What is Tuppashare?

Tuppashare is a safe, secure and legal sharing environment where artists, journalists, and other creative minds can publish their digital media instantly to friends, fans and followers.
Plus, as fans and followers buy directly from the publisher, with no tricky distribution delays, Tuppashare is turning the old file-sharing problem into a win-win situation for everyone,

What are its core features?

Tuppashare comprises an online media library and player for you to upload, collect, store and stream from, and all the interactive and payments capabilities for distributing, sharing and discovering new media.

What is a Tuppashare publisher?

A publisher is any user who wants to upload, share and distribute their media. This can range from individual artists, film-makers, journalists, groups and bands, to record labels, production companies, or organisations, or simply regular users who want to share their digital media with friends.

What is a Tuppacast?

A Tuppacast is a shareable online digital box in which you can store, sell, share, and present images, audio and video.

What are Tuppashare files?

A file is an individual piece of media which is uploaded onto Tuppashare.

Publishers upload files to Tuppacasts.

Is it a social network?

Tuppashareincludes all the social features you'd expect - such as instant messaging, blogs and a friend/follower network - but it is focused more closely around the sharing and trading of digital media.

What is peer sponsorship?

This is a unique feature of Tuppashare. It enables publishers to directly sponsor and support other publishers by buying sponsorhip banners alongside specific Tuppacasts or a publishers complete works.

What are bookmarks?

Bookmarks are a way of building a collection on Tuppashare without having an account. Your bookmarks are remembered on your local computer (until you delete them or clear your cookies).

Who sees my bookmarks?

If you have an account, and bookmark a Tuppacast, a link to it is displayed on your public channel, your bookmarks are the only part of your personal collection that is made public by default. You can view and delete your public bookmarks at any time by clicking the 'Bookmarks' tab.

What's the point of bookmarks?

As well as being an easy way of collecting Tuppacasts, bookmarking is an easy (and totally free) way of promoting your favourite Tuppacasts. The Tuppacasts most bookmarked by account holders are shown daily on the bookmarks page. ..so if you like something and haven't got any cash or Credits on you, give it a bookmark instead.

Is my account private?

When you create a username on Tuppashare, that username is listed and searchable in the Tuppashare Library so friends can find and contact you on Tuppashare. Your personal collection (of private Tuppacasts, purchases, rentals and subscriptions) remains completely private. Your login email and password are not made public through the site.

Are my Tuppacasts private?

All Tuppacastsyou create are private by default, and though you can make one public at the click of a button you will be warned before it's published so that you don’t make it public by mistake.

Does Tuppashare use my personal data or 'social graph'?

No. Tuppasharedoesn't require any personal data other than a login email and password. Tuppashare just sells credits for you to deliver media so (in contrast to sites primarily reliant on advertising) we don't have the same need for demographic information to sell to advertisers.

If I make a Tuppacast public, are all the files in it free to stream?

No. You can make individual files in a public Tuppacast either:

Public
This means it is publicly streamable, but people have to buy or subscribe to download it.

Restricted (Shareable)
These files cannot be streamed or downloaded without first being purchased. But once they are bought, the buyer is enabled to share it with their immediate friends on Tuppashare.

Restricted (Album only)
This means buyers have to purchase the full Tuppacast to access it and it cannot subsequently be shared through Tuppashare.

Why would I make a file Restricted (Shareable)?

This is a great option for publishers who have attracted peer-sponsorship banners from other publishers.

Once bought, a Restricted(Shareable) file can be mixed into private playlists and shared with immediate friends through Tuppashare. The immediate friends cannot share it on themselves, though if they then choose to buy it too, they too can share it with their immediate friends on Tuppashare.

Whenever files are played through Tuppashare, whether as part of the original Tuppacast or a private playlist, the peer-sponsor banners of the author are displayed alongside. So if the author has peer-sponsors, the author earns whenever it's played or viewed. So the more their fans can share a file through Tuppashare, the more beneficial it is to the author.

