Protect Your Important Documents With Dropbox
Maybe I'm just nit-picking, but it's a little cumbersome to use a thumb drive every time I need to share or back up small files. E-mail attachment size limits are too small, and burning a CD just for one file is cumbersome and wasteful, but I have to get the files from A to B somehow. So what do I do?
I use an online backup service called Dropbox, which generously gives me 2 gigabytes of storage for free. That's the size of a typical thumb drive, and because it's all online, I don't have to carry one around and risk losing my personal data on the side of a road somewhere.
When I installed it, Dropbox created a folder that automatically uploads files I save inside it to the Internet. I can get those files from any computer by logging into my account on their web site.
The files are synchronized to other computers that are running Dropbox and are signed into my account. I use my desktop and MacBook to work on projects, and with this feature I know I'm always editing the latest version.
Dropbox really shines when I need to share a file with someone. Inside my Dropbox folder, there's a folder labeled "Public." When I have a file I need to send to someone, I copy it into that folder instead of just putting it in the main Dropbox folder.
When I right click on the file and click the "Dropbox" menu item, it gives me the "Copy Public Link" option. This copies a link to the file online to my clipboard that I can paste into any e-mail or instant message. I can even use a URL shortening service like bit.ly to make the link short enough to write down.
Since discovering Dropbox, my thumb drives have been feeling very neglected.
Maybe I'll turn them into Christmas ornaments.
Photo credit: chrismear
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Joseph Rooks is a freelance writer and designer. He blogs at Keeping Tech Simple, his photos are on flickr, and he's on Twitter @josephrooks.
Joseph ...
Great post about a great service, DropBox. I've been using DropBox for over a year and been very pleased with it. I also use it to backup files and it allows me to work on the same document from laptop and my workstation. I've found it keeps revision history on changes I've made to each file. Just in case I liked a previous revision better .. I can easily revert back to it.
We have integrated DropBox into our bookkeeping process. DropBox provides the ability to privately share folders with other DropBox users. Since the players in the process (me, bookkeeper, accountant, office manager) are in different locations, we've decided to go 'paper-less' with this process. Each player has their own DropBox account. We created a shared folder called Bookkeeping. We scan or save our financial documents to a WorkQueue folder. Our bookkeeper processes these transactions into our online QuickBooks account then moves them into a history folder for the appropriate year and month. Our accountant can see the documents or review our bank/VISA statements at anytime. I can follow the process or research an issue as well.
DropBox has definitely streamlined our process and removed reams of paper from our office. Its just great!
Great post, and thanks for reminding me how much I love my DropBox.
Posted by: Barry Welch | November 30, 2009 at 10:27 AM