Overview
Current and archived HATDS documents are stored in a free Dropbox Basic
account.
Although a Dropbox account is not required to view or download files, an account is required to edit and sync files. Ideally all HATDS directors maintain their own Dropbox account while serving on the Board. The account can be deleted when no longer needed or the HATDS folder can be removed from a personal account (see More Information at the bottom of this page for instructions).
There are several top-level Dropbox folders administered by HATDS. For information about all of the top-level folders, click the Why multiple folders? button below.
Privileges and Warning
Under current policy you will be given full editing privileges when you join the HATDS Board of Directors Folder. You may
- edit any file or subfolder. This includes creating, deleting, editing, and moving files and folders.
- invite anyone to view the HATDS Board of Directors folder.
- remove yourself or anyone else from the shared folder (see More Information at the bottom for instructions).
Please be careful that you don't unintentionally delete or move a file or folder, and do not share the folder with anyone who has no pressing need to see HATDS archives.
For the same reasons, former board members and other volunteers who no longer need editing privileges should have their access removed (or remove it themselves; see More Information below), but only after confirming that they don't need access to any file or subfolder.
Since former directors often continue to do other volunteer work for HATDS, they may need access to files in the Board folder that are not directly related to serving on the board, such as Safety Team, Dance Forms, Sound, Financials, etc.
Most Used
The subfolders and files used the most by board members are
- Board Documents by Year / current year (minutes, templates, action items, time away, meeting topics and goals specific to this board)
- Board Policies and Procedures (Who What Where, bylaws and other legal documents)
- Compliance Documents (Timeline and Compliance Log, bylaws)
Saving Files
HATDS documents must be saved in a file format that is a) readable and editable across operating systems and office software, and b) is hopefully future-proof. The Microsoft Open XML formats (.docx and .xlsx) are preferred.
For much more about file formats and why we don't use Google, see the File Formats page.
More Information
HATDS has been using Dropbox since 2014. We chose it over Google Drive and other competitors because it
- was format and vendor agnostic;
- had a free plan with more than enough space for our needs;
- had a polished, easy-to-use interface;
- had excellent desktop integration on all operating systems;
- had very good online help;
- had an excellent, all-inclusive versioning system;
- did not pester users with emails or ads for addtional space or products;
- did not have a business model based on collecting and selling user data.
- was not Google .
As of 2022, most of these criteria are still true.
In free Dropbox accounts such as ours, editing privileges applied to a top level folder extend to all of that folder's subfolders and files. To limit access to appropriate personnel, separate top level folders need to be created.
Another reason for separate top-level folders is that files in shared folders count toward the disk space of anyone who has their own personal Dropbox account. For that reason alone, you don't want to be a member of shared folders that you don't need access to.
The top-level folders are:
- The HATDS Board of Directors Folder. In addition to the Board, specific other volunteers such as the treasurer and membership coordinator—whether they are on the board or not—also have editing privileges.
- The Bayou Bedlam folder contains graphics and other files that are specific to the BB committee.
- The Contra Dan's folder contains tunes used by Contra Dan's Community Band.
- The ECD Callers folder contains resources used by the HATDS English dance callers.
- The Hall Search folder is for our efforts at finding suitable halls.
- The Set for Spring folder is used by the SFS organizers in Austin, Dallas, Houston, Oklahoma City, and San Antonio.