Deciphering Dropbox

 

The recent family history challenges have been focused on FamilySearch.org ... which is a great website for photos and histories and tracking family lines. Once people have passed away, the pictures and documents are available to the public. OUR family history project started with Dropbox, which is a file storage/sharing app. A great backup that is available from anywhere, and a little more private and flexible for our family history needs. There are free Dropbox versions with limited storage (2GB). That wasn't enough for the Westra Photo Project (currently at almost 200 GB) so we have invested in a family plan to give several people full access. A "family" log-in was created so that anyone who doesn't have Dropbox (or only has the free version or doesn't want Dropbox installed on their computer) can still access the full family photo project. With an app for your phone or tablet, or a web-only version on the computer, with the family username/password ... you can log in and see all the preserved pictures, and even upload - adding your own to the project.

To get the login/password, text/call/email Grandma, Jen, Wendy or Chris.

It is saved (an image file) in the main menu ... in case WE forget ;)

The first image is what the Dropbox menu looks like if you have Dropbox installed directly onto your computer. It is basically just using file explorer to go through folders and files. With this, you can change the size of the images (Grandma likes hers extra large and easy to see) or check out the details/dates/properties.  It can be stored on your harddrive (if you have the space) for offline access. There is a search option ... plug in a word/name and see what it pulls up. 

With WebOnly access, simply go to Dropbox.com, and you will see a "sign up or sign in" - and use the family username/password to sign in. It brings up a main menu page, and if you click on (Westra Family Photo History Memory Project) you would get a similar pages  show above & below. You can click on folders and files, and move forward or back through photos and folders to enlarge pictures. There is also a search function for the web version. 

Using your phone or a tablet is another great way to access Dropbox. You would need to add the app, then use the family login/password to get into the Westra Photo Project. As you log in the first time, it will ask you a couple questions (connect and backup all your photos to dropbox? Notifications?) You can just skip these - no commitment! 

These are three screen shots from an iphone - dropbox app.

Showing the main menu and going into the year 2000 folder. 

Folders are first, followed by photo files. 

With limited space on a smaller screen, you may only get partial names/labels.

An ipad shows a slightly different, but similar presentation.

There is a search option in the app too. 

When you are in the app -  check out the menu at the very bottom. HOME is the start page, which shows recent uploads and notifications. To look through folders and photos, tap the FILES to explore. Things are basically in chronological order, with a folder of everything before 1960, then each year after that. Within each year, there are folders for families or specific activities. Then there are some topic folders (all the annual Christmas newsletters/slideshows, another family folder feature). 

If you've ever seen a picture in the Christmas slideshow that you wanted to download to your phone, or wanted to check out the years before you were born, the Westra Family Photo History Memory Project is the perfect place to look. As the end of the year rolls around, upload your best photos so that you are represented in the files (and in the calendar and slideshow) ... it's a great backup too! 

Cooper didn't participate in last week's family history challenge (uploading a photo to Family Search) ... he said "I don't like to take photos of myself". I told him he could use a baby picture, and he asked how he would do that. Well just hop onto Dropbox, look at the year you were born and find a photo. Download it to your phone, and upload to Family Search. Easy peesy! Now that the next generation is mastering the Family Search site with the challenges and scavenger hunts ... exploring Dropbox may be an upcoming contest!