Dropbox Tips and Why Attend Conferences [LNIM132 Transcript]

This is the full transcript for Episode 132. For the show notes and audio, see LNIM132 Show Notes.

Light Yourself on Fire with Passion

There is a quote often attributed to John Wesley: “Light yourself on fire with passion and people will come from miles to watch you burn.” Whether or not Wesley actually said it, the principle behind it is powerful for marketing. When your audience can feel your enthusiasm, it attracts them to your brand and your message. That intensity helps you rise above the noise.

In his book Known, Mark Schaefer makes the case that passion alone is not enough. Passion needs to be combined with purpose, directed toward helping people accomplish something specific. On top of that, you need endurance to see the work through, and you need to find space where there is room for you to grow.

Schaefer reframes passion as a sustainable interest. You may have passions that are not suitable for business. But if you can find a sustainable interest that you feel passionate about, one that has purpose and staying power, you have a much stronger foundation for long-term success.

Seven Dropbox Tips for Your Business

Dropbox saved my podcast one week when I accidentally left my laptop in Dallas during a trip to San Antonio. I was able to borrow a laptop, download my audio files from Dropbox, install Adobe editing software, and get the episode uploaded on time. That experience reminded me how valuable cloud-based file syncing can be for any online business.

Here are seven tips for getting the most out of Dropbox:

1. Start for free. A basic Dropbox account gives you 2GB of storage at no cost. You can earn additional space by referring friends, with each referral adding 500MB to your account.
2. Recover deleted files. Dropbox keeps everything you delete for 30 days. You can right-click any file in the web application and choose Restore to bring it back. This is not a replacement for a real backup strategy, but it is a helpful safety net.
3. Automatically upload mobile photos. You can configure Dropbox to watch for new photos on your phone and upload them automatically. This is an easy way to ensure your photos are backed up without any manual effort.
4. Enable two-step verification. For extra security, turn on two-step verification so that logging in requires a second factor, such as a text message or an authentication app. This protects your account if your password is ever compromised.
5. Share large files easily. Instead of emailing a 100MB file, put it in Dropbox, right-click it, grab the share link, and email the link. This is one of the most practical everyday uses for Dropbox.
6. Use Selective Sync. If your laptop has limited storage, you can choose which Dropbox folders sync to that machine while keeping everything available on your desktop or through the web app.
7. Sync app settings across devices. Many cross-platform applications, including password managers and text expansion tools, can sync their settings through Dropbox. Once you enable this, switching between devices becomes seamless.

Five Reasons to Invest in Attending Conferences

Attending a conference like Social Media Marketing World is not cheap. Between registration, airfare, hotel, and time away from work and family, the opportunity cost is significant. Here is why I believe it is still worth the investment.

1. Reconnect with People You Already Know

Conferences provide a rare chance to see people face-to-face that you normally only interact with online. For my Green Room Mastermind group, this was the one opportunity each year for all of us to be physically together in the same place. That alone made the trip worthwhile.

2. Meet New People

At previous conferences I met Mark Schaefer, Gary Vaynerchuk, and Guy Kawasaki. But some of the most rewarding connections have been with people who are earlier in their marketing journey and sought me out to ask questions. Meeting new people, both established and up-and-coming, expands your network in ways that simply cannot happen online.

3. Collect Actionable Ideas

The volume of content at a major conference is staggering. My personal rule is to identify at least one actionable idea every day and write it down. If you attend a three-day conference and come home with three solid ideas you actually implement, that trip has paid for itself many times over.

4. Contribute and Give Back

If you have the opportunity to speak, moderate a panel, or lead a session, take it. Contributing positions you as someone who adds value rather than just consuming it. It also opens doors to connections that would not happen otherwise.

5. Have Fun

There is real value in simply enjoying the experience. Social Media Marketing World was the best-run conference I had attended in either internet marketing or engineering. The energy and experience were outstanding.

You do not have to start with a major destination conference. Look for meetups, local events, or regional conferences in your niche. Even a small gathering where you can meet people face-to-face, learn something new, and have some fun can provide an outsized return on a modest investment.

Key Takeaways

• Sustainable interest combined with purpose is more powerful than passion alone
• Cloud-based tools like Dropbox can save your business in unexpected situations
• Enable two-step verification on every cloud service you use
• Conferences are an investment in relationships, ideas, and energy that compound over time
• Set a goal to bring home at least one actionable idea per day from any event you attend

What's Changed Since This Episode

Mark recorded this episode in March 2017. Dropbox has evolved significantly since then. The free tier now offers limited features compared to 2017, and Dropbox has shifted toward being a collaboration platform rather than purely a file-syncing service. Alternatives like iCloud Drive, Google Drive, and OneDrive have become more competitive, though Dropbox remains widely used for cross-platform syncing.

Social Media Marketing World ran its final event in 2024. Social Media Examiner announced the end of the conference after more than a decade. The principles Mark discusses about why conferences matter remain fully relevant. In-person events continue to provide networking, learning, and energy that virtual alternatives struggle to replicate.

Two-factor authentication is now table stakes. In 2017, enabling two-step verification was a tip worth calling out. Today, it is a baseline security expectation for every online account. Use an authenticator app rather than SMS whenever possible.

Resources Mentioned

• Dropbox — cloud file syncing and storage
• Known by Mark Schaefer
• LNIM132 Show Notes

Related Episodes

• LNIM132 — Why I Invest in Social Media Marketing World
• LNIM133 — What Is a Facebook Pixel
• LNIM131 — Demystifying UTM Parameters

Listen and Subscribe

Listen to Late Night Internet Marketing on Apple Podcasts or subscribe at latenightim.com/internet-marketing-podcast/. Have a question for Mark? Call the digital recorder at 214-444-8655 or drop a comment below.