Online storage solutions: Box.net

The internet has increasingly become a place to store and share files, without restriction to size limitations, computer operating system, or proximity. Many services have jumped in front, to try an offer a solution for sharing files of any size, on any computer, and anywhere in the world.

Box.net is one such service that may be redefining the way we interact, share, and store our personal computer files. As of this writing, Box.net was just recently launched to the public. Enhancements are probably being made, as I write this, but it’s “ready” enough to be used now, and most importantly, “put to the test.”

So, without further ado, let’s jump right in, and see what it has to offer!

Purpose of Box.net

The idea behind Box.net is rather simple. You have your own personal “storage space,” where you can upload files, create folders, and interact with your stuff in different ways.

At it’s most basic level, Box.net is much like “Windows Explorer,” but online, and accessible from anywhere.

Your “base” folder, or “root level,” is called “MyBox.” You can upload files directly to your “root level,” and create new folders within, to help organize your stuff better.

For even better organization, you can also “tag” your files or folders. “Tags” are one-word keywords, which explain the purpose or meaning of something. For example, a folder with images of my dog could have the tags: “dog,” “images,” etc.

Between nested folders and “tags,” you have plenty of great ways to organize your files and folders, for easy access in the future.

Uploading

To upload your local files to your Box.net online storage space, simply select “upload files,” and you will be presented with a dialog box:

Uploading is very straight-forward, except there are some cautions to be aware of.

If you don’t specify any files to upload, but proceed to hit “Upload” anyway, the system will still try to upload “nothing.” This appears to be a simple bug, that could be fixed easily.

If you want to upload multiple files at once, you’ll have to use the “Drag and Drop” approach, and not the regular “Add files” approach:

The “Drag and Drop” approach is a simple “Java applet,” which loads as a small “pop up window,” in your browser:

From here, you can go to the location on your hard drive (Desktop, My Documents, Finder, etc.), and select all the files you want to upload, or an entire folder. Then drag it to the “pop up” browser window, and sit back to see your files get uploaded!

Downloading

Box.net is all about “storage,” but let’s face it, if you can’t get your files, once you put them up there - it’s useless!

Downloading your files from Box.net is very simple.

Simply select a file you’d like to download by using the arrow key on the right, and then select “Download” from the pop-up menu:

To download entire folders at once, it’s best to “Zip” the folder first. Unfortunately, the “Zip” feature is only available with a “paid membership:”

However, for those with “paid memberships,” the “Zip” feature is very useful.

Organizing

Your Box.net storage space allows you to create as many folders as you need, to organize your files.

However, a more powerful feature of Box.net is the use of “tags.”

As previously mentioned, “tags” allow you to apply one-word keywords to your files and folders. It’s your own “personal way” to recall specific stuff.

You might be wondering, how are “tags” better than folders?

“Tags” are better than folders because instead of creating something “physical,” you just create a “reference” to something else - almost like a “virtual folder.”

Also, a file can only reside in one “base” folder. With “tags,” you can apply as many keywords to each file, as you’d like. This is a much more powerful approach.

In your Box.net account, clicking a “tag” will bring you directly to every file you’ve tagged with that keyword.

Sharing

Using Box.net to store and retrieve your personal files is great, but how about sharing those files with others?

Box.net makes sharing files extremely easy.

There are two aspects of sharing:

1. Making your files “visible” to the public
2. Pointing the public to your files

To make certain files “visible” to the public, simply select the arrow on the right, and choose “Public Share” from the drop-down menu:

Once you select “Public Share” from the drop-down menu, you will be presented with a dialog box, showing you the web address and RSS file, to share with others.

Open either of those URL’s to see just how easy it is to share your data.

Now, you can simply share those URL’s with others. Have them visit the same URL, and they’ll be able to download your public files!

To remove “Public” status from your files, choose “Deactivate” from the “Share” dialog box.

You can also share your files “privately.” Just select “Private Share” on a specific file (folders don’t work, since there are often many files contained within):

You’ll be presented with another dialog box:

Here, you can email it to anyone, with a custom message.

Beware: I tested this, and upon receipt of the file, I was prompted to sign up for a Box.net account. So, in order for anyone to receive your private file, they’ll have to sign up for an account first, which could be a hassle, for clients or others, whom you don’t want to bother with signup processes.

Never-the-less, the “private sharing” is very useful.

Possible improvements

Besides the suggestions offered previously, there are a few specific things that could be added, or improved upon.

1. There is currently no “Refresh” button. Although the page probably refreshes itself, it’s still nice to have a “Refresh” button - if anything, it gives users “peace of mind.”

2. Since Box.net relies heavily on AJAX - there should be some kind of “Loading” icon, to indicate when the client is requesting the server. Since this happens behind-the-scenes, it is currently difficult to tell if anything is happening.

Overall opinion

Pain in the Tech highly recommends Box.net. Even if you use only the “free” account, you’ll find it immediately useful, and user-friendly.

Support is just an email away, too. If you have a suggestion, or a bug to report, you can contact the developers of Box.net very easily.