Backup Your Essays And Projects With Dropbox (FREE!)
Working on those big final projects, essays, and study sheets? Possibly a thesis project? Be sure to back it up! Having a backup on a USB is important, but having a backup online is even more important so that you have a copy anywhere you go and won't lose it!
Sure, you can e-mail yourself the file, but an even easier way is to use Dropbox. For those who haven't heard of it before, it is an online storage service that is super easy to use and gives you 2GB of space for free.
What makes Dropbox so easy is that it integrates into your computer (PC or Mac). For those with Mac's, it's super slick... allowing you to have Dropbox show up in your Finder window as a hard drive, as well as in your top nav bar beside your clock. You can easily drag and drop files into your Dropbox just as if it was a hard drive, and instantly update your files. Remember, they are stored online securely, not on your computer hard drive.
Steps to use Dropbox
Step 1: Drag and drop any file or folder into your Dropbox folder.
Step 2: Once your file/folder is inside your Dropbox folder, the program immediately starts syncing it to our secure servers. Once this has finished, the file's icon is marked with a green check. Your file is now safely backed up online and also accessible from the Dropbox website.
Step 3: Install Dropbox on other computers you use, and they'll also receive a copy of the files you've put in your Dropbox.
That's it! Now that Dropbox is watching your file, any changes you make will sync up instantly and automatically. This gives you the freedom to work on any computer you choose.
I use this service myself. I just keep all my school related files in the dropbox folder and it automatically uploads/backs up my files whenever I have internet connection. It's rather convenient.
Dropbox is great (especially if you have multiple computers), but using your referral URL to get extra space from anyone who signs up after reading this is ethically grey at best...
__________________ Masters Biochemistry
Honours Biology and Psychology
Been a user of Dropbox since it was in beta, and honestly I don't know what I'd do without it. It's been a lifesaver for me multiple times, including the most recent when I accidentally deleted everything on my desktop and emptied the trash. All my school folders were on my desktop at the time.
Now, rather than having to use a external HDD, I just sync my Dropbox to the two desktops at home as a backup for my important stuff. Much less hassle since everything's automatic.
Last edited by SilentWalker : 11-16-2010 at 08:03 PM.
Is this private though or will people see my stuff? Is it like Scribd where everyone can see your documents?
Everything's private, except for the Public folder. The way it works is that when installing Dropbox, it creates a Dropbox folder. Everything in it is synced and backed up online. Within the Dropbox folder there's a Public folder (which creates a public link for anyone to access the files within it, but not just browsable by anyone), and a Photos folder for Photos (files are private, but you can get a public gallery link to sub-folders).
Or you could just type everything in Google Docs like me
I used to be a loyal Docs user (I still love it), but the lack of constant internet access drove me away from it. Plus, since I switched to Safari, and since Google's planning on ditching Gears in favour of persistent caching, I can't depend on it for offline access. Dropbox allows a seamless offline/online experience. If there were Dropbox-Docs integration, my life would be complete.
Last edited by SilentWalker : 11-16-2010 at 09:54 PM.
Dropbox is great (especially if you have multiple computers), but using your referral URL to get extra space from anyone who signs up after reading this is ethically grey at best...
It's a win-win situation...we all get more space so why not? I would have probably never came across it if he didn't write this article.
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