Transferring files. It’s always been a problem. Email attachments can only be so big, and after that, you have a million choices and none of them seem very good. FTP? Nah, you need your own special program for that. What about one of the many transfer sites? You can definitely use those, but if you collaborate with others often it can be tedious to work on everything on a file by file basis.
Enter Dropbox. It’s the only service I’ve found that allows you to truly share a multitude of folders and files with different people in an intuitive manner. Here’s how it works.
- Head over to the website and register (it’s free).
- Download and install the software (it’s safe).
- Start sharing with your colleagues (it’s easy).
The major difference between Dropbox and the other sharing services out there is that Dropbox uses a folder on your actual computer. Let’s use a scenario to break it down.
You need to get some drawings to someone in your organization. They are too big to email and you don’t have a file server in the office. Look for the dropbox icon in the lower right of your screen. Click it and choose “Open Dropbox Website”. Make a new folder and “share” it with your colleagues. This will email them and allow them to get dropbox as well.
You will also notice that a “Drawings” folder was created on your computer. Now all you need to do is copy the drawings into it. Whoever has the folder shared with them will be able to see them (once the syncing is complete). And the more people you invite, the more space you get for files. And the service also allows you to send out direct links to files if you need to. It does it all.
Give it a try. Once you have it, you will wonder how you ever did without it!
January 9, 2012 at 7:57 pm
I have been using Dropox for over a year. Could not imagine conducting business without it.