How to Use Dropbox for File Synchronization?

The first question is of course what is Dropbox?Dropbox is one of the most popular file synchronization applications whereby you can both synchronize your documents (virtually anything) across several platforms and hardware as well as share it with anyone you wish through the internet.

How to use Dropbox?
To get started simply visit the Dropbox website and sign up for a free account. Also download their software and install on any hardware you wish to use it on. It will create a Dropbox folder on a location of your choice on your computer. Dropbox also has dedicated apps for Blackberry, iPhone, iPad and android.

Once, you have synced your Dropbox account with your Dropbox folder(s) you can simply put anything (text, photos, folders etc) in your Dropbox folder and it will show up on all your synced Dropbox folders and also your online Dropbox account. (But for this to work an internet connection is obviously necessary.)

Further, you can share all (or some) of the files in your Dropbox folder with friends and colleagues either by e-mail or by sharing an auto-generated link. Or invite Dropbox users to  a "shared folder" which will be synced the Dropbox accounts of all the concerned members and anyone can modify it and automatically share it with team mates. This is very useful for team projects that everyone encounters at school or work.

Using Dropbox you can also offer downloadable documents to people with a specified link but I am not entirely convinced just how safe it is to share this link with the public.

Dropbox Storage Space and Plans
You start with a free account at dropbox.com with 2GB space but can increase your space by an additional 875+MB by doing some very basic and also useful stuff such as taking a beginners' tour and syncing your dropbox account with Facebook and Twitter or by simply providing feedback.

Another way to expand your free storage space (upto a maximum of 18GB total) is by referring friends to dropbox. You get 500MB for every successful referal.

Dropbox also offers paid storage staring from 100GB at $9.99/month. Visit dropbox.com to find out more about this really great service.

Free Keyword Search Tools List

It is common knowledge that to get a good ranking in Google and generate decent traffic you must use the proper keywords on your posts. Easier said than done!And that is where keyword search tools come in handy. Though, most keyword suggestion tools charge at least $50 per month for the service there are a few keyword search tools which can help you perform some basic but still vital keyword research for your website.

Here is a list of a few keyword search tools which are definitely worth checking out, especially for the entry level blogger.

1. Ubersuggest.org 
This is a very simple and basic keyword suggestion tool and quite hassle-free to use with no registration or even captcha requirement. Ubersuggest provides results in various languages and across several search verticals such as web, news, images etc. It also come with very handy cut paste options for "exporting" your keywords.

2. Wordtracker
Wordtracker is one of the most used keyword research tools and many other paid keyword research packages also uses some of its variations. The free version of this keyword tool not only suggests a HUGE amount of related keywords but also provides an estimate of the number of searches performed for each for  a better insight. Also there is a filter for adult keyword which may be particularly useful in some niches. However, to regularly use the Wordtracker tool you must sign up for a free account and there is a cap on the maximum keyword searches you can perform in a day.

3.SEOBook Keyword Suggestion Tool
SEOBook is one of the most complete keyword research packages that is still available for free. Not only do they provide you with a list of keywords with some Google insights to help you make better decisions but SEOBook also provides free courses for more effective keyword research, several other SEO tools and Firefox extensions and also some exclusive free trials for other keyword search tools. All you need to do is signup for a free account!

Apart from thse you can always use the free and highly reliable SEO and keyword research tools provided by Google such as Adwords Keyword tool, Google Trends, Google insights etc.

Mind Mapping with Bubbl.us

A mind map of Reviews & Guides

Bubbl.us is a popular web based mind mapping application offering both free as well as paid plans.

You can use this very easy to use application to create clean and coherent mind maps such as the one shown along side (click image to enlarge).

Getting Started with Bubbl.us
The best thing about creating mind maps with Bubbl.us is the speed and simplicity with which you can go about it. Signing up is super easy with the only requirements being a username, e-mail and password. And you don't even need to confirm your ID!

Creating a Mind Map with Bubbl.us
You start with a tab. From this tab you can create any number of child tabs and from each child yet more child tabs to create a tree. You can also create more independent tabs and connect them through arrows. You can choose the color as well as the text size. You may also include links in the bubbles (tabs). A simple drag  facility helps you to align the bubbles any which way you wish. You may also add labels to the lines joining the bubbles.

Exporting and Sharing Your Mind Map
Once your mind map is ready Bubbl.us allows you to export it either as an HTML embed code or a simple link to your mind map. You can also download the mind map as a .jpg file as I have done in the mind map above. Or else you can simply save the mind map in your bubbl.us account.

Bubbl.us Account Options
Free account holders can save up to 3 mind maps but can create an unlimited number of mind maps.  Premium accounts are priced at $6 per month or $59 a year.

Ubersuggest : Free Keyword Suggestion Tool

Admittedly, to draw Google's attention towards your blog first and foremost you need plenty of  decent and niche content but to really go anywhere with your blog it is of utmost necessity that you pay due attention to SEO and optimize your content for at least the most popular search engines like Google Yahoo and Bing. 

One of the easiest way to get noticed is by choosing the proper keywords for your post. Alternately, after you decide upon the broad general topic you can do some quick keyword research and phrase your article accordingly.

Another reason why you should definitely do some keyword research before writing your article is because the CPC rates for Google Adsense (along with most other ad servers) depend heavily on the keywords associated with your content and since on an average less than 3% of the visitors to your blog actually click on a contextual 

But effective keyword research is quite a difficult and laborious process to master and it is more than likely that unless you are a hardcore pro blogger you will neither find the time nor the enthusiasm for extensive keyword research. In that case it is best to take the help of a simple keyword suggestion tool. While there are plenty of paid options it is perhaps best with a free alternative such as Ubersuggest

Ubersuggest Screen Shot. Redbox--language Bluebox--search vertical Grey Ellipse--search term

It is a very simple keyword suggestion tool where you simply need to type in a query and then select a language as well as a search field (such as images, news, recipe or web) and it will generate a list of relevant  and related keywords. You can choose as many of the suggested keywords as you want and Ubersuggest will create a list of the keywords which you can easily copy and paste in the "tags" field of your post. It's that simple and of course free!

