I've been working on folders for Smmall Cloud for a while. Up to this point, file sharing with Smmall Cloud had no organization. It behaved more like a stream. The files at the tip of the stream were easily accessible but quickly got carried away into oblivion downstream. I actually think this is fine for most of the files we share.
But what if we need to share a bunch of files with a single link? What if we want to apply some structure to the stream? "Folders" seemed like the obvious answer. But I had a nagging feeling: folders on the web kind of suck. They're often ugly, utilitarian structures that make the content feel shabby and hard to understand. If you've ever opened a Google Drive or Dropbox folder, you know what I mean.
And I think it comes down to this: a file system is great for the desktop, but not for the web.
Here’s how I started thinking about folders:
- Fundamentally, the web is still built on folders.
- But file sharing sites treat folder contents like a desktop file system, ignoring the fact that your desktop isn’t primarily designed for sharing. Organization and managing content at scale is important for personal files. But when you’re sharing content, logical flow becomes critical. The order of items in a folder can’t be left to the reader’s interpretation. They don’t know how to navigate the content. The folder itself must establish that order.
- File sharing has been stuck in this local filesystem paradigm. It uses the conventions of private storage: hierarchy, metadata, sorting by date or name. But those aren’t the things we care about when sharing.
- Different things should be prioritized when we share a folder: storytelling, appearance, and intentional order.
- A book is a folder shared. A presentation is a folder shared. A blog is a folder shared. A musical playlist is a folder shared. A TV series is a folder shared.
- Imagine sharing a book with someone and letting them sort the pages by first sentence or last updated. It would be incoherent.
- We needed to build folders with sharing as the first priority:
- Our folders must let you define the exact order of your content.
- Our folders should treat files like pages in a story. When viewing or transitioning between files, we should preserve continuity and flow.
- Our folders should support distribution across the web, through RSS readers and beyond.
A Smmall folder could be a:
- 📽️ Slideshow
- 📖 Ebook
- 💥 Webcomic
- 🎶 Music playlist
- 🎙️ Podcast
- 📸 Photo Gallery
- 📋 Blog
- 🖼️ Moodboard
Really, any content, but especially content that belongs in a specific order.
Today, folders are in beta. If you’d like to try it with your files, get in touch.
Happy sharing!
