ProLinkz.com

by Eldon Sarte, Wordpreneur.com

One problem about having files available for download on your site is theft… particularly if you happen to be selling said files. Unless you’re able to jump through a few technical hoops, you likely have some valuable files essentially available for public downloading to anyone who just happens to know the URLs.

Even if you try to keep those URLs hidden and reveal them only to, say, paying customers. It’s not exactly rare for a “customer” to pay for a download with a credit card, get the URL, do a chargeback, and tell all his cronies where to get the files.

Although not bulletproof secure by a long shot (in other words, if you want that, go elsewhere), ProLinkz can provide a quick-and-dirty solution for this problem among the many other things it does for you. By doing nothing more than creating a unique ProLinkz tracking code that leads to a file’s exact location, you’re now a little better off than publicly naked. How? Because you’ll be giving out the tracking code, not the file’s actual URL!

Here’s an example: the download for the free Master Spambot Buster script. Once there, click on the download link, which is actually a ProLinkz tracking code. Notice how you can’t tell where on our server the file is actually located by examining that ProLinkz-ed download link (nor can you tell from the dialogs while actually downloading the file). The file’s real location is now effectively cloaked.

On top of that, you also now have some additional benefits, such as being able to count how many people have downloaded a file, when and from where. And some management benefits, like being able to easily create multiple unique tracking codes all leading to the same file.

This does not however, prevent someone from distributing the ProLinkz-ed link for others to download the file (told you it wasn’t bulletproof). BUT, now you can easily monitor download activity, meaning with just a bit of diligence (for far less effort because of ProLinkz), you can head off problems, preventing them from becoming big ones. Link got out? Easy. Delete or change the tracking code. Problem solved, without needing to delete, rename, or relocate the actual file.

With a bit of imagination, you can use this ProLinkz “feature” for other things as well. Time limited downloads, for example (”Subscribe now, and get this file free, but only for a limited time!”). When time’s up, just delete the tracking code. Leave the file where it is if you want — no one knows where it really is. Talk about great for making normally for sale downloadable products temporarily available for free for a promotion, and ready for future promos just by creating new tracking codes. Put your thinking cap on, and see how many more useful applications and ideas you can easily come up with once you get rolling.

Have fun cloaking those downloads!