Dropbox in 30 Minutes: The Beginner’s Guide To Dropbox Backup, Syncing, And Sharing

by Ian Lamont

What is Dropbox, and how can you get the most out of Dropbox on your computer, phone, or tablet? In Dropbox In 30 Minutes (2nd Edition), award-winning technology journalist Ian Lamont uses step-by-step instructions, screenshots, and a touch of humor to explain everything from basic installation steps to best practices for Dropbox sharing.

The second edition of this popular Dropbox manual includes updated chapters as well as additional sections describing new features of the Dropbox apps for Windows and Mac PCs and laptops, iOS devices (including iPhones and iPads), and Android phones and tablets. The guide also covers many useful features of the Dropbox website. In addition, the popular "Rogue FAQ" for Dropbox has been expanded. The contents of this Dropbox book include:

* Dropbox system requirements
* How Dropbox works conceptually
* Installation for Windows, Macs, iOS and Android
* Saving files to Dropbox
* Working with folders/groups of files
* Opening a file or folder from a second computer
* Dropbox mobile: Downloading/uploading files
* How to automatically transfer photos and videos from your phone to your Dropbox account
* Limited sharing via links
* Sharing folders with other Dropbox users

"Dropbox In 30 Minutes" also includes an unofficial FAQ that answers the following questions:

* How can I get free space?
* How secure is Dropbox?
* How do I delete Dropbox?
* Why is Dropbox taking so long to sync?
* Dropbox Packrat, Dropbox for Business, and Pro accounts
* Help! I accidentally deleted an important file! How can I recover it?
* What happens when the same file is opened simultaneously on more than one computer?
* Are the paid Dropbox accounts worth it?
* Why would I want to link my Facebook account to Dropbox?
* What are third-party apps, and how do they relate to Dropbox?
* Dropbox and the DMCA

Thousands of satisfied readers have purchased the Dropbox paperback book or downloaded the ebook edition. While Dropbox In 30 Minutes is intended for beginners, even experienced users will discover a few new tips and tricks. Buy your copy today!

Genres: Technology

85 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

I am the author of a half-dozen “In 30 Minutes” guides, including Google Drive & Docs In 30 Minutes, Dropbox In 30 Minutes, Excel Basics In 30 Minutes, and Twitter In 30 Minutes. I’ve been writing about business, technology, education, and culture for years, starting with newspapers and magazines in the 1990s and later expanding to online media. I was the senior editor, new media for IDG’s Computerworld and served as the managing editor of The Industry Standard. My articles, essays, and blog posts have appeared in numerous locations, from the BBC World Service website to Lifehacker.

My interest in technology is rooted in early exposure to computers, video games, and science fiction. I am old enough to remember the original Battlestar Galactica, and read Gene Wolfe’s Shadow of the Torturer when I was 12. I have been writing science fiction short stories for more than 10 years, but in 2014, I took part in NaNoWriMo and managed to produce the first draft of my first science fiction novel which, unfortunately, requires significant revisions before it can be released!

My latest project is Lean Media (leanmedia.org) which is a framework for creating all kinds of media, from books to videogames. The first draft was completed in September 2016, and I expect the book to come out in 2017.

Reviews

[Patricia Carson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Very Adequate Outline of Dropbox

I have never used Dropbox but see a need in the near future to help my sister transcribe, edit, and publish a novel she is writing. Working at a distance with my sister and several transcribers will require some tools that I have not used before. Dropbox in 30 gave me a very good sense of what the program can do. How to use it for my specific needs, I will need to invent, or seek specific publishing advice. Collaborating within Microsoft Word will also require consulting the user manual.

[Jay French · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book does what it says - no false advertising here. It took me about 30 minutes to power through and see how the author covers Dropbox. I started using Dropbox about half a year ago and had gone through the effort of investigating their application and website. The website has very few things to click on, but some are icons with no explanation. This book describes those icons so you don't have to experiment, and does that in the allotted time. Good if you like some handholding and are just thinking about using the program.

I won this book in a contest, but this did not bias my review.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being a little bit computer illiterate this read did deliver its promise giving me a good overview in less than 30 minutes