Today, we’re releasing a new shared folder activity email. This is a daily email that will keep you posted on any activity in the shared folder (e.g., file uploaded by Bob, file modified by Heather, file removed by Tim, etc.) It’s a handy digest for people that are actively collaborating with others.

Here’s a sample of what the email looks like:

The email is enabled for each shared folder for which you are a member or the owner. The email is only sent if there is activity in the folder in the past 24 hours.

You can turn off the email at two levels:

Account page: On the Account page, there is a default setting for Shared Folder Email. You can click the link to Unsubscribe and it will turn off the email for new shared folders. This setting can be overridden on the individual shared folder.

Sharing Options page: On each shared folder, there is a link to go to the Sharing Options page, which allows you to turn off the Summary Email. This setting exists for each shared folder. This gives you flexibility — you can get a summary for some folders, but keep it turned off for other folders. You can also use this setting to override what you have set on your Account page, for this particular folder.

Don’t forget — you are automatically eligible for a referral bonus when you share a folder that results in new users signing up. The bonus for referring a Free user is 500 MB and the bonus for a Paid user is 10 GB. And the person you refer gets the same bonus, so everyone is happy. Act fast — after July 15th, these bonuses will be cut in half. You can learn more on the Referral Program FAQ page.

We hope this keeps you on top of things. We’re really excited about how many of you are using SugarSync to share folders with others. We’re also working on other forms of alerts — we’ll keep you posted when they are ready.

As you can see from this group of great stories, SugarSync is being used in an amazing amount of different ways, from helping users do business between ski runs in Whistler to collaborating across Australia. From transcribing college courses for deaf students to making sure you catch your flight on time, SugarSync is helping users all over the globe accomplish incredible things. If you are using SugarSync in a unique way or just want to spread some Sweetness, let us know on Twitter, @SugarSync. Also, if you were one of the first 50 submissions or a runner up, your SugarSync tee shirts are on the way!

Runner-up stories in no particular order (this time, to the titles of a few film classics):

Australia
We have been working on a controversial and complex highway upgrade to go through a particularly beautiful part of the Great Dividing Range on the eastern coast of Australia. My company runs all the community engagement and community meetings. We have needed to provide vast amounts of highly detailed information in an accessible PowerPoint format for community members, showing ecological, heritage, climate and other constraints so we can identify a route.

Presentations quickly become massive because of the multi-layered maps being used - we can have up to 20 layers of ecological significance over a topographical arial, for example. We have found preparing the presentations and sharing them via Sugarsync has meant that everyone in a multi-disciplinary team across up to 14 different locations has been able to access the files quickly and securely — better still, they can make changes and send them back! It has been an excellent option for a small company like mine to deliver highly professional services efficiently and effectively.

(Not) Lost in Translation
I transcribe college classes and other events in realtime for deaf and hard of hearing clients. Whatever anyone says goes up on the screen, a second after they’ve said it, at speeds up to 225 words per minute, so my clients are never left out of the conversation. I use a steno machine, a laptop with a wide screen, and a UMPC with a touch screen, all connected via Bluetooth. Sometimes I let my client read off the big screen of the laptop while I work off the UMPC. Sometimes my client wants to move around the room, so I give them the UMPC to carry, while I stay in one place and read off the laptop. I also do some freelance transcription work, and this setup gives me a lot of flexibility.

One time I actually transcribed an entire interview while waiting in line for NYC’s famous Shake Shack (a burger joint with legendary line lengths), using my UMPC mounted to my steno machine with the tripod jacked way up so I could write while standing. SugarSync lets me keep my 114,000-word steno dictionary and all my other client-specific dictionaries active and updated on both my computers, so I can be prepared to switch from one or the other at a moment’s notice. It’s so much better than transferring them laboriously by hand using a thumb drive or uploading and then downloading each dictionary through my email account. I hardly even notice the transfer, but the files are always where I need them.

Ski Patrol
Can I say “saved my ass” in this contest? Well, that would be the best way to encapsulate my best story about how I love SugarSync. Of course, all the other things you suggest — i.e., collaboration, on-the-go document sharing, creativity, etc. — apply too. But SugarSync totally saved my ass once when I was on vacation skiing in Whistler.

I was at the top of the mountain and got a call from a prospective client who needed to see a demo of something right away. Between runs(!) I was able to sit down at a computer with free Internet access, find the right demo and send it to him. I didn’t miss a beat. I was back out on the hill in moments and by the time I was on the chairlift going up again, I received confirmation of delivery on my BlackBerry. SugarSync is an amazing tool. I have recommended it to many friends and colleagues. Keep up the great work.

