We take that “other” cloud storage service for a ride.

Let’s face the facts— Box.net is our third-favorite cloud storage service— just behind Dropbox and iCloud. But when Box. net offered a limited-time 50GB of free storage for life, we were determined to make it work for us. With a little tinkering (and a whole lot of third-party add-ons) we made Box.net our premiere hosting, sharing, and collaborating cloud service.

What You’ll Need:

>> Box.net account (free)
>> Mac OS X
>> iOS device with Box.net app

Difficulty: Easy

1. Insta-Link Screen Captures

Linking screen captures is simple with Box.net. From the Box.net folder website, click Apps on the top-right banner. In the right corner of the subsequent page, click the Desktop category (under Browse Apps). Many of the apps in this folder are for paid subscribers to Box.net, but there are a few great downloads that aren’t. We recommend Box SimpleShare, an app that’ll insta-link any screen caps you take, and provide you with a Box.net link. Other promising screen capture apps, like Cloud App, limit your daily use. With Box.net’s free 5GB (or 50GB if you signed up for the promotion), you won’t have to worry about daily limits.

In preferences, you can set SimpleShare to delete your screenshot after it’s been uploaded— meaning no more desktops littered with irrelevant screenshots.

If you have problems with SimpleShare not uploading your files (an issue that a majority of Mac App Store reviews seem to imply) it’s because the folder SimpleShare is trying to upload to doesn’t exist (a glitch we hope they’ll fix quickly). If you’re plagued with this problem, go to your Box.net account and create a new folder called SimpleShare Uploads. SimpleShare will see that folder and begin uploading flawlessly.

You can drag and drop files to the SimpleShare menu bar icon for faster uploading.

2. Screencast on the Cheap

SimpleShare offers much more than screen-capture features. By pressing Shift-Cmd-5 (the 5 can be customized), you can start a screencast. Simply drag the cursor that appears to the area you want to screencast (like taking a screenshot) and click. Give SimpleShare a minute to catch up, and then begin screencasting.

If you’re using a Mac or an iOS device, you should almost certainly change your preferences to auto-upload in .mov or .mp4 format. FLV requires Flash, which Lion ships without.

When you’re finished, click the Stop Recording button underneath your selected area (Esc also works). The video that uploads to your Box.net account will be FLV, but by adjusting your Box.net settings (SimpleShare > Preferences > Recording > Format), you can also make it .mov or .mp4.

3. Collaborate on a Folder

Seriously, who knew there were so many rollerblading GIFs? Definitely worth sharing.

After you’ve created a folder filled with GIFs of rollerbladers, you can quickly share access to it. Hover over the folder you’d like to share and click the Share button on the far right. Under “Add Collaborators to This Folder” click Advanced Options. You can email access to anyone you can think of, or click Share Invite Link. Two separate links will appear, both with separate purposes. The first gives Editor access, which (as you can probably guess) lets people add, delete, and modify files. The second, Viewer access, allows them to quickly look at all the rollerblading GIFs without the editorial privileges.

4. Download it for iOS

Preview GIFs? Check.

The Box.net app is free for iPhone and iPad and it comes boasting plenty of features to make it worth your time. Besides being an excellent way to get photos from your computer to your phone or vice-versa (and yes, we know about Photo Stream; we’re talking about a curated stream here), it also has previews of GIFs and movies. But perhaps its best feature is giving users the ability to listen to music straight through the app. Plus, you can download every song for offline play by simply tapping “Save for Offline.”

Play your songs offline? Check.

5. Customize it with a Bunch of Add-Ons

New apps and add-ons are added daily, so make sure to return to see what the newest additions have to offer.

Whether you’re using Box.net to save pictures and music, or using it as a business solution for complex collaborations and revisions, you should definitely check out their add-ons (supplied at box.net/services). Here you can find both paid and free add-ons that will help you do everything from sharing your files on Facebook and Twitter to editing photos with Picnik to keeping track of your Receipts, and even connecting to Microsoft Office for easy storage and collaboration.