the file below. It’s Alice in Wonderland (a document in the public domain) formatted in Word. I added some pictures and all the formatting found in a normal Word document: page numbers, chapter headings, etc.
Here are a couple of really cool things about the way Scribd handles files.
1 – The files are displayed in a browser. The original application (Word, Excel, etc) does not have to be installed on a machine to see the formatted documents.
2 – I can make my files available to the public or keep them private.
3 – If I choose to make my files public, I can control the format that is downloaded by public users. I can permit the original file to be downloaded in the original format. Other options include text only and PDF. Because one of the download options is PDF, I now have a free web-based file converter.
4 – All the Creative Commons licensing options are included in the publishing area.
I have uploaded my private document library to the private area. I haven’t tried PowerPoint files. I’ll upload my eTech presentation as the acid test. If it can handle all 327 slides, I will be impressed.