How to best use Dropbox?

[FallenRain]

Greetings all

Our production department just announced that we will begin utilizing Dropbox this season.  They will store design research, drawings, model photos, etc. for each show in a folder shared with that show's production staff.  I can see how that would be handy.  What is not clear to me yet is how Stage Management could take advantage of the features that Dropbox offers.

-We could contribute the Production Calendar and Contact Sheet

-What would be the advantage of putting our daily paperwork (Daily Call, Rehearsal Report, Performance Report) on Dropbox when we email those documents to everyone involved anyways?  Just seems like an extra step.

-I was thinking it could be useful to store the Master Prop List, Costume Plot, etc. in the shared folder so that those departments could get an up to date look at those documents as they're being developed.  Also, they could then contribute information to that paperwork as they come across info from their respective designers, etc.

BUT, here are my questions about that:

-I know when I'm creating the Master Prop List, I have that document open on my laptop for the entire rehearsal.  If I have the document open and the Prop Master goes and edits it, Dropbox will save it as a separate conflicting copy because 2 versions of the document are open/being edited at the same time.  That's what I've read anyways, I haven't actually done this yet.  That seems like it would create extra work to go and figure out what edits from the 2 documents you want to keep and merge them.  I don't think it's a realistic solution to have me switch to opening/closing that document every time I want to update or reference it during rehearsal and hope that the Prop Master isn't editing it at those same times.  How do you maintain sufficient access and version control with Dropbox?  Is this even a worthwhile idea?

How has Dropbox been helpful for you??  I'd love to know!

Thanks kindly

[EFMcMullen]

I am currently using Dropbox for the stage management department for summer stock.  The plusses: all of stage management has access to all the files all the time.  Very helpful as we all take rotating days off.  You never have to be afraid that you don't have the one piece of info that the one SM has who is sitting by a pool.  There are only four of us and in the beginning we set down ground rules.  If it is not your piece of paperwork, it is not necessarily yours to modify.  If we are opening a document that multiple people could have open, say our rehearsal report, we always check to make sure people have closed it before the next person adds their notes.  It has been great, because I know at the end of the season when I go to archive the season and burn a disk of all the paperwork,  I will have all the up-to-date paperwork.  Yes, the drawbacks are, it does not alert you when someone else has the document open, it does just make multiple copies and date them.  So there is a danger (as did happen once to me with the rehearsal schedule) of information not getting out because of conflicting copy errors.

I would have to say, I would be more nervous about putting all my paperwork in the Dropbox interdepartmentally until it was something that was final.  But I'm a little bit of a control freak....

[BayAreaSM]

Yes, you are correct. If someone else edits a file that you have open, a second one will be created (with the date and the name of the computer next to it). I'm not sure how to lock a file from others - since you're using drop box as a group, but you could simply work out a schedule with the Prop Master. Perhaps to say that the Props Master cannot edit the file during rehearsal hours, and to be aware that during rehearsal, the file is changing, so it's best to look at it before or after rehearsal (and make their updates then). That's the best I can think of. The other option is during rehearsal, remove the file from Drop Box, and when rehearsal is over, put it back.

I love using Drop Box for shows. Generally I prefer to work on my iMac at home, but when I'm in rehearsal, I need to use my laptop. With the show saved on DropBox I can do both, and not have to worry about USB flash drives or emailing things to myself, and I never get confused about which version is the most recent. I find it's super helpful with my ballet work, as I have DropBox on my work computer - and I can access it from my laptop when I'm in the theater and from my iMac when I'm at home. That has saved me tons of emailing files to work on over the weekend, major file transfers over the network, etc. AND...I have DropBox on my iPhone, so if someone needs a certain piece of paperwork while in rehearsal, I can pull it up on my phone instead of going back to my office.

I also use it in my personal life, as I have a folder shared with my husband and we keep things in there that both of us could use at any time. We work as "co-webmasters" for a restaurant's website, so I keep all files related to the restaurant in that folder, so either of us can update the website from anywhere.

I am indeed a DropBox addict....

[BARussell]

Dropbox has worked wonders for us, but there are certain stipulations:

1. If it's on your personal computer it's great, if it's on a department computer then it is one person's dropbox and to change it it has to be deleted and redownloaded a huge hassle from show to show.

2. I like to have everything stored on my computer and in dropbox which just kind of gets annoying putting it in your file and then in the dropbox file, but if yo uare ok with it just being on dropbox that is fine.

3. Yes as everyone else said it does the multiple copies thing which will make you crazy if you are typing a script or something.

It works well when only used by the sms allowing other people to have access to it is dangerous, you could only share certain folders with them, but like I said before...hassle. I personally like it for my own use.

[BayAreaSM]

And I cannot stress how important it is to have associates fully save - AND CLOSE - the document they are working on before you open it.

I just started using DropBox with my intern yesterday (I've been using it for months by myself) - so she has full access to my entire show folder. I had her working on the report, line changes, etc. She had to leave at dinner break, so I asked her to save all of her files back to the drop box, which she did. I opened the files she was working on, on my laptop and she closed her laptop and went to her other gig.

I never noticed it, but at the end of the night, when I went to attach my reports to my nightly email, there were 2 versions of everything she worked on. Turns out, she saved, but did not close the items on her computer, thereby creating a second set as soon as I opened the originals and began working on them.

No information was lost, since she didn't add anything to the files after I opened them, and I went ahead and deleted all of the duplicates - but that is something that is very important to remember, so that you don't have tons of duplicates floating around (though thankfully they are time stamped and labeled with the date and name of computer on the duplicate).

I'll let her know that today before she leaves early again.

[KMC]

1. If it's on your personal computer it's great, if it's on a department computer then it is one person's dropbox and to change it it has to be deleted and redownloaded a huge hassle from show to show.

