If you have files you need to access from more than one computer, or from your computer and your iPad, or large files you want to share with someone else, then you need to have Dropbox on your computer.
Dropbox is an online service that gives you free file storage and sharing “in the cloud” (they have a paid version as well, but the free one is plenty for most of us).
When you sign up for Dropbox, you will have an online Dropbox that you sign in to through your browser, and a Dropbox folder on your computer. The two are synced, so when you update a file on your computer, then it is updated online as well.
And if you share a folder with another person who also has Dropbox installed, then the file is automatically updated in their Dropbox as well!
Perfect for files that more than one person is updating or using, such as your VA or outsource staff, or your business partners.
One caveat about Dropbox. If you drag a file out of Dropbox (even if it is just in a folder that is shared with you), it removes it from the main Dropbox for everyone! So be sure to copy and paste files you want to move to your own computer in a folder outside of your Dropbox folder.
And if you open a file from within Dropbox and then edit it and save it back to Dropbox, a ‘conflicted copy’ will be created that everyone who shares that folder can see. So be very careful about editing files within Dropbox and adding personal or confidential information.
That said, it’s an awesome service. Here’s how to get it set up.
Oh, and if you click one of these two links to register for Dropbox (Dropbox Link 1 or Dropbox Link 2), you will get an extra 250 MB of free storage right off the bat (and so will we).
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