If you've ever had trouble figuring out how to share large files with friends, family, clients... or perhaps transferring from one computer to another... or even simply keeping a backup, then you should check out the free online service from Dropbox. The cloud is all the rage these days and with internet speeds being what they are, the ability to store your files in a central online repository makes a load of sense.

I use Dropbox to keep backups of database files, share photos quickly, send large movie files to clients, etc. I even can backup important files from the site using Dropbox's easy integration into the system.

To use Dropbox, you create an account on the site. This gives you a free 2GB (2000 megabytes) of online storeage. For $9.99 per month, you can increase this to 50GB. You install the Dropbox software which runs in the system panel on Windows (versions are available for Mac, Linux, and your mobile device too). Dropbox creates a folder on your hard drive (you can tell it where if you like) and this folder is then kept in sync with your online Dropbox account. Simply copy a file into this folder and the files will be uploaded in the background.

A special sub-folder called "Photos" is also added. Any folder you create beneath this is shared as an online gallery with a web address. Here you can share images with your clients or family and they can view them directly in the web interface.

I cannot recommend Dropbox highly enough as an amazingly convenient way of sharing files and keeping them in sync between computers. If you're not using it now, you definitely should.

Visit Dropbox for more details and to setup your FREE account.