Hi crockerfive,
This is an interesting question for me, because a few years ago I set
the photos for my daughter?s PhD dissertation into her document. After
so many years of work, we wanted to be sure we didn't lose a word. I
stored her work on CDs, but we felt good having an additional copy on
line that we could each access. When we started, we found ourselves in
the same quandary that you are now in, except we didn?t have the
Mac/PC compatibility issue however. (I will address the MAC to PC file
issue later in the answer.)
I have included several options for file sharing in my answer. I feel
confident one or more of these methods will work well for you.
My daughter and I used Yahoo Briefcase, which served our purpose well.
It was free, offered enough storage for our files, and worked great.
The free version gives you 30mb of space, and you and your co-author
can share a password, allowing you to each log in.
http://help.yahoo.com/help/bc
Free Briefcase
http://help.yahoo.com/help/us/bc/bc-01.html
Extra Storage, $2.95 for an extra 50mb, $4.95 for 100mb.
http://help.yahoo.com/help/us/bc/storage/storage-01.html
Some might have concerns over Yahoo security. I would not use it to
store my vital information, such as a Social Security number, or
credit card numbers, but I did trust my daughter's dissertation on it.
You can read all about Yahoo Briefcase security here and decide if you
think it is secure enough for your needs.
http://privacy.yahoo.com/privacy/us/security/details.html
Here are 10 security tips that apply not only to Yahoo, but online in general:
http://security.yahoo.com/essential_tips.html
Selecting a strong password:
http://security.yahoo.com/choosing_password.html
Paid Online Storage:
X-drive
X-drive is an online file storage service.(Also supports Mac) Simply
put, you use it as an additional hard drive, uploading the files over
the internet to X-drive. Then set up passwords and you each access the
X-drive to retrieve and store documents. X-drive offers a free 15 day
trial, and monthly rates are $9.95 for 500mb, $13.95 for 750mb. Larger
plans are available.
?More than 150 major corporations use the Xdrive service, including
employees from companies such as IBM, Johnson & Johnson, Nokia, EMC,
etc., as well as thousands of small businesses and over 25,000
individuals. Xdrive is a Verisign Secure Service with password
protections and built-in security features such as SSL and end-to-end
128 bit Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) encryption and
authentication. Xdrive is a privately held company headquartered in
Santa Monica, California.?
http://www.xdrive.com/whatisxdrive/
MyDocsOnline
This is a service, like X-drive. They have a free 15 day trial as well.
http://www.mydocsonline.com/personal_edition_features.html
Prices:
http://www.mydocsonline.com/personal_prices.html
Security
http://www.mydocsonline.com/security.html
http://www.mydocsonline.com/personal_edition_features.html
In order to use the above storage sites, you will have to convert the
files (see the end of the answer). This can get rather cumbersome. A
colleague/friend of mine, Serenata, suggested that you and your
co-author try a blog to easily share files.
Web Blogs:
A blog is a cross-platform medium where you can actually read, write,
edit and back up your files-sort of an online diary/journal. You could
still write within your word processing program, and cut and paste as
you go, if you prefer.
Definitions of a blog:
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&safe=active&oi=defmore&q=define:Blog+--+(weB+LOG)
BlogSpot has a free version, and a premium version, for $5 a month.
http://www.blogger.com/blogspot-admin/
More information. ?What do I need to get started with Blogger?
You need about two minutes. You don't need an existing website or
hosting or any of that stuff. We'll do all the work for you. If you
already have a web site you want to use Blogger to publish to, you
simply need FTP access to it (if you're not sure if you have this, ask
your web host or look at their documentation?you probably do).
How does Blogger work?
Magic! Actually, you provide Blogger a template of your page (or use
one of several pre-designed ones) that indicates where you want your
posts to appear. When you want to publish something, you simply enter
it in a form. When you're ready, you hit a "Publish" button that will
automatically send your new page to your web server. No muss. No fuss.
Total control.?
Is Blogger Free?
Yes! You can create, publish and host your blog all for free.
http://www.blogger.com/about.pyra
Getting Started
http://help.blogger.com/bin/topic.py?topic=16
Password Protected
http://help.blogger.com/bin/answer.py?answer=67&topic=16
Blogger works with Mac and PC
http://help.blogger.com/bin/answer.py?answer=88&topic=16
TypePad
TypePad is another choice in blog sites, endorsed by PC Magazine.
?TypePad Basic is the right choice for starting out with your first
weblog or getting up and running as quickly as possible. There's no
confusing technology to learn, just the simple tools you need to get
your blog up and running while still being able to choose a design
that suits your personality. Basic weblogs include all the features
you'd expect in your weblog, including the ability to display images,
enable comments, and to assign your posts to categories.? $4.95/month
for basic service. A 30 day free trial is offered.
?TypePad is a personal publishing service designed to provide a simple
yet full-featured environment for you to put your thoughts, ideas, and
experiences on the web, whether it be a weblog, journal, photo album,
diary, or an entirely new creation. Just sign up with TypePad and
you'll be publishing your thoughts to the web in minutes. With
TypePad, there's no installation or configuration required, your
website and all the tools are managed by our service, and upgrades and
updates to the TypePad application are included in your service
subscription fee.?
http://www.typepad.com/
Something else that may be useful for you and your co-author, in
conjuction with a blog or online storage, is setting up a free instant
messenger service, such as MSN or Yahoo. You can keep in touch
immediately and discuss changes, editing, etc. A personal, Yahoo
Group, for you and your co-author can be set up too.
http://messenger.msn.com/
http://messenger.yahoo.com/
http://groups.yahoo.com/
One word of caution: In case anyone recommends using Windows built-in
file sharing, *DON?T*. It is a very insecure way to share files, and
the default setting, when it is first set up is set for the lowest
security.