However, its simplicity unavoidably leads to lack of features. Most notably Ubersuggest gives no hint as to the competition for each keyword as well as its CPC value. Another thing you must remember is that many blogging platforms (including Blogger) requires you to separate keywords by commas. Ubersuggest's listbuilder doesnot do that. So you must remember to enter the commas manually.

Overall Ubersuggest is a simple and fast way for newbie bloggers generate a handful of relevant keywords without having to wrack your brains. Nothing more nothing less.

Free and Easy Folder Encryption Software

Just thought I'd tell you about a free, easy and portable folder encryption software that I have been using for quite a few years now and am pretty satisfied with. It is called 1 Second  Folder Encryption and it really does not take much more than just a single second. And the best part is it is absolutely free!

It simply encrypts any folder on your system so that they cannot be viewed unless they are decrypted by the user. It is as simple  as downloading and installing the set up files and spending a couple of minutes getting familiar with the minimal and intuitive user interface.

Being a freeware however, it does have plenty of limitations:

1. It only allows a single user, that is, there is only one master password to encrypt or decrypt all the folders on your system.
2. The encrypted folders are neither hidden nor shredded, they are simply "locked" so that if someone tries to open he will simply get a system error message
3. The interface though intuitive could have been made somewhat more efficient and user friendly.
4. Last and most importantly the distributor refuses to take any responsibility in case of failure.

Overall, 1 Second Folder Encryption is ideally suited for those photos and videos and documents you'd rather other members of your family or friends not see, but trusting it with anything more sensitive may not be such a good idea.  

MathType : Software Review

MathType is a specialized software which enables typing out of complex mathematical formulae and expressions which cannot easily written on popular text editors like MS Words or even MS Excel.

Some Useful Features of MathType
The most remarkable feature of MathType is its intuitive and user friendly yet immensely powerful simplistic user interface. There are several modes such as derivatives, matrices, statistics, algebra etc with each mode having a series of one-click expression entry options for commonly used expressions. 

There are also a series of tabs for easily entering all sorts of symbols and commonly used Greek letters. In this regard it may be worth noting that though MS Word definitely boasts of a much more exhaustive set of foreign characters and symbols (though many of them find NO use in writing mathematical expressions), it is far easier to find and properly use them on MathType.

Mathtype Toolbar

Another impressive feature of MathType is the highly efficient way in which they have dealt with superscripts and subscripts and even sub-subscripts. This feature is far superior than any other word editor I have used either online or otherwise. In fact, in many ways the ability of MathType to seamlessly handle scripts of different sizes and at different realtive positions simultaneously is the corner stone of its success.

The matrix/vectors of any dimension can also be suitably represented with MathType.

Expressions involving summation and various types of integration (surface,volume,line etc) can also be easily written using MathType.

A few experimental equations to showcase Mathtype's ability  to handle complex mathematical equations

Disadvantages of MathType 
Though MathType is a highly efficient software and fits its product description perfectly, yet its nearly $100 price tag is quite exorbitant.

Also, personally I felt its integration with MS Words could have been considerably better as it is quite a hassle to rectify the typos once you have pasted to Words. Further, alignment of the MathType symbols with the Words documents is also not always perfect.

Last but definitely not the least not all online publishing platforms support Math Type, and I am talking major sites such as Hubpages, and to the best of my knowledge even Blogger!

Free Flash Games at Stick Sports : Review

Of all the hundreds if not thousands of free online gaming websites Sticksports.com is probably my favorite. As of present it offers the following five games and several variations/dervatives.

In order of preference (preference is of course subjective) they are:

1. Stick Tennis

This is my absolute favorite online game. It has probably got the best graphics of all the games in the Stickfranchise and as far as the game play is concerned it is in league with any of those EA sports games that you spent good money to buy. With all five grand slam scenarios (Wimbledon, US Open, Oz Open and Roland Garros) along with separate graphics (grass, clay or synthetic) for each of them and accurate players’ skill levels (Federer moves faster than Rodick but Rodick’s surf is faster than Roger’s) ensures that Stick Tennis stays head and shoulders above the competition, at least for the time being.

Further the game is sufficiently challenging so that you have to work for your wins and that makes Stick Tennis an even better game.

2.Stick Cricket

Up next is Stick Cricket–the very first game in the Sticksports family. With a descent game play and tolerable graphics this is also a damn good freebie. Like Stick Tennis this is also a very fast game and usually each match lasts no more than 10 minutes. However, if you’re very busy and can’t possibly spare 10 mins. there’s no need to despair–try the T2 mode, it hardly takes a couple of mins  to complete a T2 match.

3.Stick Football

Sorry football lovers but this game is know where near as good as the two mentioned above. For one thing the graphic is absolutely pathetic (I can’t remember the last time I played a game where the characters glidedinstead of walked)

On top of that this game is so easy that you get tired of scoring goals even before the first half is over! A real disappointed!

4.Stick Baseball

The gameplay is very similar to Stick Cricket but can't really say much more as baseball is really not my sport


5.Stick Racing
The latest addition to the Stick Sports family is Stick Racing. However, this game is also very disapointing and rather boring with stupid graphics and a pathetic gameplay.