Cloud Computing: File and Photo Sharing Using Instant Messenger Programs

Cloud computing has changed the Internet in a number of ways and, most importantly, people are now able to do things with great ease that would have been very difficult in the past. This is especially true when it comes to websites doing most of the work, leaving people's hands free to do things with a simple click of a button. Chatting, also known as Instant Messaging has been around for as long as the Internet has.

In the Beginning...

Chatting clients were once known only as IRC or Internet Relay Chat, which was a command-line program allowing users to chat in groups or one-on-one. The problem was that to do that, the chat users needed to know various computer language and program codes. Sending a file, such as a picture or video was possible but challenging, especially to the beginner. Now, with the spread of cloud computing and the increasing sophistication of web-enabled programs, sharing pictures or video while chatting with someone is very easy.

If you are like most Internet users, you already have one or more chat programs installed on your computer. A number of them are very popular such as AIM (AOL Instant Messenger), Microsoft's Windows Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger, and Google Chat. A great many other programs also offer chatting services and some programs, such as Pigeon, allow users to connect on many of the popular instant messaging platforms using a single interface as well allowing access to several different computer systems at once.

What is rare is a service or chatting software that does not allow users to share pictures, videos, or other files with the person on the other side of the chat window meaning that almost all IM programs already have the ability to share images, video and other files built-in. Some services such as YuuGuu even allow remote sharing of a user's desktop over the chat session, which is especially helpful during a customer support session or technical help session. In this scenario, the remote desktop chat access gives the technicians access to the users' desktop so that he or she can actively see what is wrong and fix the problem remotely. Users can even surf the web together on some services using a browser-sharing feature.

How to use Photo Sharing

The secret to gaining access to these services is to take time to get to know the instant messaging program that is being used to chat with because each program has different ways of sending or sharing photos, videos and other files. For example, using AIM requires that the person who wants to send photos or videos to first send an invitation to the person with who he or she is chatting. After the invitation is accepted for photo sharing, the sender simply finds the photo he or she wants to share and then drags it to the AIM messenger window and drops it in. Additionally, if drag and drop is not something the user is familiar with, the user can click on the "Send Pictures" button and a window opens so that the user can choose the photo they wish to send and double-click the photo's file name to send it.

The process is the same for sharing photos with Yahoo! Messenger; however, using Google Talk and other IM clients, the process is a bit different. Nevertheless, photo, file, and video sharing features are very popular with all IM clients and as such, the procedure for sharing them is well documented. The documentation can be found either in the chatting software's help file or on the providers' websites.

Instant Messenger Photo and File Storage

A number of options are also available for image, video and other file storage in the event that storing the files on the user's local computer for use during a chat session is not an option. For example, if a chat session is initiated on the web from another computer such as from work, assuming the user has permission, of course, the user can access his or her photos and videos or other files using the instant messenger's cloud storage instead of copying all of the files to the work computer.

Many websites offer file storage and access on the web; for example, Microsoft's Windows Live services, Google's Picasa, YouTube, Photobucket, Flickr, and others, are typically integrated with the existing IM services. Additionally, if no storage is available and the user needs to access his or her files for a chat session, simply sending the receiver a link to the file stored in one of these online accounts allows the receiver to open and view the file in a separate browser window.

Even more advanced cloud computing services are also available such as document sharing and editing that allows a user to work on a document with another person over the chat session. Keep in mind, though that all instant messaging services are different and not every client will offer the same services. Overall, cloud computing is a powerful offering that makes the lives of many computer users easier with its many advantages; photo and file sharing are just the top of the cloud computing and sharing iceberg.

Sources:
YuuGuu Web Chat & Remote Desktop Conferencing
AOL Help: Sharing Pictures with AIM Software
Yahoo! Help: Sharing Photos with Yahoo! Messenger
Different Ways to Share, "Sharing Photos Using Google Talk," Picasa and Picasa Web Sharing Help: