Websites for Writers…Maybe Not

The other day, I received an email from Dropbox saying they changed their Terms of Service. Normally this isn't a big deal, but it has serious implications for us writers: Dropbox has changed their terms of service to give them free license to whatever you upload. Check out their Terms of Service and go to the section marked Your Stuff & Your Privacy.

“We sometimes need your permission to do what you ask us to do with your stuff (for example, hosting, making public, or sharing your files). By submitting your stuff to the Services, you grant us (and those we work with to provide the Services) worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, sublicenseable rights to use, copy, distribute, prepare derivative works (such as translations or format conversions) of, perform, or publicly display that stuff to the extent we think it necessary for the Service. You must ensure you have the rights you need to grant us that permission.”

(Bolding is my own)

Now, I understand they need permission to reproduce your work if, say, it’s part of a file share and they need to copy it for the other computers that belong to the network. But, correct me if I’m wrong, they are saying that by backing up your files on Dropbox, they can publicly display it and they don’t need your permission. Not that I think they would. I just don’t like that they can do it at all.

Surely there is some middle ground between never copying the work (which would defeat the purpose of an internet backup) and having license to publicly display it. Is that really necessary?

Maybe this is a little paranoid, but I’m not using Dropbox anymore and I’m retracting my recommendation for it. Right now, the only one with authority to display my work is me, and I’m keeping it that way.

What do you think of these new terms of service? What do you use to back up your work?

Websites for Writers

As writers, we have to be paranoid about saving our work. Personally—and I’m carrying light compared to others I’ve talked to—I have a backup hard drive, a copy saved on a flash drive, and a file saved on Drop Box, which is what I want to share with you today.

It’s a great site. You download it onto your computer and it appears as a separate file section. For example, I have My Documents and below that, My Drop Box. Except it’s not just on your computer, like the aforementioned My Documents. You copy your files into it and they save on your Drop Box account. So now, not only do you have another backup, you have copies that can be accessed should your laptop/computer crash or get stolen.

Other features include the ability to share selected files and syncing your other computers for easy access. All you need is your password. And for those who enjoy writing with mobile phones, they have apps for that. Best of all, it's free up to 2 gigabytes, perfect for writers. If you like storing your pictures online, you can pay for extra space and have backups of them, too.

Enjoy!