Hordit - A Digital Packrat’s Best Friend
I can’t count how many CD-Rs and DVD-Rs I’ve used up during my tenure as a geek (not even counting the “coasters” I’ve created). I am very much a packrat, both online and off, but hey, we’re not here to talk about my bad habits.
If you are a packrat like myself, you’ll have likely tapped several services in an effort to store, share, and backup all your digital things and information: Flickr, Picasa, Sandy, Mozy, Delicious, Gmail, G-Reader, G-Anything…I could go on all day.
Packrats, meet your new best friend. Hordit, a service that will enter open beta this month, aims to be all those things, and then some, encouraging users to store “virtually anything.”
You’ll start by signing up and creating your profile, used to identify you to other users when you send them files, links or messages. There are social applications here: You can have “friends,” “followers,” or share files within a group based around a topic of interest, such as “Google watchers” or “Web development.”
Once you sign in you’re at your Desktop, which shows your files in a Windows-Explorer-like interface. You may add, rename, delete, and nest folders within each other. You can’t miss the big button on the left that simply says “store something.”
Holding your pointer over that button presents you with your choices: Save or import bookmarks, upload a photo, a video, a contact, a simple text note, or any other file. Browser-exported bookmark files can be uploaded to give you a head start. I have yet to upload any file type that Hordit won’t accept. Stored items can be marked “public” or “private” by default, so you’re not forced to be social with your items. I’ve prepared a screencast here that will illustrate Hordit’s upload process.
File storage is only part of what Hordit offers. Another option on your Desktop is your Daily Read. This is where you can keep track of any sites or feeds that you wish to follow. Feed items can be saved to your Hordit account as a bookmark or to your “look later” list. Everything you store can be tagged for later searching. One of Hordit’s more-advanced features is the Research Assistant, which combs sites of your choosing for any topic you can come up with. This list of sites is separate from your Daily Read list.
I also introduced my wife Heather to the service. At first, she was a bit overwhelmed by the somewhat-busy interface. However once she saw the Firefox toolbar in action, she was sold. According to her, the Hordit toolbar, plus StumbleUpon, “formed Voltron” for her (Look it up, kids). God, I love that nerdy woman.
Hordit’s FAQ promises unlimited storage space. That’s “unlimited” without an asterisk. They really seem to mean it. When considering a free service such as this, one must ask: What’s in it for the guys running this thing? How does Startup X plan to make any money? When I asked Hordit founder Matt Brown this same question, he stated that the service would always be free but may be ad-supported in the future and possibly supplemented with paid-premium features. They are also looking at ways to leverage the Byteswap platform, on which Hordit is built, as a revenue source.
As usual, we at MakeUseOf, when we’re not fighting off domain pirates, have your beta hook-up. The first 100 of you lovely, wonderful, supportive readers who sign up with beta-code “MUO123” get a sneak peek at the service. If the code doesn’t work for you, please feel free to post a comment asking to be invited in.
Please keep in mind that, just with any other beta software, there may be hiccups in the system, so let’s all be good little beta testers and send in bug reports! In my talks with Matt Brown, I’ve noticed that he is very receptive to feature suggestions, so feel free to send those in as well.
There are literally countless file storage and file sharing tools out there (many of them profiled on Make Use Of), and Hordit is but one of them. What are your favorites? What features would you like out of Hordit? Please let us know in the comments!
(By) Tim Watson is a full-time student, husband, and father of two. Dork Lotus is his uber-micro-blog.
I’m in. This may be what I’ve been looking for. I hope there is a bulk upload option or something, because I’m not sure I can handle having to upload every single file individually.
I’ve suggested to Matt Brown adding such an option. I’m afraid that I neglected to mention that there is currently a file-size limit of 30MB, however I’m told that is temporary.
hope you or someone else might be explaining, how this is comparing to something with 1000 GB storage (stream) offer like oosah …
It’s my understanding that Oosah only allows media files. Hordit allows you to store any file type.
I tried to sign up but the beta code didn’t work for me, any of getting an invite?
thanks,
mango the fruitarian.
The code did not work for me. How do I get invited?
invite, please?
thanks in advance!
I would love to try out hordit but the code did not work for me. Do you have a different one you could send me? Thanks
Code not working for me either.
The beta code did not work for me. An invite would be greatly appreciated.
Code didn’t work for me, either. Invite would be appreciated.
Hi,
Can I get an invite please?
Looks cool. Invite please?
Code “MUO123″ not working would like to have invite please.
Code not working. Invite please?
I would really like an invite as well. Thanks!!
Code didn’t work for me either. Can I have an invite please. Thanks.
Looks fantastic, but the beta code’s not working for me either. Can I have an invite?
It’s great. I will check it ! keep up
Code not working - may i have an invite please?
I would like an invite. The code didn’t work for me either. Looking for a place to store my stuff.
Not working for me either.
Any change I can get an invite, please?
Same for me, not working.
If anyone has a code available, I would be very grateful
Same here, code not working - would really appreciate an invite
Hello ladies and gents. The service looks amazing…unfortunately i am a pathetic packrat..lol..an invite to this awesome site would be much appreciated as the promo code has expired. Thanks.
