Say No To WeTransfer!

Happy new year, one and all. I’m going to kick off Roxstars in 2024 by focusing on something wildly exciting: image-sharing websites.

Yes. One of this column’s more niche topics, admittedly, but also one that was to prove important over the festive period. For back in 2023, if you can remember that far, I issued a media shout-out for UK restaurants in heritage buildings. Images, I said, would be crucial — partly because they always are, and more because all of my initial favourite options had all been dumped for their collective lack of good photography.

I had planned to look at the suggestions before Christmas, hence that alert’s before-Christmas deadline. But finding a present for cousin Eve took preference, and then came Christmas, and then this, and then that, and I didn’t get to the piece until early January.

By which time had expired every WeTransfer link that some submissions included. As I was in a typical hurry, and wasn’t even sure who was sad enough to be checking their email on a bank holiday, I thus opted either to overlook those suggestions entirely or make do with a quick, guess-work squizz at the images via a google search.

Everyone who used Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive or any other such service was, meanwhile, fine and wholly in the running. For what it’s worth, I think that Dropbox and Google Drive have the cleanest presentation — and who knows if such subliminal factors subtly play a role?

Certainly, though, don’t use WeTransfer. It’s more of a faff for you to upload stuff and, as seen, links can expire for the journalist. Even if they cost some dosh, Dropbox and the like are better bets. Sorry, WeTransfer and WeTransferrers, but it’s the truth.