Remember also that there is also the option to log in using the web interface.  It's not nearly as nice as the desktop application, but it would probably be easier than the steps you've mentioned here.

[BayAreaSM]

1. If it's on your personal computer it's great, if it's on a department computer then it is one person's dropbox and to change it it has to be deleted and redownloaded a huge hassle from show to show.

Remember also that there is also the option to log in using the web interface.  It's not nearly as nice as the desktop application, but it would probably be easier than the steps you've mentioned here.

Perhaps I'm understanding this incorrectly - but I just hit "share" on my folder, and it adds my folder to my intern's personal drop box (which means our computers are linked through that folder that is now on both of our computers, and on "the cloud"). Is this in reference to a folder that everyone has the same log in for? Is that why it would be so difficult? (Just curious.)

[KMC]

Perhaps I'm understanding this incorrectly - but I just hit "share" on my folder, and it adds my folder to my intern's personal drop box (which means our computers are linked through that folder that is now on both of our computers, and on "the cloud"). Is this in reference to a folder that everyone has the same log in for? Is that why it would be so difficult? (Just curious.)

I believe BARussell's inconvenience was with multiple users using the same workstation.  Example - I am using a computer, then you need to use that same computer but access your files (which may be entirely different from the files I have).

[BARussell]

Yes I was talking about multiple user on the same workstation. Although I don't know how this might change if you were using a computer that allowed multiple users as opposed to the one we have to use which is on Windows 2000 (don't judge). You can certainly use the web  interface, but I feel like that kind of undermines the purpose when you are using it daily. don't get me wrong even the web interface makes so many things much easier.

[Maggie K]

I have recently come to love Dropbox.  I had used it before at one theatre where they posted sound links, some of the set renderings, and some misc. other info.  It hadn't impressed me much at the time because the Production Manager didn't keep track of who had been invited and who hadn't and assumed that everyone had access to the info.  It seemed to be more trouble than it was worth.

However, a couple months ago I started a show with another company where the PSM uses Dropbox quite a bit.  We have a stage management one for each show that only the PSM, myself (ASM), and the PA have access to.  It has been very convenient to have all of the current info on hand and has really cut down on the amount of emailing back and forth and printing I've had to do.  The PSM can also hand off a task to myself or the PA without having to hand over her computer as well.  For instance, she frequently will do a preliminary schedule but then ask me to look it over and format it.  We often have had split rehearsals as well so it's useful to have when you're in another room.  I think it does work best if everyone involved sets up some guidelines for using it (ie. who can alter a document and when).  It would be more difficult to use with a larger number of people but, again, some guidelines in place can probably help with that.  If I'm creating a new document (usually the run sheet) I will work on it on my computer first and then save it to the Dropbox.  After that I keep the Dropbox version updated and usually delete the one on my laptop. 

We also use GoogleDocs a lot with the paperwork that is updated frequently throughout the day, such as the Entrance/Exit Sheet.  It also has an IM feature that we use a lot so that we can discuss things without disrupting rehearsal and it's really useful for communicating while in different rooms.  Between the two I always feel up to date.

[missliz]

I've been using it more and more and really liking it. Besides the reasons everyone else has given, I've used it a lot with sound designers to get rehearsal SQs or to test SQs in rehearsal.

[Bwoodbury]

I've been working for an opera company that doesn't have workstations, so we're all working off of personal laptops. They also have a printer system that doesn't allow macs printer permissions. On top of making it possible to use a personal computer for work without eating up tons of space, it also makes it easier for those "hey, can you print this for me" moments.

[Mac Calder]

We use an inhouse version of dropbox with a whole bunch of automation piled on the top to link it with our rental management system (along with a bunch of macros for office) - the biggest thing is to get your folder structure sorted at the onset and keep your naming consistant.

ie Daily Rehearsal Reports - I would save them in something like <Show Name>\Stage Management\Rehearsal Reports\<yymmdd> - Rehearsal Report.doc

I always use year-month-day at the start of my file names so that I can sort by file-name instead of relying on the operating system to get the date-stamps correct (especially if there is a chance someone else has modified it). I would also insist on Show\Department\Type of Document\ type folder structure too - it just seems to work.

Before our inhouse system was created we all used a shared drive (one per state) with no real structure... as you can imagine, it became a real mess, full of folders like "Daves Files" and "Crew Folder\Daves Files" and "Production\General\Daves Files" - and then one day you call Dave and ask where something is stored and he responds "Oh, I put it in my folder on the shared drive". It's a real head-in-hands moment.

Dropbox is not designed as a collaborative tool - so if you want to keep the master props list open and make the odd changes whilst the props master also needs to edit it, you are out of luck I'm afraid. You could work out a system of manual versioning, or look into solutions like SharePoint and Google Apps - hardly ideal having two options for things to be stored, although you could store web-links inside dropbox to google apps. That has a bit of potential.

[David_McGraw]

I have created a group folder for my entire SM team and then individual PSM/SM folders to share more show specific resources.  I agree with everything listed above but I would add that you MUST stress to your entire company that they cannot remove shared files from Dropbox.  I had a graphic designer who found it easier to re-sort images in his own system but forgot to create duplicates of everything and actually moved a few originals off of the shared folder.  There are back-up options, but better to avoid that hassle entirely.

[cbandes]

Dropbox is spectacular, but another tool you might want to look into is Evernote. It's also free, but it has editing and search tools built into it so you don't necessarily need to go over to word/excel/whatever. You can share notebooks with other team members, and if you use the mobile version you can record audio notes directly with it or take snapshots right into it. If you really got into it, they sell scanners for about $100 that will scan directly into evernote and do on-the-fly ocr - might be a licensing nightmare to do that with scripts, but with all your other paperwork it might be amazing.