Can I use Tuppashare to share things privately?

Yes. All Tuppacasts are private by default. To share it privately with friends, just save and view your Tuppacast, then just click the 'Share' button. This displays a private link that you can send to friends or collaborators, which they then just click to unlock and view your Tuppacast.

Can other people upload to my Tuppacast?

Private shared links (created through the 'Share' button) enable the recipients to upload to that Tuppacast automatically. If you don't want them to be able to upload, simply change the 'Collaborate' setting to 'No Uploading'. You can also see if, when and how many times a link has been clicked on, as well as creating bespoke links or cancelling a link's access as and when you want.

Is it free?

A Tuppashare account is free. Much of the content is publisher or peer supported, so freely available. Other Tuppacasts are available to rent or buy, or you can buy subscriptions to a publisher's complete Tuppacast collection.

The only thing Tuppashare sells is Credits. You get 50 free credits when you sign up. Credits are like postage stamps and are only used if you upload, send or publish things through Tuppashare.

What are Tuppashare credits?

Tuppashare Credits are the currency of the Tuppashare network. Think of them like digital postage stamps. Whenever something is streamed or downloaded from your account it uses up Credits. So if lots of people are streaming the files you have uploaded it'll use up your Credits.

You can either buy Credits from Tuppashare, or (here's the good bit) you can earn them through selling files, or sponsor banners alongside your Tuppacasts.

Though you can buy full Tuppacasts, rentals and subscriptions with a credit card (or PayPal), you will need Tuppashare Credits to buy single files and peer-sponsor banners.

Can I sell credits back to Tuppashare for cash?

Credits can only be sold back to Tuppashare for cash by Tuppashare verified publishers currently (contact Tuppashare here if you would like to get verified), however you can transfer your credits to other reputable organisations or publishers you know on the network.

I've found a Tuppacast with no files in it . .

A Tuppacast is just a wrapper, it can contain audio, video or other downloadable files, or just a text article. The publisher has complete control over what goes in it, so if you think there should be files in it and there aren't, either get in touch with the publisher direct or just flag it with a technical flag to alert the publisher instantly.

I can't play any video or audio files . .

To stream video or audio files you will need the latest Adobe Flash Player installed. You can check you've got it and download the latest version here → Get Flash Player. If you don't already have it, it's free and only takes a few seconds to download and install, just follow the prompts.

I'm just seeing a spinning flower/disc in the player

The most common reason for this may simply be that you have just lost internet connection. This is most likely to happen if you're on a wifi connection, perhaps if you're in an internet cafe, or if your broadband connection isn't fast enough for the size of file you are trying to view.

To play and stream files on Tuppashare you need to be connected to the internet. If you suspect you may have lost connection while watching, or the video you were watching suddenly stops or appears corrupted, try clicking the Reload button in the player control panel at the top right of the page. This will restart a fresh stream and may well resolve it.

If you have a good strong persistent internet connection and the above remedies don't fix it, the below FAQ may be relevant.

I can't play one particular file . .

If you, or another publisher, uploads a video or audio file that can't be played in the flash player then Tuppashare will automatically create an encoded verison so it can (although publishers can also still share the original, untouched by Tuppashare). However, a publisher can also pre-encode their files to their own chosen quality and add this to the Tuppacast, so it is possible that this publisher-encoded file has an error in it, or uses a codec that can't be played by your flash player.

If you think this is the case, either get in touch with the publisher or post a technical flag to alert them. If the download option is unlocked, and particularly if you are aware the publisher may have posted a raw file format, try downloading it and playing it locally on your computer.

A Tuppashare encoded file won't play

Though this is very rare, it is possible that an error occurred in the encoding of one of your uploads. If you seem to have experienced such an error and re-uploading it doesn't fix the problem, please don't hesitate to Get in touch with Tuppashare Support and let us know the name and original format of the file you are trying to upload.

