Jackson Lo

Ever find it a hassel to always attach files to your emails? It takes time to find the file, upload it and send it. Not to mention you'll probably write a description in the body of the email explaining what the file is, and what content is updated. OR you can also use Google Docs and collaborate that way. But recently I've been using a another program called Dropbox, where you can easily drag and drop files into a shared folder, it uploads quickly and notifies your receipient that a new file's been added/modified. All of this is Free. Here are some of the features of the program:

• 2GB of online storage for free, with up to 100GB available to paying customers.
• Sync files of any size or type.
• Sync Windows, Mac and Linux computers.
• Automatically syncs when new files or changes are detected.
• Work on files in your Dropbox even if you're offline. Your changes sync once your computer has an Internet connection again.
• Dropbox transfers will correctly resume where they left off if the connection drops.
• Efficient sync – only the pieces of a file that changed (not the whole file) are synced. This saves you time.
• Doesn't hog your Internet connection. You can manually set bandwidth limits.

Go here to learn about all the features: More Features of Dropbox

To open an account is FREE. Here are the steps:

1. Follow this link to sign up a free Dropbox account: Sign up for Dropbox

2. Download the Dropbox client to your desktop and install it. This is how it will show up on a Mac after it is installed (similar on Windows and Linux OS)

3. In your browser, make sure you are logged into your Dropbox account. In the Files tab, you will see all your folders (both public and private) listed. To share a folder with someone, start by creating a folder. I usually follow a similar naming convention which is the 'recipient's name-my name' to keep things consistent and clean. Then click on the dropdown arrow on the right hand side and select 'Invite to Folder'. Enter in their email address, then add files to the folder. Your friend will start seeing these files in their dropbox account once their account is in sync.

4. You're done! Delete files you don't need on there to free up space. Invite more friends to share files with if you want to increase your Dropbox capacity, to a maximium of 10GB (free). You will be given a referral link like this one: http://www.dropbox.com/referrals/NTYyNTE0NTc5 For each person you sign up and install Dropbox on their computer, you will receive an additional 250MB. So make sure you click on my link if you are signing up

Hope this mini tutorial was helpful. If you use any other file sharing clients/programs, please leave a comment below. I'd like to hear what others are using to help with their day to day activities.