One great aspect of TrueShare that I don’t think gets talked about enough is team collaboration.

That is what the TrueShare Unlimited Users feature is all about – Go TEAM!

As far as I know TrueShare is the only online file system that offers unlimited users – which is essential for doing business without constraints!

However, in this blog I’m talking about two other features that make teamwork so smooth in the TrueShare system – Workgroups and Forums.  These features work great as stand alone tools, or can be combined for seamless collaboration across your organization.

I’ll give you a brief explanation of each feature and then show you how to enhance your team collaboration with both features working together (check out our spotlight features or features page for a more in-depth look).

The Workgroups Advantage

Workgroups really takes advantage of the unlimited users feature of TrueShare.  A business that offers each employee, client, or all of the above a user account can easily use Workgroups to organize and delegate.   In fact, when you add a user to your TrueShare account, it automatically offers the option to include them in a workgroup from the start.

So why bother with Workgroups?  Like User Groups, which allows you to manage groups of user’s permissions as a single user, Workgroups allows you to manage user’s folder permissions just as effortlessly.  Once you add users to a workgroup, they then have access to workgroup specific folders with only the permissions you assign.  These specific folders can consist of both workgroup only folders which are only visible to users in the group, and public folders which are visible to all of your TrueShare users if assigned.  These folders allow for workgroups to collaborate on files away from other users or in conjunction with them, which is great for security and general organization.

Enhanced Communication via Forums

When conducting business across the country or even across the world, communication between teammates can get lost.  Emails get buried and phone calls get forgotten.  The easiest way to communicate about specific projects or files is through forums, which have been dominating web communication for over a decade.

The TrueShare forums act like any other forum site or application.  Users can create new forums, topics and posts, and utilize standard html text editing for custom formats.  The shining feature of forums, however, is the permissions and management system.  Within the forum editor you can assign forums to specific users, folders, workgroups, or user groups; you can manage active, inactive and locked forums, and monitor all posts and topics within each forum.

Now lets look at using Workgroups and Forums together for ultimate team collaboration.

Workgroups and Forums Team Up for Collaboration

With Workgroup organization and Forum communication used together in the TrueShare system, teams can collaborate more effectively than before.  When assigning users to a forum, one of the options is to assign a workgroup.  This allows users who are already collaborating on projects and files within their workgroup folders to communicate in their very own dedicated forums.  How could collaboration be any easier and well organized?

Even without the addition of other team facilitating features such as file versioning and folder syncing, Workgroups and Forums provide a superior collaboration experience for big and small businesses, and even students or families, one you can’t get with other file sharing and storing services.  So if you’re trying to organize groups online and are finding it difficult, or are just looking for a service that is dedicated to quality and a superior customer experience, check out the Forums and Workgroups features in the TrueShare online file system.  And look out for more blog topics on team collaboration in the future.

How To: TrueShare DropBox

DropBox is one of the applications that come with the TrueShare for Windows software download.  TrueShare DropBox is a handy little utility that makes uploading files from your desktop to your online file system quick and easy.

One of the problems that can arise from using an online file system is being forced to always manage them from a browser.  Companies usually don’t like their employees constantly reaching for a browser because the ability to stray to other websites is always a temptation. With TrueShare for Windows we have worked to minimize this problem.  For uploading files straight from your desktop to your TrueShare online file system, DropBox is your go-to app. For browser-free file management and downloading, TrueShare Explorer is the answer.

The Many Features of DropBox

While using DropBox to upload files from your desktop, this utility has some additional features that you may find very useful.  Automatically, DropBox opens with the option to stay on top of your other applications.  This lets you search for files you want to upload or work with other applications without losing DropBox among open folders and programs.  Once you find the files you want to upload, you can drag them from their location and into your DropBox to place them in queue for upload. You can also set the auto upload feature and it will upload the files immediately upon dropping them into your DropBox. You can turn the “Stay On Top” feature off by right clicking if you would prefer to not use that feature.  This brings us to the other functions of TrueShare DropBox.

