Family History Expo Teaches Technology for the Genealogist - Dropbox

      A couple of weekends ago I went to the Family History Expo in Springfield, Illinois.  I spent a lot of time going to technology related classes.  Until this expo, I had never really thought about how the non-genealogy related software and websites might be used to help further my genealogical research.  I owe a big thank you to James Tanner who led many of the seminars that inspired me.

     I will admit that some of the software/ websites  I had not even given a thought to use in my non-genealogical related pursuits.  The program/ website "Dropbox" is a prime example.  Dropbox as defined by the the website (www.dropbox.com) is a free service that  lets you bring all your photos, videos and docs anywhere.  Working on your family history book... want to have access to it over breaks.. while waiting for the doctor.  How much further along would that book be if you had access to it  on your iPad, Phone, Laptop, or on someone else's computer?
    My first use of Dropbox is to place my spreadsheet todo lists on it.  Now no matter where I am or what computer device I have at my fingertips, I have access to what I need to do.
     Another great thing about Dropbox is being able to share photos using it.  How often do relatives say "Can you get me a copy of that photo?"  But by time you leave it is tons of photos your relatives have requested.  It might take multiple emails to get the photos to them... or you could send a cd/ dvd.... better yet you could drop them into dropbox and invite them to the folder and they can copy them out to their computer!
     Planning a family reunion and several people need access to the family address list.  Why not put it in Dropbox?  Then everyone can help maintain the list.  The only draw back I see would be if someone downloaded the file, made corrections, and didn't put a copy back in the Dropbox.
     How do you get a drop box account?  Go to www.dropbox.com.  Scroll down on the webpage.  In the lower left corner under the title "Dropbox" is a link for install.  This will take you to a download page for your computer.  I tested this on both a Mac and Windows computer.  It led me to a download for my specific device.  I have also installed Dropbox on my iPhone and my iPad.
     When you open a Dropbox account, you receive 2 GB of space to upload pictures and files.  For every person you invite that joins Dropbox, you get an addition 500 MB of space up to 18 GB.  If you need more space, you can upgrade by paying a monthly fee.
     The biggest drawback to Dropbox at the moment is that if I drop a spreadsheet file to my iPad and make changes, I am unable to send the file back into Dropbox.  The only way around this problem that I have found is to email myself the file, open in it on my laptop and upload it again to Dropbox.  I have put in my votes to request that Dropbox create a way to email files into my Dropbox.
     Dropbox has a voting system to track what upgrades users of Dropbox would like to see.  It is called Votebox. Once you are a registered user, you can vote on changes you would like to see by going to www.dropbox.com/votebox.  You get 5 votes a month.  That's democracy in action!
    All in all I really like Dropbox.  I think it will help me accomplish a lot more with my genealogy.  Thank you James for pointing it out to me.