The Multi-Uploader on the Create Tuppacast page isn't working

Like the player, the multi-uploader needs the latest Adobe Flash plugin. To download the free plugin or check you have the latest version installed just click here → Get Flash

You can also click the "Upload individual large files" button on the upload page if you want to upload larger files or use a regular non-flash method of uploading.

What file types can i upload?

A Tuppacast can currently hold quite a range of file-types, this is the complete list that is currently accepted: .jpg .jpeg .gif .png .raw .psd .pdf .ai .eps .mp3 .m4a .aac .m4p .flv .swf .m4v .mp4 .mp4v .avi .mov .mpg .mpeg .mpe .3gp .3g2 .wmv

What file types can be played by the player on the web page?

Any file types playable by the flash player will load and play automatically on the page. This the is the current list of browser playable file-types: .mp3 .jpg .jpeg .gif .mp4 .m4v .mp4v .flv .swf

What file types are automatically encoded to a web playable format?

Any audio and video files that you upload that aren't already playable in the player that we can convert into the h.264 standard, are encoded automatically, with the original being saved to your account as well. This the is the current list streaming media file-types that are automatically encoded:.mov .mpg .mpeg .mpe .3gp .3g2 .avi .wmv

I'm having difficulty uploading

If you're having difficulty uploading, click the "Difficulty Upoading?/Upload Tips" link on the upload page. This gives tips on encoding your files to suitable sizes and formats for best quality and streamability.

If you're still having difficulty please don't hesitate to Get in touch with Tuppashare Support and we can help troubleshoot any difficulties you're having.

What format should i encode to?

If you want to encode files yourself before uploading we would recommend encoding video to the h.264 standard, at around 500kbs for a decent quality that most broadband connections can handle, and for audio, just encode to the mp3 format.

For more details on encoding and recommended easy encoders, just click the "Difficulty Uploading?/Upload Tips" on the upload page.

I've sent a share-link to someone and they can't view it

The share links use 'cookies' (small files saved on the viewers computer) to unlock your private Tuppacast to the viewer. They'll need to make sure they have cookies enabled and javascript enabled (most web browsers have these enabled by default) and they'll need the latest Adobe Flash player installed. If they're still having difficulty it may either be that they're behind a company firewall, or perhaps they don't have the correct codec to play a raw file you have uploaded.

If they can open the page but are just having difficulty playing a file, they may find if they click the download link on the file item instead, that they can download it to their computer and play it with their default media player (eg. Windows Media Player, QuickTime or VLC) instead of in their browser, which may only be able to play a limited range of file-types compared to their daily desktop media player.

More technical support issues?

If you have more technical issues, we strongly recommend browsing or searching the Support Forum where you may find a quickest answer to your question, or you may find you know the answer to someone else's question!

Feel free to post your question there if no-one else has and we at Tuppashare will respond there as quick as we can. It should be just as quick as sending us an email, and then the solution is there for others too.

Alternatively if you have a specific technical problem or question, please feel free to Get in touch with Tuppashare Support.

Do I need credits to use all the features of Tuppashare?

No. You only need credits if you upload and share media, or to buy single individual files. Tuppashare accounts are free and you are not charged cash or credits to store, stream or download media from Tuppacasts you have purchased, been sent, or that the publisher has made available for free streaming.

Publisher subscriptions, Tuppacast rentals and downloads can be purchased with either a credit card or PayPal account.

What do I need credits for?

You will need credits if you want to upload, share or distribute your own original media through Tuppashare. You will also need them if you want to buy single-files and peer-sponsor banners.

Why Tuppashare credits?

The reason that credits are used for the above payments is that Tuppashare Credits is a micro-payments system. For such transactions to be economically viable they need to allow multiple occurences of smaller payments.

What else can I use credits for?

You can also give and send credits to other people on Tuppashare, either as a gift or perhaps as a prize. Just go to the users page you want to transfer credits to, and click on their payments tab.

Do I get any free when i sign-up?

You currently get 50 credits free when you sign-up, so you can get started straight away.

When are Credits used up?