Airplane
Ok, let’s forget about the basic stuff, like getting a call from someone who needs to see a cut of my short film, and I can remotely send them the multi-gigabyte file, because I exported it directly into a synced folder. Let’s forget about having all my invoicing available on any computer I find myself working on. Let’s forget about using WebSync to edit my book proposal (seamlessly resolving the world’s worst version-control nightmare), not to mention allowing me to review it on my phone when I have a spare moment waiting for the bus.

Forget about all that. The best so far has been: receiving an airline travel document by email, saving it as a PDF into the Magic Briefcase, and then, weeks later at the airport, opening the PDF through the SugarSync app and actually scanning the confirmation barcode right off the iPhone screen at the self-checkin kiosk. Hello paperless, forget-proof existence. Oh, right, and it backs up my files. That, too.

Seven
7 Reasons Why I Love SugarSync… My little secret for those bad days and for those moments when I just don’t have everything I need. I can’t help but share how wonderful this product has been to me. It is so easy and convenient to use adding just another plus to the list:

1. When active sync just doesn’t want to sync, SugarSync is there.
2. When my flash drive just isn’t big enough to hold all that I need. SugarSync is there.
3. When I need to share projects for work with certain people, SugarSync is there. This was particularly helpful when I didn’t have everyone’s email addresses that I needed.
4. When the server goes down and I have to use documents that I don’t carry copies of, SugarSync is there. A few clicks and I have access to my documents and can fill them out on my mobile device.
5. When my laptop battery dies and I can’t find the cord but just have to show my pictures off of the kids. This reason is especially important if you just cannot get enough pictures. I store most of my photos on SugarSync so I can access them anywhere anytime.
6. If you use your pda or mobile phone for photos. I love the fact that it automatically uploads to a place I choose every time I take a picture. No more worries if I remembered to transfer the photos or where I saved them to.
7. I don’t have to have both devices online at the same time to sync the data.

My desktops at home I am out and about working but am going to have to continue working when I get home. Just one quick click and the stuff I need is here. I have no choice to give this program anything other than 2 thumbs up. It has made my life easier and has kept me from pulling my hair out. It helps save time with making data transfer among multiple computers faster and easier. It’s my little secret, but one I cannot help but to share.

Now, on to the stories. Below are the top five stories that pulled on our heart strings, expanded our understanding of what SugarSync can do and flat out blew us away. Each winner will receive a new Dell Mini10 Netbook. Thank you again to all of our participants, it was a joy for our team to read each and every submission.

Winning stories in no particular order (and to some of our favorite song titles):

How to Save a Life…
Unfortunately, not all hospitals have yet converted to electronic medical records, and the use of old- fashioned paper files continues with all of the well-known problems—misfiling, loss, and “unavailability.” As a practicing physician who routinely cares for many surgical and trauma patients, I recently encountered an elderly woman who was injured in an automotible accident and needed to go urgently to the operating room in the middle of the night. The patient was unable to speak for herself but her husband thought that I had taken care of his wife several years ago and that she had “nearly died” in the operating room. Her prior hospital record was simply no where to be found at the time and no family members could remember what the problem was. Fortunately, my office, which was closed due to the late hour, recently began scanning our records into a digital data base which just happens to be backed-up by Sugarsync! Remotely accessing my backed-up office files, I quickly located the patient’s record and discovered that she had a rare genetic disease which makes ordinary anesthesia deadly. Using very special anesthetic methods that would not otherwise have been used, the patient who was seriously injured underwent emergency surgery without delay or problems, and I have to say that without Sugarsync the outcome might not have been either so successful or so happy. My patient is now recovering quite nicely with a big hand to Sugarsync! Could anyone doubt that the brief time it took to download Sugarsync into my office computer was well spent!! Sugarsync sure has a place in my office!

Going to the Chapel…
It was 75 degrees and sunny. I was on my way to my wedding in downtown Chicago. I was marrying the girl of my dreams whom I had met on a blind date four years earlier. We had over 250 people in downtown Chicago that weekend so needless to say, I was very preoccupied. I woke up that morning and finalized the wedding speech that I had been working on for the last four months. See, my family has a history of memorable wedding speeches. They can be funny, heartfelt, sarcastic, witty. It’s not the form that matters, but rather that the speech reflects the bride or groom’s personality and helps the wedding guests to understand why he or she is getting married. This wedding speech tradition isn’t some edict that has been passed down from generation to generation that young newlyweds dread. Instead, everyone in my family relishes the opportunity to express their love to their new spouse. I was no different. So, there I was. It was 5:30pm. The wedding was at 7pm. I had just finished getting ready and put on my tuxedo and gave myself one last look. Not bad. My fiancee and I took pictures, spent time with family, and tried to relax before the big moment. Finally, 7pm approached. As I saw my bride walk down the aisle I couldn’t help but feel like I was the luckiest guy in the world. Time seemed to stop and fly by and the same instant. It was the happiest moment of my life. After the “I-do’s”, we began the traditional cocktail hour, enjoyed dinner and began to dance the night away. And then, out of nowhere, the music stopped. It was time for my speech. You know the dream where you’re falling and all you know is that certain doom awaits you. That was exactly what was happening to me. I hadn’t memorized my speech because I had just finished it that same morning. I had completely neglected to print the document, send it via email, or do anything that would have saved me from what was ultimately going to be a huge letdown to my family and my new bride. But, just as soon as the panic set in, it faded. See, I had an iPhone. My iPhone was my lifeline. And on that little iPhone was an iPhone application. Sure, it was just one of over 35,000 applications but this one may just save the day. I turned on my phone and clicked that magical SugarSync hummingbird. I clicked my home computer and instantly saw every document I had ever created - including my speech! So, I grabbed my iPhone, connected to SugarSync and pulled up the speech. I walked to the front of the ballroom with my bride on my arm and was able to regain my confidence and deliver the speech that I had worked so hard on and was so important to me and my family. Disaster was averted! Not only was the speech a resounding success, but the fact that I was reading it from my iPhone using SugarSync created a lot of buzz in the room. Everybody was coming up to me after the speech to ask how I had my speech on my phone and how I was able to get it at the last minute without the use of a printer or a computer. My answer: “It was SugarSync”. It’s the absolute best method to back up your data online from multiple computers if you’re on the go and have a smartphone. To this day I say that SugarSync saved my reputation within my family. I delivered a great speech in the clutch. It may also have saved my marriage. Thank you SugarSync.

Livin’ on the Edge…
To say I am “on the fly’ would be a understatement. I am full-time, professional crisis manager. I split my time between state, and federal assignments, private sector crisis situations and the United Nations. I am called on at a moments notice to bolt out to crisis events around the world. This spring alone involved responding to the plane crash/landing on the Hudson River in NYC, a mass hostage and shooting event up state New York, and the swine flu outbreak across the country. My pace of work is frantic. My need for synchronized data is critical. At times, lives actually depend on it. SugarSync, connecting my iPhone, two laptops and two desktops in offices all across the Northeast, has been an unbelievable asset. I pull down files, share, send and use every feature daily and in the moments that I am not using it, I am tellling other people about it. In my completely unpredictable world, to have the confidence and covenience that SugarSync provides really is a life saver…mine and other people’s as well. Thanks for developing such a useful product! I am convinced that it was built by a crisis manager!

Back to School…
I teach English at a community college in Oregon, and my students have updated the old “My Dog Threw Up On My Homework” to 21st century excuses/problems: My printer is acting reeaallly strange and I couldn’t print out my homework. I left my homework in my printer. My computer crashed/got a virus/is at my Mom’s house/got stolen. I forgot my homework…but I did it, really! In the past I’ve encouraged them to buy a USB key and save their work to it so they have it with them at school, but it takes them too much thought to keep their USB synced to their Documents file and to always carry it with them. So I now ask, “Who wants a USB drive that’s always with you and always synchronized with your Documents folder?” I then show them the Sugar Sync site using our classroom computer, and show them my account and how my files are always available so that I can save them from anywhere with a web connection and print them out at school. I let them know we have 3 labs on campus with printers and that they can simply sign in to their Sugar Sync account, open their document and print it out. No excuses for late homework! It’s also very useful for doing their research when we’re in a classroom with computers. I show them how to do sophisticated searches in Google and in our library’s different publication databases, but since they can’t save anything on these computers, it’s been frustrating for them to spend the effort to find material and then not be able to save it. So I show them how to copy it into a Word document and then save it to their Sugar Sync account so their bookmarks and articles will be available when then get home. They think it’s really cool. This term I suggested the get a Sugar Sync account. Next term I’ll require it!

Freedom…
One word can describe my SugarSync experience: Freedom. SugarSync has enabled me to break free of constantly having to remember to back up files and carry a USB disk with me everywhere. Now, I know my files are backed up instantly and I can work seamlessly between all of my computers no matter where I am. I can not count the number of times I failed to copy the most current version of a file onto a USB disk only to find out after I left my house. It is so liberating to know I will never have to worry about finding the most current version of a document; it is always in my Magic Briefcase. SugarSync also helped me in a major pinch and I was able to land a new job because of it. I was unemployed for 3 months and during that time I sent out resumes over and over again, having multiple interviews through out the process. This resulted in a whole lot of customized resumes all over the place. I went on an interview that was about one hour from where I lived, only to find out when I arrived at the office I brought the wrong copy of my resume for the interview. PANIC! Fortunately I had arrived early enough to do a quick area search on my phone for an office supply store. I found a Staples close by and when I arrived I asked the clerk if I could access my SugarSync account from their computer. I was able to find the correct resume on my SugarSync account and printed out a few copies for my interview. I guarantee that, without SugarSync, I would not have landed my current job because I would have shown up unprepared. At that moment I fully realized the importance this service. My SugarSync account has become an extension of my computers and I can not imagine my life with out it anymore. Right now I have a basic account to back up all of my important documents and pictures from my laptop and desktop. I plan to expand my plan soon so I can back up my large music library onto my account. I can’t wait to have access to my music from anywhere in the world! Thank you SugarSync!

We know that you love your photos and use SugarSync to make sure that all of your memories are protected, but you probably put them up on Facebook to share with all of your friends as well. So now, you can skip a step by uploading your photos directly from SugarSync to Facebook, and everyone who has access to your news feed will know they have been added.

And now, as a bonus for sharing the Sugar, we are launching a brand new referral program. If you tell your friends about SugarSync or share a folder with them and they sign up, you can get as many as 10 GB free as a reward! Not to mention, referring friends will be easier than ever through Facebook and Twitter.

All SugarSync accounts also have improved folder sharing capabilities. In addition Gmail, Hotmail, AOL or Yahoo users can easily collaborate with people they are connected to in their list of contacts, and your photos, documents and music are only clicks away for your friends, family and colleagues.

Since mobile is such a huge part of what we do, we have made improvements to our applications for iPhone, Windows Mobile and BlackBerry. For all of our Windows Mobile users, you now have support for shared folders. If you use a BlackBerry, we have released version 1.0, changed the interface to easily navigate large folders and made it easy to sign up for a free 2 GB account right from your phone.

The best part is, there is more in the works. Stay tuned…

We’re really excited about how our users naturally tell their friends about SugarSync. In addition to our undying gratitude, we’re kicking off a referral program to give you a bonus every time you refer a friend!

Every time you refer a friend that isn’t yet signed up on SugarSync, we’ll give you and your friend bonus storage space. And for the next 30 days, the bonus amounts are double the size, with no limits on how many people you can refer.

• If you refer a friend that signs up for a Free account, you will earn 500 MB of free bonus storage.
• If you refer a friend that signs up for a Paid account, you can earn 10 GB of free bonus storage (requires that your friend completes the 30-day trial and becomes a paid user).
• When your friend signs up using your referral, he/she will also get a signup bonus of 500 MB or 10GB, depending on whether they sign up for a free vs. paid account.

After July 15th, the bonuses will drop down to 250 MB for a free referral and 5GB for a paid referral, so act fast.

We’ve made it really easy to refer friends. When you log into your SugarSync account on the web, you’ll see a banner for the referral program. Just click on the banner and you’ll go to a page where you can share your referral link with friends on Facebook or Twitter. You can also email your link directly by entering email addresses, or by selecting contacts from Gmail, Yahoo mail, Hotmail, or AOL. You can even paste your link into an IM or post it on your blog. Your friend must use your referral link when signing up for a new account for you to get credit.

SugarSync is all about the sharing — to make it even sweeter, we’re giving out referral bonuses when you use SugarSync to share folders with others. If you share a folder with someone that doesn’t yet have an account, and the shared folder leads your friend to sign up, you’ll get the same referral bonus described above. Now there’s a reason to collaborate!

Check out our referral program FAQ page for more details, but don’t forget the larger bonuses are available only through July 15th!

To start the publishing process go to the Photo Gallery and select the “Publish to Facebook” action, or simply click on the Facebook “F” icon.

You can initiate the publishing of photos from any of the other Album views. If you just wish to publish a single photo, drill down into the photo and select the “Publish to Facebook” command under Photo Actions. If you select instead “Publish Photos to Facebook” under the Album actions you will be able to choose multiple photos. When you select any of these commands you will be asked to enter your Facebook credentials, and you will get the chance of selecting an existing Facebook album or creating a new one. For the multiple photo case you have the opportunity to select any number of pictures from an album.

