3 Simple Ways on how you Can Manage your Files Better in Dropbox

As a reliable cloud-based productivity tool, Dropbox provides offline storage and access to your stuff anywhere you can run on a browser. However, one of the visible problems with file dumping is that they can get cluttered or disorganized, if you are not very careful.

Below are some simple tips on how you can re-organize your Dropbox and transform it from a pile of stuff into an organized repository.

Resource vs. Clutter

There is big difference if you're going to compare a pile of stuff and a resource. For example, some people have piles of stuff on their desks and they would say they need it all because it contain important information in there somewhere.

Of course, this is considered inefficient and not ideal. A pile of stuff is not called a resource if you can't or don't have access to it. A simple analogy of this -- a library is a resource, while a pile of receipts, software manuals, transcripts, printouts, and cables scattered around your desk is considered a mess.

When it comes to the digital age, this is a major thing to deal with when clutter creeps into computers, as well as offline storage clouds.

Minimize Clutter

First thing you need to do is to free up space. Go through every file on your Dropbox and delete anything that's outdated, irrelevant, or duplicated. Well, this is pretty easy if you only have few files stored.

A quick method to do this is to sort the files in each folder by "Modified" by clicking on the column head. By doing this, it would be easier for you to identify which files or documents are relevant by noting how often you access them. If a file has been untouched for two years or more, then it's safe to say that you don't need them anymore.

You can also use a third-party management app like JoliCloud to help you get better access and make it easier for you to arrange your files. Simply log in with your Facebook account or use your Google ID for access.

Once you're logged in, you can add your other cloud storage accounts to make it an all-in-one solution for your cloud management.

Here's an expert tip when it comes to file management -- there is a hidden feature in Dropbox that stores the history or previous versions of your files. To access this, right-click on any file and there is an option for you to select Previous versions of that file. This option is useful especially if you accidentally overwrite a file copying it over a previous version while moving things around.

You can also make folders and group your files according to type. If you already have existing folders in your Dropbox account, consider making new Main folders, and then drag and drop your existing folders into them. See to it that you keep all folders in a single screen, since scrolling up and down wastes time. As for videos, audios, graphics, etc., make sure you title the main folders appropriately.

If in case you have hundreds of files in many folders, it is best to use tools that will help you accomplish this task in a quicker and a more efficient manner.

Search for Duplicates

The Unclouded app for Android is a very good solution if you need to locate for duplicate files. The app allows you to log into your cloud space (and that's any cloud space, like Dropbox but also Google Drive, Onedrive, Box and Mega) and get a lot of stats and info that are unavailable to you as a standard Dropbox user, file sizes for instance.

Clearly one of the most important thing about reducing space usage is by searching for and removing duplicates. Windows and Mac users can use a desktop app called Easy Duplicate Finder (EDF) to find duplicate files. It allows you to log into your Dropbox account and select folders you wish to include and exclude. Using this app, you can let it search your folders, and it will give you a report of which files are duplicates.

Share and Unshare Alike

Disconnecting shared files is another method you can try to clean things up on your Dropbox. Though it may not look that obvious, but your file space on Dropbox is composed of both files you have personally uploaded and files in other people's spaces, which are shared with you. To check how much space you have tied up in shares, click on your Account Name (with your image), then go to Settings, and then click the Account tab. It will show you a list of how your files are arranged and how much you have shared.

To check the sharing properties of individual files, right-click on it, and then choose Sharing. Click the drop-down arrow next to your name, then click Remove my access to disconnect from the files, which will then free up your Dropbox some space.

You can also check the files you share (you might want to revoke access for security purposes) by clicking on the Sharing link and Links items on the left menu pane.

Neat iOS Apps That Can Give You More Content Streaming Ideas

There are those moments when you just want to curl up on your couch with your warm blanket and your favorite fall TV series, especially during the cold weather. If you're someone who can get addicted to streaming shows, music, and videos, then you will gladly appreciate using a few more apps than your regular Netflix and Hulu subscription. If you notice that you're running out of things to stream since 'tis the season of staying indoors, check out these apps to help you fill the gaps where your current subscriptions might be missing some of the content you're looking for.

1. Sling

Sling TV is a streaming service owned by DISH. This app allows you to watch live TV anytime and anywhere with a WiFi connection. The service has three options including Sling Orange, Sling Blue, and Sling Orange + Blue which provide different channels based on your interests. Service fees range from $20-$40 per month and include up to 50 channels. This is a great options for sports streamers as the Sling Orange and Sling Orange + Blue packages offer you access to live programming from ESPN.

2. HBO Go & HBO Now

There are various differences between HBO Go and HBO Now, the most important one being that HBO Now is available to customers who do not have access to HBO through another subscription. The key similarity is that both the HBO Go and HBO Now apps give you access to HBO's hit TV shows, movies, and original series. The two apps function similarly to Netflix, but also allow you to view new episodes as they are released on the regular HBO channel that is usually available only to TV service subscribers.

HBO Now is available without a television subscription for $14.99/month. HBO Go can be added to your regular service for a cost that varies depending on your current television service provider.

3. Amazon Movies, Music, and TV

Did you know that subscribing to Amazon Prime gives you movies, music, and TV for free? If you're not aware of this and you are a current Prime member, then you should probably go check out the free movies and TV series that you can avail with your membership. Most of these movies and shows available on the Amazon TV and Movie app will be free for Prime members, while some programs may cost no more than about $4.

Aside from Amazon Movies and TV, you also might want to check out Amazon Music as well. The service is $7.99 for Prime members (which is regularly $9.99 for non-Prime members), which could let you save up to two bucks each month depending on what you're currently paying for streaming with another service.

4. Crackle

Created by Sony, Crackle TV is a free streaming service that features popular TV series and movies. You can also download the app to stream from your iOS device. Similar tp Netflix, you will get recommendations for additional shows you might like based on the content you've streamed, the ability to save your favorite shows, and the ability to pause and resume content across multiple devices. You can also set up alerts to be notified when Crackle has network premieres. The selection seems to be a bit more limited than most streaming sites, but it's free, so you could really use it to get more sources for content that can be streamed, especially if you notice that you can't find a show or a movie that you like from those apps that you are currently paying for.

SUPPORTrix - How to View Your Android Notifications from Your Windows 10 PC

Weird Businesses You Can Surprisingly Venture Into

There are tons of kinds of small businesses existing that serves a wide variety of markets. Who would ever think that a weird business like selling in threes, cuddle sessions or a mobile wedding chapel could actually make a profit? Well, you may want to check some of these weird small businesses and see for yourself that you don't have to be conventional in order to make some profitable income.

Cuddling Service

There are times when all you need is the comfort of another person. There's nothing like a good hug or a warm cuddle, but what if you don't have the option of doing it with another person? So, here comes Cuddle Party in the scene.

Cuddle Party is a "playful social event designed for adults to explore communication, boundaries, and affection." These events are safe spaces where attendees can go to meet and talk to new people as well as to practice consent and asking for what they want, and of course, to just cuddle. Cuddling with strangers may sound absurd, but there's value in their mission to teach boundaries, consent, affection, communication, and non-sexual touch. The company was founded in 2004 and is a federally recognized non-profit organization.

Check out their website www.cuddleparty.com if you're interested to know more about this service.

Mystery Marketplace

Are you someone who is interested in something new but don't know what exactly to get? You can find the solution in the SomethingStore. This retailer offers customers who love surprises the opportunity to purchase a brand new (never used or refurbished) mystery item, or "something" for $10.

According to the SomethingStore's site, your "something" may be a cool shiny gadget, a rare book, a handmade necklace, a reverse clock, box of gourmet chocolates, portable tennis set, etc. Anything goes, as long as it's legal to trade in the United States and it's worth at least $10. Since it started last 2007, this weird business has sold over 200,000 brand-new somethings.

Socks in Threes

No matter how boring and risky it can be, doing the laundry is a part of life. Why risky? Because somewhere in the journey from the hamper to the dresser, you could possibly lose one of your favorite socks, leaving it useless.

With Throx, you can minimize the chances of handling another lonely leftover sock. The company helps customers fight the infamous "sock monster" by selling socks in threes, not pairs. That way, when you lose one, you've still got a backup sock to keep the other company, so you can keep wearing your favorite pair and doing your laundry worry-free.

Throx's socks are one-size-fits-all and range in price depending on the design, though most cost around $10.

Mobile Wedding Chapel

Are you in a tight budget but want to get married as quickly as possible? Whether you're sober or drunk, The Wedding Wagon is the perfect thing you're looking for. This unique mobile company founded in Las Vegas provides a full wedding ceremony for just $129.

You have the option to choose when and where you want to get married, and the wedding wagon will meet you there with a minister, a witness, and a fully decked-out mobile chapel. For an extra hundred bucks, The Wedding Wagon will even arrange to meet you at some truly beautiful venues.

Furniture for Slobs

Do you have a spit-up-prone baby or a territorial pet cat that sprays on every single furniture he sees? If you do, then we understand what you're going through when it comes to your home furniture. Well, you might be interested to know that there's a company devoted entirely to helping people like you.

Slobproof, a Maryland-based furniture and design company, builds custom chairs, sofas, and ottomans with specially engineered fabric that withstand spills and other messes without staining. Debbie Wiener, founder and CEO of Slobproof, said her design style marries the "common sense of a Jewish mother with the muscle of a professional wrestler."

Can't Unfollow or Unfriend People on Social Media? Mute Them!