Credits are like digital postage stamps. Whenever any media that you have uploaded is downloaded or streamed (by you, your fans or the people you have shared your Tuppacasts with), credits will be used up. They will also be used up for storage of media.

Where can I buy them?

If you need more credits you can buy them direct from Tuppashare. Just log in and go to the 'Account' tab in the top navigation bar. Here you can buy bundles of credits from £5, there's no contract or monthly charge so you can just top up with whatever you think you'll need.

Alternatively, users can transfer credits to each other so you can buy and sell with other publishers on the network that you have a relationship with.

Do I need to buy Credits?

Not necessarily..

You can also earn credits buy selling individual file downloads, or peer-sponsor banners alongside your Tuppacasts.

Auto-top-up

If your account runs out of credits and you have public Tuppacasts, Tuppashare reserves the right to divert payments made to your account for either rentals, downloads, sponsor-banners or subscriptions and convert them into Credits payments. i.e. a payment for a subscription will be paid to Tuppashare instead of into your account and the pro-rata amount of credits will be added to your account and the subscription given to the buyer.

This will only happen until such time as your account is in credit again, and you will be notified in advance that your credits are getting low, but it has the benefit that if you're on holiday and your account runs out of credits, your Tuppacasts won't disappear from the library or be unavailable and you won't miss out on a subscription for example.

Who sets the content prices?

When you buy downloads, rentals and subscriptions through the Tuppashareplatform, you are buying direct from the publisher. They decide whether or not to charge, and at what price - Tuppashare doesn't take a cut.

Why doesn't Tuppashare take a cut?

It gives authors and artists the freedom to decide how and if they want to charge...and it's simpler.

We don't sell music, films or programmes, the only thing we sell is pre-paid media delivery credits. There's no complex licencing agreements, or monthly contracts, it's just pay-as-you-go media distribution. So an artist can create something in the morning and release it in the afternoon.

Who is Tuppashare's secure credit card payments provider?

PayPal is the payment service provider for credit card payments through Tuppashare, and when you buy subscriptions or downloads by card you pay direct into the publisher's specified PayPal account. Apart from PayPal's relevant transaction fee, the publisher gets the full face value of whatever you pay for their media.

What is Peer-to-Peer Sponsoring?

Peer-to-Peer sponsoring is one of the most unique features of Tuppashare, that enables any user on the newtork to buy a sponsor banner alongside another publisher.

What is a sponsor banner?

A sponsor banner is a text and image advert that you can submit to a publisher to be posted alongside their pages and to appear whenever their files are shared or streamed through Tuppashare

Why would i want to sponsor something?

The sponsor function means you can publicise and spread the word about your releases or whatever you're doing. You decide exactly on who's pages and alongside who's content your banner appears, so whenever their audience views their files they get to know about you to!

Is this how Tuppashare makes money?

No. Tuppashare just sells credits used for delivering media files, but to sell credits, it's in our interest to make it affordable for publishers to deliver their files on the Tuppashare platform.

That means making it easy for them to earn a living from publishing and streaming their files, and the sponsor system is a major part of that.

Tuppashare takes no cut of the sponsorship payments, you really are sponsoring the publishers you choose, as ever penny you pay in sponsoring goes directly to the publisher you're supporting, not to Tuppashare or anyone else.

Why would i want to be sponsored?

There has always traditionally been a playoff between the need to publicise your work and give samples away for free (so people have heared of you), and restricting some bits so you can sell them and make a living out of it.

Sponsor banners means that rather than having to keep your content 100% restricted, you can have part (or potentially all..) of your content available to be shared or streamed for free. This is because whenever your files are viewed on Tuppashare, your sponsor banners are seen too, so the more they're shared the more you can earn.

In contrast to traditional 'free' social and sharing networks, where you can post your work for free, and the site owner earns from adverts alongside your work, here, you earn the revenue from ads alongside your work. So it's not only not a loss having people view it online for free, it can now actually earn you.

Why is it a peer sponsorship system?

