Tech Geek

How many different computers do you use? On a pretty regular basis I use two or three different computers. I have my desktop at home, my laptop at church, my netbook in the coffee shop, and I also find myself on one of the other church computers with some regularity. I hate not having the file handy that I need and so I often use Google Docs to work on files because then I can access them from any computer and even my Droid X smartphone. But there are documents that are too complicated to use Google Docs for. That's where Dropbox comes in.

Dropbox is a service which allows you to backup files online. The free version has 2 GB of storage and there are paid options for those who need additional storage. Once you upload a file, you can access it from any machine that has the client software on it or or directly via their website. The client software is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux computers and it handles sharing files between different operating systems. It is also available for all of the major smartphone and tablet operating systems and there is an easy web client that you can use if you are on a machine that you don't want to install the synchronization software on. Additionally, you can share large files easily with other users by uploading them to Dropbox and sending the sharing information to them. 

The real magic though is that, in addition to backing up files, the service syncs files across multiple computers. So if I'm working on a complicated presentation I can put in in the My Dropbox folder and work on it easily from home or church. Any changes I make in either place will by automatically synchronized to the other machines. The files are also stored locally, so if I don't have Internet access, I can still work on them.

Installing the software was pretty straightforward. I went to https://www.getdropbox.com/install and downloaded the software for my computer. I installed it and as part of that process it asked me to create an account, which I did. Then it created a My Dropbox folder on my computer. The next day, I installed the software on my laptop at church and linked it to the same account. Since then I've installed it on my netbook and my phone. I now have access to all the files I've uploaded into the My Dropbox folder from a variety of computers. Sure beats e-mailing files to myself!

If this sounds like something you'd use, take the Dropbox tour at: https://www.getdropbox.com/tour and check out how it might work for you. If you like Dropbox, join via this link and we'll both get some extra free space in our accounts.

For the eagle-eyed among you, yes, this is a re-write of a post from over 2 years ago. Dropbox is a service that I've used on a regular basis since I discovered it and I was reminded again this past weekend how valuable it is to others as well. So, in case you didn't try it two years ago, I wanted to bring it to your attention again!