Tired of your friends, family, or colleague who keeps making non-stop posts about what they ate for lunch or how they look when they woke up? The problem is, you simply can't unfollow or unfriend them without them knowing that you did. Sometimes, it's easier to mute them, and you can check their page every now and then if you want to keep up appearances.

Check out these guides on how you can mute people on social media without completely getting rid of them.

Twitter

For some, they can still find it easy to be annoying in 140 characters or less. Good thing you can now mute them and they won't even find out. They'll still be able to interact with you and respond to your tweets, so you don't have to worry about offending them.

All you need to do is to tap one of their tweets, and then hit the options menu (three circles next to the like button). Hit the Mute option there and you're done.

Facebook

This is one of the most common social media sites where you would really like to delete people from your news feed but you can't.

If you're getting spammed or you've had enough selfie posts of someone in particular, you can tap on a recent update and choose to receive less updates from that person. You can pick from the list (as shown below) depending on what you feel what's right for you. This method is nicer than completely deleting them from your Friends list, and it saves the hassle in case you bump into them in person.

Eventually, their posts will stop coming in to your news feed if you keep hiding their content.

LinkedIn

Even though we all know that LinkedIn is a professional social media site, there's always somebody who doesn't understand where to draw the line when it comes to self-promotion. You can mute or advert a conversation easily by clicking the arrow in the upper-right corner beside the Follow button. You can choose to hide that particular update or conversation, and it will stop cropping up in your news feed every two minutes.

Deleting people in this site is not a very good thing to do if you want to stay professional and use the site for networking or business purposes.

Google+

Google+ can be considered as a much hated social media platform even though it has a number of loyal users -- a number of them are also annoying. To mute a page or person, click on their name, then click the arrow down button at the bottom. Choose the option to mute the annoying/offending page and they'll never know you did that to them.

5 Types of Apps That Can Transform your Smartphone Into a Mobile Office

It's convenient to have a laptop -- you can do your business or finish a report wherever you are. But sometimes, carrying a laptop can still be a hassle and you know that things have to be done. It can be impractical to use a small screen to get the work done, but there are times when you don't have a choice. If you're an on-the-go professional, you need your smartphone to be more than a Facebook machine. Below are five app categories that will transform your smartphone into a work powerhouse.

Document conversion

If someone emails you a PDF file and you need to make some changes to it, it needs to be converted. In this case, you can depend on apps like PDF to Word, wherein it can pull from email, Dropbox, and Google Drive, and with just a few taps produces a .DOCX from PDF format.

Though you have to wait for about an hour unless you pay $5.99 for its premium version, which is not so bad especially if you're going to do a lot of PDF conversions. There are also other document conversion apps like the easyPDF (for Android and iOS), which can convert both ways.

Document editing

That .DOC file is no use for you if your smartphone doesn't have any word processing app installed. You can choose from any of these document editing apps: Microsoft Word (Android and iOS), Google Docs (Android and iOS), and Pages (iOS only).

Make sure you have a digital signing app installed on your smartphone as well. This is useful when you only need to sign a PDF file instead of converting and making edits to it, which is the purpose of the DocuSign (Android and iOS) app. You can sign and email documents straight from the app itself.

Cloud storage

Since we're living in a post-desktop computing era, most of us believe that storing documents directly in a computer is not a wise practice. That goes double for mobile devices, which are more likely to disappear than a desktop computer.

Cloud storage is a must for anyone doing work on a mobile device. The most commonly used are Google Drive (iOS and Android) and Dropbox (iOS and Android), but there are also other apps that you can also try. See to it that whatever document you are working on are synced to the cloud so that you'll still have a copy even if your phone dies, gets stolen, or breaks.

Business management

Operating your own business, or you're small part of one, doesn't mean you have to be tethered to a desk anymore. Many applications that are used to manage businesses have a cloud-based component, which means you can use them wherever you happen to be -- it's up to you whether that's a good thing or not.

Platforms such as Salesforce have mobile apps for iOS and Android that reportedly feature all the same content as their desktop apps. There are also various PM platforms that also have mobile apps: Trello (iOS,Android), Asana (iOS, Android), and Basecamp 3 (iOS, Android) all have on-the-go options available.

Communication

Sending emails and texts is not enough when it comes to business communication. There are times when you need to make a face-to-face call on Skype (iOS, Android) or a quick group conversation in Slack (iOS,Android).

Now, if you're taking a lot of business calls on your personal phone, you may want to consider using a secondary number, like those provided by Google Voice (iOS, Android) or Citrix Convoi (iOS). You can give your number out to clients or colleagues and you'll never have to worry about getting called on your personal one anymore.

You can also get eFax (iOS, Android), an mobile app that allows you to send and receive faxes. While most of the world has moved on to digital documents, there are still some hardcore faxes out there who still prefer doing business the traditional way. In that case, you don't have to scramble looking for a FedEx or UPS Store since you can do it directly from your smartphone.