I’d love an invite on this one…it looks great. Thanks.
This could really solve my Personal Knowledge Management issues! I’d love an invite too, of course!
I’d love an invite to this. Thanks.
I’d like an invite as well. Thanks.
I’d like an invite as well please!
The code didn’t work… may I have an invite please?
Thanks!
Wow, if this site wasn’t great before you are all HEROS now. My computer, 500gb external drive, as well as numerous CD’s and DVD’s have more stuff cluttered about them than my grandmother’s house and attic combined!
However….
The code’s been used up, it seems. I would love one if you’ve got anymore, if not I have signed up to be notified for when their services goes off beta.
Great discovery!
I dunno how you guys do it.
-Miles
I’d like an invite if they’re still available please…
thanks!
I’m a hoarder… and this sounds perfect!!!
If an invite is still available, could I get one puleeez?
(Now if they only had hordit for my house…)
Hi,
If there are invites available, I would like one as well! The beta code’s not working any more. Thanks.
Looks interesting. Could I please have an invite. Thanks.
Hey, folks, fire an email to tim@makeuseof.com and I’ll see what I can do about inviting everyone that I can.
I have a few invite codes as well. Send me an email to imdragon@gmail.com and I’ll send you one. I only have 10.
I’ve been looking for a site like this for a while. Anyone have an invite they would like to share with me? Thanks!
I’ve been looking for a site like this for a while. Anyone have an invite they would like to share with me? Thanks! Gon3mad6293@yahoo.com
I have 4 left as of this posting. I’ll post when I’m out so you’re not unsure as to email me or not.
hey does anyone have an extra invite for this thing it would be greatly appreciated, my email is pilferingraccoon[at]gmail.com
Last one was just emailed out.
My friend signed up and sent me hers:
HTC560
PWI337
UTP443
YNS770
DUB860
TLQ557
NIF010
OPY591
RHD729
BFI660
@imdragon: Thanks a lot!!!
@imdragon: thany you very much!!!
Well, looks like all the beta codes imdragon had are out. Heh. Just to let everybody know.
And yes, I tried all of them. >.>
I got a few invite codes , mail me at iheartsoftware at googlemail.com , and please put Hordit into the subject line, so that I can identify you, if you happened to be put into spam filter!
Thanks to all of you for your interest in Hordit, and thanks to Tim for the great article.
I think some of you have done this already but if you’re interested in getting in on the beta, go ahead and click our signup button (on the home page) and then click the “I don’t have a code” button and give us your email address.
We’ll be handing out some additional codes each day this week.
Thanks again!
Matt Brown
Founder
Hordit.com
I would love to try this. Can someone please send me a code?
E-mail: blang_bling[at]yahoo.com
Thanks!
Thanks, Matt, for providing the extra hookup. I’m afraid that I can’t invite any more users, but leave your address on Hordit to hopefully get a sneak peek! Sorry, everyone.
Here are some codes if Hordit is still accepting them.
CQT436
CXR616
GCW520
RXW381
TGD463
FWI076
QSC150
MHO897
KSJ645
OQH981
I signed up - thanks, imdragon! - and here are some of mine. Pass it on!
VQN394
BQA348
SMR036
Great post (as usual) May I please be invited in?
If anyone has more codes, I would really like one rae4sunshine@gmail.com
Thank you!
Love to beta this site. Requesting an Invite. Thanks!
Here are a few of mine as well. Use them wisely. And please use one, then work on using your own first! :p
WIO137
VEX117
REC609
Thanks, Miles; I used REC609, so that’s gone.
Here are some from me:
BYG830
JHK848
NQY407
YVP731
LOI324
BYP921
FVL004
CUC264
DCK471
PNI596
No more left? would like to get one, thank you
Here are a few more:
JBU191
APH421
CKM172
XOD882
KTD200
UQY607
ICN821
Hordit have disabled the sign in link and so the codes would not work. Unless I’m doing something incorrectly, I guess I will have to wait until Hordit is out of beta. Thanks for the great find. You guys are awsome!!!
InvIte please?
Thanks in advance.
CS
Thank you @Rachel!!! I got it.
I ran out of invites already, forgot to share them here, very sorry.
FYI - Hordit.com has gone into OPEN beta so all can create an account - no beta code required.
Thank you all for your interest in Hordit and please let me know what you think.
Matt Brown
Founder
Hordit.com
this web2.0 apps is really in beta, it refuses my 300 Ko JPG for testing upload
Indeed with our performance update this morning we seem to have introduced a bug. It’s telling you your file is too big but it performs the upload it anyway.
This will be cleaned up in short order.
Matt
ok, i will test in a few days…
Test away. This has been corrected.
yep, i’ve just tested
I like it. so far, I use this for everything BUT file storage - it’s great for collecting things throughout my daily web surfing and sharing things w/friends, but I can’t stand having to upload files/documents one at a time.
I repeat again and again “use more than one backup service
because free service are often instable”
90% of these kind of services haven’t (even) early “buisness plan” and actual recession will destroy lot of them in a few months…
sorry to be… realist