Mac to PC file sharing:
To create files that you can both read and write to, using a Mac and a
PC, you could use Adobe Acrobat to create .pdf files, or try one of
the shareware programs I have listed below the Adobe information. This
method seems the most cumbersome, however, as you will need to convert
files. I?m including it for your comparison.
All about Adobe Acrobat Reader
?Portable Document Format (PDF) is the de facto standard for the
secure and reliable distribution and exchange of electronic documents
and forms around the world, with a ten-year track record. PDF is a
universal file format that preserves the fonts, images, graphics, and
layout of any source document, regardless of the application and
platform used to create it. Adobe® PDF files are compact and complete,
and can be shared, viewed, and printed by anyone with free Adobe
Reader® software. To date, more than 500 million copies of the
software have been distributed. You can convert any document to Adobe
PDF using Adobe Acrobat® software products, enabling business,
engineering, and creative professionals to create, distribute, and
exchange secure and reliable Adobe PDF documents. For more
information, see the Adobe Acrobat family.?
http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/adobepdf.html
To download the Free Adobe Acrobat reader, visit this site. It has
illustrations, tips and step by step directions.
http://www.dca.ca.gov/adobe/
To create files in Adobe, the most economical route would be the
online subscription service, especially if you only need a few months
worth. ($9.99 per month or $99.99 per year) There is a free trial
download on this page.
http://www.adobe.com/store/products/online_service.jhtml?id=catCreatePDF
Tips:
?When you save them (.pdf documents) on your PC, select pdf as well as
type .pdf in the name field. I know this works when going from Mac to
PC?
?As an addendum, although it's correct that a Mac doesn't care what
name you use for a file, it does have its own way of identifying what
type a file is. There is a data-fork file and a resource-fork file
that is invisible and not created when you save a file on a PC. If the
file is showing up as a plain text or a generic file on your Mac, it
means that even though the file is a PDF and is a cross-platform file
format, the Mac can't recognize it without the fork files. As a quick
fix, open each PDF file on the Mac FROM WITHIN Acrobat and resave the
file with a .pdf extension to make it compatible on both platforms.?
At the bottom of the page are links to other common problems, using Word.
http://www.pdfzone.com/resources/tips_techniques/657-PDFzone_tips.html
Shareware:
MacWinText 1.0, MacWinText will convert Mac text and RTF files to
Windows formats and vice versa. Try for free, pay a nominal fee if you
like and use it.
http://allmacintosh.xs4all.nl/preview/207009.html
For more money:
ECTI
Free to try, $375 to buy
?ECTI makes it possible for anyone to create online or offline
presentations, e-learning contents or teaching contents, software
simulations, marketing demonstrations, help and supports files, or a
Web site. ECTI create readable files on the Mac and PC, on network
computers of companies even using a firewall. You can capture your
actions on software or create free documents, illustrate them with
texts, images, sounds, Flash, and Shockwave 3D elements. ECTI can
import JPEG, PNG, BMP, TXT, RTF, SWF, and W3D. Teach everyone,
everywhere, easily and quickly. Test this authoring tool, you will
earn time and money.?
http://download.com.com/3000-2075-10197378.html?tag=lst-0-5
Additional Ideas:
If you both have Word, you can save and open the files in each other?s
formats. My MS Word 2000 has a ?Save as Word for Mac? feature on my
PC.
Read Word for Mac on Word for Windows
http://www.winona.edu/training/learning/pdf/Mac/Office/Word/WordX.pdf
From What PC Users Need to Know Before Using a Mac
· Microsoft Office 95 (PC) = Microsoft Office 4.2 (Mac)
Microsoft Office 97 (PC) = Microsoft Office 98
Microsoft Office 2000 (PC)= Microsoft Office 2001 (Mac)
Office 98 components can read Office 2000 documents as well.
· To share Microsoft documents with people using PCs, make sure that
you add the following extensions onto the filenames when you save your
files:
.doc ? Microsoft Word Document
.xls ? Microsoft Excel Document
.ppt ? PowerPoint documents.
· Macs can read PC format floppy disks. PCs cannot read Mac format
floppy disks. This means that, if you are working on a PC at home, you
can bring your PC formatted disk (floppy or Zip disk) to a Mac with a
disk drive and access your files. It also means that you may prefer to
format your disks for PCs instead of Macs even if you are only using a
Mac, so that if you need to share with somebody on a PC you can.
· If you are sharing documents with someone working on a PC, try to
use the same font on the Mac and the PC (Times New Roman and Arial are
two fonts that are common to both systems. This way, your document
will not usually be reformatted when you go from one to another
http://www.usask.ca/its/help_desk/mac/macknowl.html
Free .pdf creator program (Only supported by Windows, not Mac):
The free version has a banner ad. You can pay to get the ad-free version.
http://www.pdf995.com/download.html
Free Mac .pdf creator:
http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/detail.jsp?ftpID=632
Hope one of these ideas works for you! Best of luck on the book!
If any part of my answer is unclear, please request an answer
clarification, before rating. This will allow me to assist you
further, if possible.
Regards,
crabcakes
Search Terms
Online storage
Yahoo briefcase
Tip from Serenata (!) |
