SoloJourno

In the last few years, file-sharing sites have grown in popularity and the recently-launched Upload Robots service is a ‘new breed’ among file sharing services, and once it becomes more well-known, it’s going to be a huge hit. It’s all part of what’s known as cloud computing. Think of Upload Robots like a virtual thumbdrive that can’t be lost.

Most people who need to share files want to do so quickly and easily with a minimum of fuss. Sometimes, it’s just not practical to email a large file, or one runs up against file-size restrictions or account timeouts. And not everyone has an FTP program on the computer they’re using which may not even be theirs - they may be using a work or school computer, or even be at a public library - let alone server space to which they can upload a file.

Visually pleasing and easy-to-use, UploadRobots.com offers two account flavours: Regular (free) and Pro ($5.00 a month). Both offer SSL Encryption, no advertisements and uploaded files don’t have expiration dates. The Pro account’s additional features include the ability to create subdomains, increased monthly storage space, up ten gigs, and users can upload a file as large as 250 megs which is substantially more than the ten megs limit offered with a free account.

A major distinction which elevates Upload Robots - and separates the service from its competitors - is the ‘no-wait’ feature. Most file-sharing sites require users who are not members or who are not logged in to wait before the file they’ve requested begins to download. This delay can be anywhere from thirty to ninety seconds. Also, if a visitor wants to download a second file, they’re often forced to wait as long as fifteen minutes between downloads.

Download this post as an .mp3 file (3m18s, 3.02 megs) from the Upload Robots site. Links of interest: Feature Tour, Blog, Sign Up, Twitter: @UploadRobots. And here is a video tour:

Via KobreGuide to the Web’s Best Multimedia & Video Journalism:

From Time Magazine: Some Texans are not allowed to cross the Mexican border because their birth certificates were ruled invalid due to an insurmountable technicality.

From KobreGuide: Silvario Vasquez was born in Texas and owns a ten-acre farm near the Mexican border. A new post-9/11 government policy requiring a passport, and not just a driver’s license, prevents him from crossing the border to Mexico — a situation made more ironic by the fact that he spent nearly three decades as a U.S. border patrol agent. (Read more…)

Length: 7:31
Video Journalist: Silas Tyler
Associate Producer: Natasha Del Toro
Supervising Producer: Craig Duff

The Digital Journalist: August 2009

Feature article: Seamus Murphy: A Darkness Visible by Beverly Spicer.

Seamus Murphy describes photography as “part history and part magic.” This brief description could be a title for Murphy’s entire archive, as he is the embodiment of the soulful photojournalist

Read the full issue.

The Digital Journalist: July 2009

Feature article/gallery: Homeland by Nina Berman.

The title of the book comes from President George W. Bush, who introduced the word “homeland” shortly after September 11. Previously unfamiliar in American speech, the word sounded both sinister and soothing, filled with ideological import of mysterious origin. Was it British, or of Nazi Germany? Or was the word drawn from fiction, a made-up world existing in a fairy tale?

Read the full issue.

Via Mashable:

Though there are countless articles and blog posts sprawled across the web about the dying newspaper industry, this will not be one of them. Some people have even come to the conclusion that journalism itself is dying, yet in reality, journalism is expanding with social media platforms and technology allowing the former audience and sources to become the reporters themselves. Instead of dwelling on the doom and gloom, this post is an attempt at gathering voices in the journalism industry and on the web to give some thought as to what newspapers should be considering in order to survive and evolve with today’s technology-driven, short-attention-span world.

Those who think there is one silver bullet to fix the newspaper business are mistaken. Newspapers have almost always had multiple streams of revenue to support themselves and the future will likely not be any different. That doesn’t mean, however, that the money-making models newspapers will use on the web will look the same as the ones they have used for print.

Newspapers are struggling financially, but ad revenue is predicted to recover slightly in 2010. The underlying issues are not just business-driven, but include issues of structure, culture and the industrialized foundations of distributing newspapers. This list is not a comprehensive one, but these are some of the things that newspaper leaders should be considering. And though print itself may not survive, the organizations behind them provide value to a democratic society, often covering and providing news that blogs with more limited resources can’t always dig up. We welcome comments below with other suggestions of things you think newspaper leaders should try or invest in. Let’s have some dialogue about this topic.

Read the full article.