1. P2P File Transfer Tools: A direct connection is established between two computers and no server is involved during the file transfer. The P2P protocol poses no restriction on the size of the file you want to send. The key thing here is that both the sender and the receiver have to be online at the same time. All P2P services are free to use.
2. Storage Services: In this case, the file to be transferred is uploaded to an online storage space and then a link is provided to you for distributing it to your counterpart(s) who need to download that file. Such online storage spaces may include some limitations as: limited storage space, maximum file size, or expiry time to collect the file. Online storage spaces can be both free or paid.
3. E-mail Clients: With these type of tools the large file to be transferred is sent to your counterpart using a special e-mail client that is capable of bypassing the default email attachment file size limitation imposed by standard e-mail providers like Google or Yahoo. An expiry time is generally set for the receiver to pick up the file, but no limitation is set on the maximum file size you can transfer. Since by using an email client a web server is involved in the process, the overall online storage space you have available to share large files is generally limited.

• Operating system: OS needed to run selected tool.
• File-sharing technology: Protocol or application used to send large files.
• Multiple upload: Send / transfer multiple files at once.
• Expiry date: Amount of time your file is available for download.
• Encryption: File encryption against malicious software or unauthorized access.
• Public / Private: Sharing option allowing either public or private access.
• Registration-free: No registration needed to utilize service / tool.
• Price: Cost of service / tool.

Send Large Files of Any Size - Comparative Table

Send Large Files of Any Size

1. PipeBytes
   
   PipeBytes is a free web service to send files of any size. Completely web-based, you only need to browse your hard disk for the file you want to send, add a message (optional) and then share the URL or code of your file with your desired recipient. The file will be stored indefinitely inside PipeBytes servers until your recipient picks it up. If you have chosen to utilize a code, your friend should go to PipeBytes homepage and insert the code to start downloading the file. File transfers are all encrypted to save the privacy of your data. Multiple uploads are not accepted and PipeBytes requires no registration.
   http://host02.pipebytes.com/
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. 2Peer
   
   2Peer is either a software application (Windows and Mac) and a web-based service that lets you send files of any size to your friends. Free to use, 2Peer creates a private network among you and your friends where files can be freely exchanged. You can upload multiple files at once and all files shared have no expiry date. Each file sent inside the 2Peer network is only accessible by the member of the network you create. Registration is needed to utilize the service.
   http://2peer.com/
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. FilePhile
   
   FilePhile is a free software (for Windows and Mac) that allows you to send files of any size to other people using the P2P protocol. Once you download the application client to your machine, you can upload multiple files to send to unlimited recipients. Transferred files do not expire after a fixed period of time. Each file transfer is encrypted to ensure the privacy of your data. Since the file transfer is directly established between two or more users, the sender and the receiver should be online at the same time for the transfer to work. FilePhile works also when users are behind a firewall that may prevent files to be trans
   http://www.filephile.net/
   
   
   
   
   
   
4. Zapr
   
   Zapr is a free file-sharing software for Windows that allows you to transfer files of any size over the Internet. Once Zapr is installed on your machine, you can send multiple files to other people who will only need Internet access to download the files. The files you send are stored inside a web server, so the recipient does not need to be online at the same time you transfer your file. Plus, the files you send are encrypted and do not expire after a fixed amount of time. Registration is required to utilize Zapr.
   http://www.zapr.com/
   
   
   
   
   
   
5. Otengo
   
   Otengo is a free file-sharing software application for Windows that allows you to send enhanced e-mail messages with attachments of any size. Once you install Otengo on your machine, you can send multiple files to the existing email addresses of your recipients using a drag and drop interface. The files you choose are uploaded to Otengo servers and then delivered immediately to your friends. Note that recipients will have to install Otengo as well to download the files. Files sent are also encrypted for greater security of your data and are stored for an unlimited amount of time until a download is requested. Otengo requires signup to be used.
   http://www.otengo.com/
   
   
   
   
   
   
6. FilesOverMiles
   
   FilesOverMiles is a free web-based service that allows you to send large files. FilesOverMiles takes advantage of the P2P protocol to establish a direct connection between your computer and the computer of your recipient. Because P2P applications require no server involved during the file transfer, there is no limit to the size of the files you can send, nor the transferred files have an expiry time. Both you and the receiver have to be online at the same time for the file transfer to take place. Registration is not necessary to utilize the service and multiple uploads are not permitted.
   http://www.filesovermiles.com/
   
