Dropbox Guide for PTR Teams. Collin Ruud

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1 Dropbox Guide for PTR Teams Collin Ruud What is Dropbox? Dropbox is a basic service of cloud storage. Any type of technology identified as cloud typically means that the service or technology is provided online, over the Internet. For our purposes, cloud storage means that files are stored on a remote server that multiple individuals can access, rather than on your local computer, where no one else can see them. PTR Teams Cloud Storage PTR Coaches OCCRL Staff This information is stored in a central location so that individuals from a number of locations, such as OCCRL staff members, PTR team leaders and members, and PTR coaches from organizations such as ICCB, can quickly and readily access information that other individuals share. When PTR Teams place new files and documents in cloud storage on Dropbox, the new documents are virtually available immediately to PTR Coaches and OCCRL staff. Cloud storage also allows administrators of the storage to separate out distinct folders in the storage space so that users can have limited access. For example, members of PTR Team A will not be able to access the files that PTR Team B has uploaded to the cloud, or vice versa, but OCCRL staff members will be able to access all of the files on the cloud. This technology is superior to because it does not require people to remember who recipients must be, does not require the transmission of multiple versions of files, and allows for all documents to be centrally located. Dropbox has the additional feature of having regular backups in case data are deleted or incorrectly edited, and allows administrators to revert to prior versions if necessary. Files stored on Dropbox are secure and private, admissible only to individuals given access by administrators.

2 How has OCCRL setup Dropbox to work for PTR? OCCRL has created one centralized account for Dropbox files, associated with our catchall e- mail address This account now has its own Dropbox account, with its own storage, which has been divided up into several folders. There is one folder for each PTR team, as well as folders for internal PTR work. Once PTR teams, coaches, and other OCCRL staff have established Dropbox accounts, the central OCCRL Dropbox account will begin sharing folder access to each of your accounts based on your role. PTR teams will only have access to their team s specific PTR folder as well as any subfolders made in that folder. OCCRL staff members will be able to add content to any team s storage area, and likewise access any of the content in these folders. Team members and coaches, then, will be able to add, edit, and remove files and folders within their own team folders. OCCRL Staff Cloud Storage A B C Team A Team B Team C The use of Dropbox will allow teams, coaches, and OCCRL staff the ability to quickly and easily share documents with one another.

3 How do I setup Dropbox and how does it work? Dropbox is a COMPLETELY FREE service for the most basic features and 2GB of storage space online. Each Dropbox account has its own 2GB of space: your account will have 2GB, OCCRL s central account will have 2GB, etc. Dropbox does have a referral service that grants additional space for free when referrals sign up. If you do not presently have a Dropbox account, you can use this link to sign up, and additionally give the central OCCRL account (and your own account!) more valuable storage space: (click here to sign up!) Once you have signed up, you will immediately have access to your 2GB of space, and you are welcome to use this space however you see fit! For example, I am a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Illinois and I use Dropbox to keep track of all of my versions of my dissertation proposal, all of the articles I use for my writing, course documents, etc., and I still have over 1GB of space to spare. Please note: When we share folders with you, the space these folders take up will also take up space on your 2GB account as well. We do not anticipate this to be a problem as the documents used are very small in comparison to this quota; however, we recommend that you make sure you do not take up the full 2GB with your personal files if you want to access these shared folders. Once you have setup a Dropbox account, please send an to me, Collin Ruud, at cruud2@illinois.edu. Please include the following information: - Your address you used to sign up for Dropbox (this is your login to Dropbox) - The name of the PTR team you are a part of (and the area in which your team works, if your partnership has more than one PTR team) - Your role in the team (team leader, team member, coach, etc.) Once I receive all of this information I will share the relevant folders with you, and inform you when I have shared the folders. You can login to and access the shared folder(s) at any time. You can use the online Dropbox service to view, edit, and upload files.

4 What is this Dropbox Client the Dropbox website wants me to install? This is one of the best features of Dropbox, and it makes accessing the cloud much easier; we strongly recommend installing it. While you can access the files on the shared folders at any time through you can use the Dropbox Client to make these files accessible to your local computer by storing them on your hard drive, even if you are not connected to the Internet. Dropbox installation is easy; just follow the directions after running the executable file you download from the Dropbox website. If you need help, you can contact me at or any of your IT professionals should be able to help you. While we do not anticipate any networking issues with using Dropbox, there is a possibility that some institutions security levels may prevent the use of Dropbox Client. We can work with you to get this security lifted for you, or you may have to use the Dropbox website to download and upload files. Once the Dropbox Client is installed, it will create a folder for you that will synchronize realtime with your Dropbox folder, including any shared folders you are a part of. Being a real folder, you can open and save files like you do with files in My Documents or on your desktop, and the Client will automatically upload the updated file to the Dropbox folder. If you are not connected to the Internet, you can still access these files on your local computer and they will update once you are connected to the Internet again. It will even recognize if multiple individuals are accessing a file, and will try to prevent the overwriting of different versions of a file if multiple individuals try to save different versions. The Dropbox folder on your computer is available in 2 ways: Either through your My Documents folder in a folder titled My Dropbox by default (you can change the destination folder when installing the Client), or by double-clicking on the Dropbox icon in your status bar, by your Windows clock if you are using Windows. Keep in mind, any changes you make to the contents of this folder will reflect on the cloud version of the folder. That means that if you delete a file, or cut and paste it elsewhere on your computer, it will be removed from the cloud! Dropbox works best if you work with the files IN the folder! If you have ANY issues, do not hesitate to me at cruud2@illinois.edu. We can even revert files back to previous versions if something goes wrong!

5 Using Dropbox for PTR As mentioned earlier, each team will have their own individual folder with which to upload and modify files. ANY changes you make to this folder are immediately reflected on the central (cloud) folder. WARNING: If you delete a file from the Dropbox folder, it is deleted from the central folder. There are ways to retrieve this file, but we advise care when deleting files. When you send your information to me (cruud2@illinois.edu), I will give you access to your team s folder. Once this is done, you will receive an to the address you specified in your account. It will look similar to this: Follow the included link and you will have access to the shared folder. If you have installed the client on your computer, it will quickly download the folders and files within that site s folder. You should receive a brief pop-up notification once the files are synchronized. Each site folder has within it a folder corresponding to each of the five phases of PTR. These folders will be where you upload your deliverables and access resources (which are also accessible on the OCCRL website, Each phase folder looks like the following:

6 There is a subfolder within each phase folder entitled Phase [#] Resources. This is where resources for each phase are to be kept. Please note that you should not edit these files; if you wish to edit the contents within the folder, we recommend copying the file to the phase folder and editing there. In each phase folder there is also a document entitled Phase [#] Documents to Upload. It contains a list of files that should be within this folder. Nomenclature We suggest using a form of version control within the phase folders to keep track of new versions of documents you are working on. It provides PTR Coaches and OCCRL staff additional insight into the development of these documents. My typical way of controlling versions is by appending the date to the file name. For example, Charter 10/23/2011.doc so we know when it was created and if newer versions are available.