3.16.2009

TGIM - Dropbox

Okay, I admit it, I'm cheating a little bit.  I'm writing this one late as hell Sunday night (Monday morning here on the East Coast), and I need to be awake in 3 hours and haven't touched my suitcase.  The carry-on is all set and I'm debating whether DVDs are more important than a blood pressure cuff (don't ask).  In any event, today I got my dad hooked up with Dropbox, and I figure it's just about the greatest thing to happen to The Cloud since gmail, so I'm gonna pimp it.

Dropbox is secure backup, sync, and file sharing made easy.  It is literally one of the most seamless and stable programs I've ever used, and it's just as easy on Mac or PC.  I dare say it's perfect.

You create an account, install the software, and you're set.  You now have a folder on your computer that auto-syncs with the same folder in the cloud.  Make a change anywhere, auto-sync.  Sync more than one folder as I do.  I have it set up on my laptop, desktop, and in the cloud...  I keep all of my writing and most of my current editing docs in one place, and that means I can access from literally anywhere with an Internet connection.  And oh yeah, even if I have no Internet, like say on the plane, any changes I make on my local dropbox folder will automatically sync up as soon as I reconnect again.  Science!

If I'm on a friend's computer, I can just log in using their web client.  Any browser will do.  And you guessed it, any changes I make to the folder in the cloud... get seamlessly synced up with my local folders on my machines.

Default configuration is 2gb free, but if you need more space you can get 50gb for $9.99 or $99.99 for the year.  Of course, if you click MY LINK you can start with 2.25gb.  I've referred several happy customers, but now they're offering to expand your storage space (and those of anyone you bring in) for each referral.

Seriously, I have one folder for writing, and it's everywhere I need to be.  I keep all of my published samples in the public folder and can easily send out links to prospective employers.  It's so easy I even taught my dad how to use it in about 5 minutes.

Sign up, and breathe easy.  I'll see you folks back on the Left Coast in the afternoon.

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