   
   
   
   
   
7. Skype
   
   Skype is a web conferencing and instant messaging client that also allows you to transfer large files over the web. Skype is available for either Windows, Mac and Linux operating systems and also for mobile devices. Skype works using the P2P file transfer protocol to establish a direct connection between your computer and the machine of your receiver. There is no limit to the size of the files you can transfer and no expiry date restricts the transfer process. Each transferred file is encrypted for greater protection of your data. Please remember that the P2P protocol involves that both you and the receiver have to be online for the file transfer to take place. Multiple uploads are permitted and registration is compulsory to utilize Skype.
   http://www.skype.com/
   
   
   
   
   
   
8. SendThisFile
   
   SendThisFile is a free web-based application that lets you send large files to multiple recipients. You can transfer a file of any size up to three people that have a maximum expiry time of three days to collect the files you send. Any uploaded file is stored inside SendThisFile storage web servers. All file are also secured to ensure the protection of your data while they stay inside the online server. Registration is needed to utilize the service.
   http://www.sendthisfile.com/
   
   
   
   
   
   
9. Conexme
   
   Conexme is a free Java-based desktop application you can use to transfer files of any size over the Internet. Conexme is available for either Windows, Mac or Ubuntu Linux. The file-sharing service uses the P2P protocol to create a direct connection between your machine and the computer of your receiver. For the direct connection to take place, both you and the receiver should be online at the same time and have Conexme installed. File transfers are all encrypted. Multiple uploads are supported and registration is compulsory to utilize the service.
   http://www.conexme.com/
   
   
   
   
   
   
10. GigaSize
    
    GigaSize is an online storage service that provides you with free web space to upload and share files of any size. You can upload multiple files at the same time and let your files stay on GigaSize for as long as you want before a selected receiver picks them up. All files stored by GigaSize are also protected from viruses and malwares, and encrypted when someone requests the download. Registration is requested to use GigaSize. The web service is priced at $9.99 for one month of use.
    http://www.gigasize.com/
    
    
    
    
    
    
11. Binfer
    
    Binfer is a P2P desktop application for Windows, Mac and Linux that allows you to transfer files of any size over the Internet. You can upload multiple files at the same time and no expiry time is set for the receiver to download your files. The file transfer process takes place as a direct connection between your computer and the machine of your selected user. Both user should have Binfer installed and be online at the same time for the file transfer to be successful. File transfers are also encrypted to save the privacy of your data. Registration is needed to utilize the service and Binfer is free for the whole beta testing period.
    http://www.binfer.com/

Because the non-guaranteed segment of online advertising is expected to grow to $11 billion by 2013, publishers must adopt a specific strategy for this segment of inventory. Due to the volatility of online ad pricing, and because no single ad network can guarantee the highest price for a publisher's ad space all of the time, only a real-time optimization solution can ensure that every impression is monetized by the highest paying source.

Ad Price Prediction: 2nd Generation Ad Revenue Optimization For Publishers

• Why PubMatic developed the sophisticated algorithms that power the Ad Price Prediction technology
• How it increases publisher ad revenue, and
• Several publisher case studies.

1. The Need For Real-Time Ad Revenue Optimization

1. Static ad network daisy chains are ineffective: Ad pricing from ad networks changes constantly throughout the day and with a manual solution the publisher often does not have the highest paying ad network at the top of their static daisy chain.
2. More ad networks need to compete for every single ad impression: With a manual solution, managing multiple ad networks is challenging. The result is that publishers often do not have enough relationships with ad networks that specialize in monetizing different segments of their audience. Therefore, ads are often delivered from ad networks that value the ad impression less than a different ad network would that is trying to reach that specific audience.
3. Ad networks default often, and it is a big problem: PubMatic has found that ad networks default 56% of the time on average and as much as 87% of the time according to a study conducted in April of 2008. As ad targeting becomes increasingly dependent on both the user and the ad context, defaulting will only increase.
4. Low quality ads have low click-through rates: Managing multiple ad networks with a completely manual solution is challenging. Fewer ad networks mean the options for ads that can be served are limited, and that can result in served ads that are unattractive to the user which negatively impacts the click through rate.
5. One solution is needed for non-guaranteed I.O.s, ad networks, and exchanges: Publishers increasingly need to manage all of their non-guaranteed demand, whether it is from ad networks, ad exchanges, or direct advertiser insertion orders, from the same bucket of non-guaranteed inventory.