In the right click option menu you will see Add Files, Clear Selected, Clear All, Upload, Settings, Hide Drop Box, Stay on Top, and Auto Upload.  The first three are self explanatory, and provide easy manipulation of which files are in the box.  Upload is the option you click to immediately upload everything that is sitting in your DropBox queue.  If you click upload and haven’t selected a folder yet, it will prompt you to do so. You also change your destination folder in the Settings option.  Since you log in to your TrueShare account upon the startup of DropBox, Settings will pull your folder tree from your online system so you can easily select the folder you want files to be uploaded to. You can also change the dimensions of the DropBox box, and hide the title bar if desired.

Auto Upload, mentioned earlier, is the true star of TrueShare’s DropBox features. If you check this option, any file you drag into the box will be instantly uploaded to your TrueShare account in the designated folder. The text for the file doesn’t show up in the DropBox, but you will see the progress bar with larger files. You can easily upload files in mere seconds with this feature, and all without opening an internet browser.

Free Apps Save you Time and Money

Considering TrueShare DropBox is a free add-on application, I can’t imagine anyone wouldn’t use it.  DropBox just sits in my system tray, ready to upload files at any moment.  If you already have a TrueShare account and haven’t tried out our free apps like DropBox, Explorer, and Auto Tran, download our TrueShare for Windows software today and see how easy it is to use an online file system with these free add-on applications.  If you don’t have a TrueShare account, sign up for our free 7-day trial and experience a full featured business account with all the bells and whistles with no credit card necessary.  You can even download DropBox and give it a spin.

TrueShare supports local organizations and events with its “Go Green,” environmentally friendly and easy to use online file system.

Overland Park, KS (PRWEB) August 27, 2009 — TrueShare.com, a leading provider of online file storage and sharing, is proud to announce its sponsorship of the Kansas City Irish Fest and the promotion of recycling and going green. The Kansas City Irish Fest is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the culture, music, and history of Ireland and the Irish population of Kansas City. It is also committed to the environment and the community it thrives in and is excited about the TrueShare.com sponsorship of recycling efforts at the festival.

While there were many compelling synergies between TrueShare and The KC Irish Fest, the most relevant was that of community. TrueShare interprets the position of ‘Go Green’ as making decisions with consideration to our environment and our community and the KC Irish Fest shares these beliefs.

In an effort to keep the streets clean and promote a more environmentally friendly event, TrueShare recycling street-stickers will be placed throughout the festival to bring awareness and lead festival goers to the many recycling bins spread throughout the event grounds.

When asked why TrueShare felt that the KC Irish Fest was a good match for its sponsorship, founder and CEO Eric Matt replied “While there were many compelling synergies between TrueShare and The KC Irish Fest, the most relevant was that of community. TrueShare interprets the position of “Go Green” as making decisions with consideration to our environment and our community and the KC Irish Fest shares these beliefs.”

The TrueShare.com online file system offers a wealth of features for storing, accessing, managing, and sharing your computer files, including collaborative tools and versioning features so you can easily work together with anyone from anywhere in the world, without printing on a single piece of paper. Even common activities such as sharing endless pictures with family and friends can be accomplished via TrueShare and its PhotoShare widget. It’s an innovative file system for businesses and the business minded, and for friends of the environment.

Look for TrueShare at the Kansas City Irish Fest, and be sure to snag a free “Go Green” t-shirt from the TrueShare team. For more information about TrueShare and the Kansas City Irish Fest, visit trueshare.com and kcirishfest.com. And don’t forget to recycle!

About TrueShare:

TrueShare (http://www.trueshare.com/) provides file storage, file management, and file sharing solutions to thousands of customers worldwide with their online file system. With no limits on file size or type, TrueShare enables individuals and businesses unlimited access to their files from anywhere, at anytime. The TrueShare online file system is compatible with all major operating systems including Windows, Mac, and Linux, and is accessible from all major web browsers including Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Safari. TrueShare is developed by SYSTEN L.L.C. (http://www.systen.com/) which is headquartered in Overland Park, KS.

Contact:

Eric Matt
877-700-4999
eric (at) trueshare (dot) com