The Magic of Dropbox

So . . . I’ve got an iPhone, iPad, PC Laptop, PC Desktop and and iMac . . . yep, and I use every single one of them on a regular basis. The laptop and my iPhone are the most used. The Laptop is my main computer. It’s where I write all my books, keep track of everything, write all of my programs, store my music, etc. The iPhone is with me everywhere and is my personal assistant. I rely heavily on Siri and all things iPhone 5. The desktop is where I do most of my video editing. The iPad is mostly where I do my magazine reading and eBook reading. The iMac is used for APP programming and watching Netflix. 🙂

There have been tons of occasions where I was at one computer (or device) and needed a file from another device (usually from my laptop). So I have thumb drives and webmail . . . not exactly the simplest method. Often, I need to quickly look at something in a spreadsheet for just a second. But because I’m not at my computer and only have my iPhone with me there’s not much I can do.

Enter Dropbox. It’s free, and it’s awesome! If you’re familiar with Google Drive, it’s the same thing. However, I prefer Dropbox for several reasons. The main one is the interface is easier and cleaner. For the unfamiliar, Dropbox is online storage. You download a program to your main computer. Then you put whatever files you want into the Dropbox folder on your computer. As soon as you do it, those files are instantly available (securely) at Dropbox’s Website.

You can access the files from any computer in the world from their site. Further, you can download an app to your iPhone and/or iPad (and Droids) that lets you access the files as well. No matter where you edit the file, it instantly syncs up everything. It’s fast, transparent and easy, and did I mention: FREE!

They have paid plans as well if you need more storage. But the free plan is 2 Gigs of storage. That’s quite a bit for what I use it for.

So why am I talking about this? Simple most of you, I presume, have a smart phone and a computer at least. I would also further assume that you use both of them in your magic business whether it’s to track your financial spreadsheets or your show list, or contracts, etc. A big part of being a true pro is to be organized. There is nothing worse than forgetting to bring a document with you to your gig or an interview. This is a short quick reminder that you need to stay on top of things and be organized. I mostly use my account to access my financial spreadsheet (basically my check register). But there are tons of other reasons to use it.

If you use it, post your experience below. If you want to sign up for free, you can sign up here: Dropbox.

Until Next Month . . .