Click to enlarge image PubMatic's machine learning approach: Machine learning is based on algorithms that improve automatically through experience. It includes data-mining that processes more than 100,000 data transactions per second. PubMatic has over 6,000 publishers using the optimization platform, which continually provide rich data that contributes to the machine learning. The longer machine learning is working, the more precise and accurate it becomes. The data collected through machine learning is used for predictive modeling and is the basis of PubMatic's Ad Price Prediction technology.

2. Three Levels of Optimization

No other company offers optimization in real-time. In order for large publishers to truly maximize their ad revenue made from ad networks and exchanges, optimization is needed. Publishers can optimize in three principal ways with varying degrees of success:

1. Manual in-house ad operations (weekly or monthly optimization): Most large publishers have an ad operations team that works directly with ad networks to manually optimize them. They do this by logging into the ad networks and finding historical pricing and then setting up their "daisy chains" accordingly. The frequency of the optimization usually ranges from weekly to monthly, depending on human resources. This type of optimization does provide revenue lift in the vast majority of cases, but the inherent problem is that publishers are using historical data and are limited to a very small number of data points by which they can make optimization decisions. As the number of ad network relationship increases, this approach requires correspondingly more human resources to optimize.


2. Manual outsourced ad operations (daily or weekly optimization): In an effort to escape the resource trap of manual in-house ad operations, some publishers outsource the management of ad network relationships to third party vendors. There are often resource and expertise benefits, as an outsourced service provider has typically identified best practices, has ongoing relationships with key ad networks, and can often provide human resources at a cheaper cost. However, despite the efficiencies gained in resource cost, there is typically only marginal improvement in revenue that is generated from the use of third party vendors. These vendors rely on the same historical data and limited number of data points to make ad serving decisions, and as a result cannot significantly increase publisher revenue.


3. Automated algorithms + Operations support (real-time optimization): This solution is the only solution that can best monetize every single ad impression. Having ad operations support is critical to a publisher in order to simplify ad network management and ensure that unwanted ads do not appear on their site, but only real-time algorithms can predict which ad network will pay the most for any given impression, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Real-time algorithms can use significantly more data points to make ad serving decision, such as geography, frequency, context, demographic information and more. In addition, these algorithms can make a unique decision in real-time for each and every ad impression. More data and real-time decisions yield significantly higher publisher revenue.

3. Ad Price Prediction: How It Works

PubMatic's Ad Price Prediction technology decides, in real-time, which ad network, ad exchange, or non-guaranteed insertion order is best able to monetize an ad impression for a publisher. Detailed flow description:

1. The user on a publisher's website makes a page request. The impression is then analyzed for dozens of different data points including context, frequency, geography, day part, browser, user demographics, and more.


2. Ad serving entities, including ad networks, ad exchanges, and non-guaranteed insertion orders and then filtered. The filtering process takes into consideration the analyzed impression and user data as well as the creative policy of the publisher. For example, ad networks that serve suggestive or alcohol ads will not make it through the filter if the publisher's business rules require that suggestive or alcohol ads not be shown on their website.


3. Algorithms determine pricing from ad networks, ad exchanges, and non-guaranteed entities. From the eligible ad serving entities that passed thorough the first filter, PubMatic's algorithms process over 100,000 of data points per second to decide which ad serving option is best able to monetize the impression. Data is collected from PubMatic's machine learning algorithms and decisions are made in real-time based on learned pricing behaviours and dynamic pricing data delivered from ad networks via the real-time bidding API (application programming interface).
A key advantage for publishers in this process is PubMatic's ability to determine ad pricing based on how many times the user has seen a particular ad. Ad networks generally value the first impression a user sees more that the second impression, and so forth. Ad networks then allocate the highest paying ad campaign and so on. The algorithms take this frequency pricing into consideration and will choose not to show an ad if the user has seen it enough times that the value is too low. Because frequency capping is a part of most campaigns today, this technology is incredibly valuable and provides significant and long-term revenue lift. Click to enlarge image

4. The highest paying ad serving entity is selected and then delivers the ad to the user. Once PubMatic selects the entity that is best able to monetize the ad impression, an ad request is sent to that entity. The ad is then served directly from that entity, whether it is from an ad network, ad exchange, or from an insertion order.


5. If the selected ad entity were to default, the previous steps would be repeated and the next highest paying ad serving entity is selected.

Ad network pricing changes constantly, therefore adjusting static daisy chains weekly, or even daily, is not enough to maximize yield. Dynamic default optimization updates the daisy chain in real-time, for every impression, which ensures that the impression goes to the highest paying ad network.

4. Ad Price Prediction Publisher Case Studies

Publishers using real-time optimization consistently see higher ad pricing as compared to manual ad operations solutions, whether in-house or outsourced. The following case studies based on three large publishers highlight the increased pricing (eCPM) generated from PubMatic's real-time optimization solution using automated algorithms. Click to enlarge image

Conclusion

As ad inventory continues to grow, new methods of ad revenue optimization must be adopted by large publishers if they are to protect and improve the value of their advertising space. Manual ad operations, either in-house or with outsourced help, do improve revenue ad revenue lift in most cases, but those options are not feasible for long-term revenue growth. Because the non-guaranteed segment of online advertising is expected to grow to $11 billion by 2013, publishers must adopt a specific strategy for this segment of inventory. Due to the volatility of online ad pricing, and because no single ad network can guarantee the highest price for a publisher's ad space all of the time, only a real-time optimization solution can ensure that every impression is monetized by the highest paying source. PubMatic offers publishers the most advanced method of ad revenue optimization available: Ad Price Prediction technology (automated algorithms) in addition to full service team support for the publisher's ad operations team. Publishers that have been using PubMatic's solution regularly see ad revenue lift ranging from 30-300%.

Originally written by PubMatic, and first published on April 26th, 2009 as Ad Price Prediction: 2nd Generation Ad Revenue Optimization for Publishers

About PubMatic PubMatic is a global Ad Revenue Optimization company that provides online publishers with a full service solution to manage and monetize non-Guaranteed ad inventory. PubMatic's real-time ad price prediction technology ensures that online publishers get the most money from their advertising space by deciding in real-time which ad network or exchange can best monetize each impression. There are currently over 6,000 large and medium publishers working with PubMatic. PubMatic is venture backed by Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Nexus India Capital, and Helion Ventures.

Photo credits: The Need For Real-Time Ad Revenue Optimization - Jakub Krechowicz Three Levels of Optimization - Adistock Ad Price Prediction: How It Works - Alexia Bannister Ad Price Prediction Publisher Case Studies - Howard Grill All other images by - PubMatic]]>

Information Technology Tools For a Transition Economy

The Network

1. The basic networking infrastructure
2. a kernel social networking engine,
3. plug-ins to provide a modular addition of features, and
4. user generated content.

Infrastructure

Kernel

• Existing P2P file-sharing software networks based on distributed hash tables and
• social networking software, resulting in a decentralized, scalable, and fault tolerant network once it grows with a sufficient number of nodes. It can be inspired or based on existing projects such as GNUNet and Freenet.

Plug-ins

• The management of a local currency,
• time banking,
• instant messaging / e-mail client,
• cluster for parallel computing / distributed computation,
• video and voice streaming,
• wiki-wiki,
• blogs,
• distant learning tools,
• software for source code management, and
• other advanced project management tools.

Content

• Individual Content: Each user can store content in a profile that can be synchronized to peers selected according to attributed categories. Synchronized peers will serve as web caches / relays, distributing the information while the primary user remains off-line. Hierarchical category levels of information will allow each user to select the desirable range of information flow for each posted content in order to control the distribution of sensitive information only for trusted partners. Some possible categories include public, business, family, friends, friends of friends.


• Community content: Can range from simple shared text documents (blogs or wiki-wiki documents), or a virtual market provided by a cooperative of workers. Communities allows the coordination of large projects with each associate / subscriber caching community information, relaying group content.

• A cooperative of workers,
• a group of students,
• ecovillages,
• transition towns,
• groups of consumers with mutual interest.

Synchronization

Hardware

• Share the idea;
• Join the discussion group at www.socialcloud.net and contribute with your expertise;
• If you are a software developer, volunteer at the project development team;
• Start building a community and once the software is released adopt it for extending community interaction.

Conclusions

References

• The Open Cloud Manifesto
• Gary Alexander's e-Gaia Book
• Gary Alexander's Paper giving a specification for a software platform for a network of connected communities.
• Stefan Meretz's Text on Germ Form Theory
• Robert Costanza's "Beyond GDP: The Need for New Measures of Progress"