When you click on a photo a pink border will be shown around it indicating that the photo is selected for publishing. To deselect the photo, just click on it again and the pink border will go away. When you are done with the selection process, just press the “Publish” button.

Note that while selecting photos you can mouse over any of the photos and an “i” (information) icon will be shown in addition to a green border. If you position the mouse on top of that icon, a quick preview of the photo will be shown after a couple of seconds.

After pressing “Publish” you will get a confirmation message indicating that the transfer of photos to Facebook has started. Depending on how many photos you have selected the publishing process may take up to a few minutes. The maximum number of photos that can be published to a Facebook album is 200. If you are publishing just one photo, the application will return control to you once the publishing of that photo completes.

We are very excited to announce that today we are kicking off a new two week contest to find the most interesting, brilliant, fun, smart, creative and of course, practical stories about how people use SugarSync. The only rule is that we want details — tell us all about your SugarSyncing, the more colorful details the better. The five best stories will receive a new Dell Mini10 Netbook and each of the first 50 submissions will win a free SugarSync t-shirt (you win something just for being on the ball!).

So get typing, or filming or singing… however you want to tell your story works for us.

How has SugarSync helped you manage your digital life? Share the sweetness…

Submit your story here

Please submit your story by 11:59PM PST June 10, 2009. We will select and announce the winners of the contest on or before June 24, 2009.

For additional details please review the full contest terms and conditions.

One of our users wrote to tell us how he uses SugarSync to stream podcasts to his iPhone. I found out our VP of Engineering has also been doing this, so I thought it was time to share the story with everyone.

Let’s face it – some of us are lazy and don’t sync our iPhones with iTunes very often. This is fine with music collections that don’t change often, but it can lead to outdated podcasts on your phone.

With SugarSync, you can listen to the most recent podcasts on your phone without ever connecting your iPhone to iTunes!

Here’s how you can set this up:

In SugarSync, you should sync your Podcasts folder to the SugarSync cloud. If you use iTunes, podcasts are normally stored in a folder called “Podcasts” that lives in your iTunes Music folder.

Here’s an example of the path on a Mac:
[username]/Music/iTunes/iTunes Music/Podcasts

Here’s an example of the path on a PC:
c:\Documents and Settings\[username]\My Documents\My Music\iTunes\iTunes\iTunes Music\Podcasts

Here’s a tip to get the new podcasts as quickly as possible: in iTunes, select a blog, then click the Settings button at the bottom of the screen. For frequent updates, change “Check for new episodes” to “Every hour”.

Once you have this set up, here’s how it all works behind the scenes:
* iTunes will automatically download the new podcast episodes as they become available.
* SugarSync will detect the new podcast episodes and will immediately upload the files to the SugarSync cloud.
* From your iPhone, open the SugarSync application and navigate to the “Podcast” folder, then click on a file that corresponds to the new episode.
* SugarSync will stream the audio to your phone right away.

You’ll have access right away without having to physically plug your iPhone to your computer to get the latest podcast!

Let me add some color to the story by explaining how our VP of Engineering uses this for entertainment purposes: Our VP of Engineering is originally from Chile, but he has always been fascinated by U.S. politics. He subscribes to a right-wing political podcast and also a liberal left-wing podcast. He enjoys listening to how both sides can spin the issues in very different ways.  That’s his idea of entertainment

Each morning, the podcasts are published around the time he starts his drive into the office. From the car, he can start to play the new podcasts episodes as they are published.

If you’re an iPhone user, try it out. You can also stream your non-DRM protected music to your iPhone when you’re on the go. Either way, you’ve got entertainment ready to liven up your daily commute.

We’re on a mission to help people more easily manage their growing pool of digital stuff across all the various devices they use, both personally and professionally. Our vision is to create the easiest, most convenient way to let your digital files and media flow freely from one place to the next without you having to think about it.

SugarSync helps manage and expand your digital life to wherever you are and with whomever you want to share it. Whether you are streaming your music library through your phone or a friend’s computer, or accessing files that reside on your home computer when you’re at work, SugarSync makes the process simple and seamless.

We’ve also revamped the user interface and made SugarSync more user-friendly and easy to use. Managing and accessing music, files, photos and other media should not require technology expertise, and that’s why we want to keep it simple.

Please let us know what you think and if you love the experience as we hope you will, let your friends know, tweet about it, spread the sweetness!

Additionally, you can right click and execute SugarSync commands on files and folders under a SugarSync category.

The supported commands for various elements are: