Peer-to-Peer file sharing is nothing new. I can remember when it took off in the 90's, and then really went mainstream in 1999 when Napster launched their system. Since then a number of file sharing networks entered the scene including Rapidshare, Uploading.com, Kazaa, BitTorrent - and even DropBox. The main problem is searching all of these P2P download sites for the file(s) you want. Enter General-Files.com, a file search engine that provides the solution.
It's one central place where you can get free MP3 downloads and other types of files. You simply use the search box and type the title you are looking for, and see if you are lucky enough to find it across the network of sites General-Files.com accesses.
For even better results, you can use their accompanying site at General-Catalog.com, which is a free file directory that will really help you refine your file search.
To use this site, you don't have to know an exact file title as it also indexes the file descriptions. That means you can search things like "best country album" or "funniest tv show" and find files to download.
General-Catalog is much more intuitive and more visual than General-Files.com, which was the point of it's release last year.
Also recently released by GF is GeneralDownloader.com, which is a free rapidshare donwload manager. The objective is to help you deal with the file hosting service and all of those wait/pause screens and "please visit our sponsor" messages.
These sites fall under the "General World" brand, which is currently the fastest growing free file search network in the world. And yes, they are in compliance with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act ("DMCA"). Though none of their sites actually host potentially copyright-infringing media content. They are simply providing a search for popular file sharing services such as Rapidshare.com, Uploading.com and others.
There's a lot of controversy over free file sharing, and public perception of P2P sharing is constantly changing. A good piece on that can be found on Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peer-to-peer_file_sharing#Public_perception_and_usage
Outside of downloading files illegally, and copyright infringement issues, peer to peer file sharing is a cool concept - and one that's been around for as long as computers and the internet. The only advice I'd offer when using file sharing sites is that you have a solid anti-virus and anti-malware program installed. This is a protection you should take anytime you are sharing files with anyone, of course.
Funny story - I actually had one of my info products end up on BitTorrent where people could download it free. I didn't realize this until someone emailed me and asked for my PayPal address. He said he enjoyed the report so much that he'd like to pay for it. 🙂 LOL. Cool...
From a marketing perspective, it would be smart to upload your free reports and multimedia files to these free file sharing sites - including music, for those of you trying to get mass exposure. There are millions of people accessing them and searching for something new and interesting...
Best,
This post was sponsored by General-Files.com
About Lynn Terry
Hi, Lynn! In my opinion, all the free stuff are cool :)) I bet that if these file sharing websites wouldn't be free, people wouldn't have been so attracted of them. I'll check that megaupload/download manager that you've mentioned. Thanks for sharing 🙂
It's really a nice idea. File sharing is a complicated issue...
great article, I stayed away from Filesharing networks so far, because of all the illegial stuff you hear about. But after reading this i think i will give it a shot.
Hello Lynn,
I use rapidshare most of time I have a premium account there. I'd like to have a back-up of my files and would give your suggestion a try. Thank you for this.
Well, I have never heard about this earlier, but this is going to be of great help though. Free file sharing can solve the entire problem of paying heavy expenses for downloading stuff like music, pictures, videos and other files that are of use to us in general. Thanks for sharing this important news.
GP downloader is causing me to do forced shutdowns. I have sent them a email about it and if not responded to, program will be deleted.
I think filesharing would be great if it was regulated. Unfortunately, it's not - so sites that host the shared files (or links to them) end up profiting from advertising (as well as Google who should really not allow advertising on filesharing sites that host files without consent) while people like my boyfriend, musicians, get screwed.