What is Dropbox?
Dropbox is a popular, free cloud storage service that lets users upload their files and data. The services supports almost every known file extension, ranging from large videos to small word documents. Once uploaded, users can access these files from anywhere in the world by simply logging on to their Dropbox account.
You can easily share the files on the go with friends and family. One of the best things about Dropbox is the ability to work on your slides in real time with coworkers, which also allows you to keep track of any changes you make to your document.
Let’s get started with the basics of using your Dropbox account.
Creating an account
To get a Dropbox account, simply visit www.dropbox.com. Scroll down the homepage and enter your name, email address and password, agree to the Dropbox terms and conditions by checking the box and press Sign Up. The website will prompt you to download the Dropbox installer for your PC, but you can choose to ignore it.
If it becomes too cumbersome, simply go to www.dropbox.com/home. Here you can immediately begin uploading important documents and videos by clicking on the Upload files button at the top right of your screen. A window will pop up where you can navigate to your document and then clicking on Open.
The free, basic account will give you a space of 2 GB, you can upgrade at any time to gain access to a mammoth 1 TB of space. Furthermore, you can add more free space to your account by referring the service to others.
The upload process can take from a few seconds all the way to a couple of hours depending on the internet’s speed and file size.
Share with friends and coworkers
All the list of uploaded files will be displayed on the home page, to share one of these documents, simply hover over to them and a small box will appear, clicking on the box will change it to a ‘tick’ sign. You will then be requested to verify your email address if you haven’t already done so .
Now simply click on the Share button at the top right of the screen. A dialog box will appear asking you to write down the names or email addresses of the persons you want to share the file with.
Alternative options include creating links, access to them will allow anyone to download or view your documents.
Active Collaboration using Dropbox
To avail this service, you will need to either create a new Dropbox account or convert your existing one to a Work Dropbox account. The free version will net you 2GB of space. On the homepage, at the top left side of the screen click on the Paper option, and choose one of the two options to gain access to Paper Dropbox.
To start work on a new document, click on the Create new doc option which will immediately take you to a page where you can begin writing your story. A tutorial will brief you on the basics of document writing, such as changing the font size, highlighting text and uploading images.
You can now invite your coworkers to actively work with you on these documents, seamlessly and effortlessly.