In designing Tuppashare we were conscious that sponsorship banners needed to be as valuable as possible for all parties, for the sponsors, the publisher being sponsored and the audience enjoying subsidised viewing.

The more specific a sponsorship is the more valuable it is, and a peer sponsorship is simply the most efficient and economic way of delivering that..

By having it arranged peer to peer, the sponsor can publicise exactly where they want and not where they don't and the publisher can have full control over who their sponsors are. Which is better for not only the sponsor and publisher (who may often be the same people) but also for the fan or viewer, who doesn't see a load of cheap junk ads they're not interested in, just the direct sponsors of the people they like.

As a publisher, can i decide who sponsors my work?

Yes, you have 100% control over the sponsor banners that appear alongside your pages and files. If someone is interested in sponsoring your work, they just click and submit their banner, with their rate and limit.

You'll then receive an email to let you know, then you just click a button to accept or decline their banner.

Is it a lot of work to manage my own sponsors?

No, the above is it. Everything else is managed automatically, you approve the banner, and then sponsors can increase their ranking on your pages buy increasing their bid rate, or if others bid more and you've approved them too they'll go higher than them, so your page sponsorship value is just automatically negotiated as demand goes up or down.

If I have accepted a banner can i later remove it?

Yes, you can remove any banners at any point, whether you just accepted it in error, or if you feel the sponsorship is no longer suitable for some reason.

If i have posted a banner can i remove it?

Yes, as a sponsor you can stop your sponsorship at any time for any reason, whether you don't want to spend any more credits or perhaps you just want to sponsor somewhere else. Otherwise, your sponsorship will continue until, either you reach the limit of credits you set to be used on that banner, or another sponsor out-bids you.

How are banners ordered on my pages?

The higher the rate bid by the sponsor the higher up on the page the banner appears. If you have more than a full set of sponsors, the lowest ones will not appear and those sponsors will not be charged.

If two or more sponsors bid at identical rates the earlier sponsors go above the later.

If I'm a sponsor and my banner gets outbid what happens?

If your banner rate submitted is lower than all the others that fill the limit of banners available on the page then it will not appear and you will not be charged.

Can i increase the rate that i bid to raise my banner up the page?

Yes, you can increase your rate or limit at any time without needing to re-submit the banner for approval.

Can i decrease the rate i bid

No, if you want to decrease the rate, you have to remove it and re-submit.

Can i change my banner once it has been submitted & accepted?

No. To change the text, image or link of a banner you have to re-submit it to the publisher for approval.

What if i have posted a sponsor banner and run out of credits?

If you run out of credits any live banners you have outstanding will disappear from their positions, and you won't be charged any more credits. If you then recharge your credits your banners will be reinstated at your chosen rates.

For 100% peace of mind all Tuppashare services are just pay-as-you-go. If you've submitted a banner and had it accepted, and there's credits in your account the banners will be displayed and your credits will be used. If not, they won't so you never need to worry about running up any bills. You never pledge a volume of credits, just the rate at which you are happy to pay if it's displayed, and you can cancel it and stop the sponsorship at any time.

Why do sponsor banner transactions use Tuppashare Credits?

Tuppashare Credits operates as the escrow and micro-payments service to enable the transaction between the sponsor and the publisher to be as efficient as possible

Micro-payments are required as each individual view of a sponsor banner may only involve a fraction of a penny transaction. Tuppashare just transfers credits from the sponsor's account to the publisher's account in respect of the banner view without charging a transaction cost. Traditional payments systems tend to cost 5 pence or more just for the transaction fee, so it would cost more than it earns.

Tuppashare Credits operating as escrow just means that Tuppashare acts as the mediator on behalf of both parties for sponsorship and other micro-transactions.

For example, this means that when sponsor posts a banner, the publisher can be assured that they'll receive their credits as the sponsor has to have credits in their account to post the banner. The sponsor can be assured equally, that they'll only pay relative to actual views their banner has received as their credits are only transfered to the publisher when their page has received a view verified as unique by Tuppashare.