Dropbox popularity explodes in 2011, now serves 25 million users

Dropbox usage increases from 4 million accounts in 2010 to 25 million in 2011, with roughly 200 million new files being stored daily.

Dropbox is simple in concept. The initially free service offers online storage in much the same way that e-mail portals like Gmail and Yahoo Mail do, only users can upload any files they want, provided they have the space. A basic account gives you 2GB of remote storage to fill up, though that number can be increased either with a paid account or by referring new users.

It is an enormously useful service for those who have data they’d like to keep safe, which in this day and age amounts to roughly everyone. People are starting to catch on too, as the company has seen enormous growth in the past year. There are now 25 million users signed on with Dropbox, TechCrunch has learned. It is an exponential increase over last year’s number of 4 million and 2009's 2 million. Those 25 million users are remotely storing 200 million files daily, which amounts to roughly 1 million uploads every five minutes.

While Dropbox is not without its competitors, the cloud storage service scores high marks from users for offering the option of syncing all content across multiple platforms. There are mobile apps and desktop clients for just about every operating system out there, offering instant access to remotely stored content for those who use multiple web-connected platforms in the course of their daily business dealings.

TechCrunch has the word from Dropbox in advance of its official news release, which should be coming sometime today. Interestingly, there is no mention of how the rising number of users has impacted the company’s earnings. That free 2GB of storage is plenty for an average user who is mainly concerned with backing up important text documents.

Larger businesses take advantage of the service’s sharing features to distribute materials to groups, but it’s a safe bet that the larger portion of those 25 million users are signed up for just the basic free package. The question now is if the dramatic rise in usage will lead to any changes in the company’s business model, since more people means more bandwidth and more total storage space being consumed.

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LinkedIn hits 100 million members

Facebook might be the dominant social networking service, but LinkedIn's social network for professionals has just hit 100 million members.

LinkedIn has always been a social networking service with a bit of a twist: instead of encouraging people to play games, amass as many “friends” as possible, and encourage outrageous online behavior, LinkedIn has

targeted professionals and job-seekers, enabling folks to make connections with their professions and industries. And while Facebook is the dominant player in the social networking market, LinkedIn is still experiencing extraordinary growth: the site now claims to have more than 100 million users, more than half of whom are outside the United States.
“This isn’t just a big milestone for us—it’s also an important one for all of you, our members, who’ve helped build the LinkedIn network,” wrote LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner. “We’re most inspired that by connecting talent with opportunity at massive scale, we’re changing people’s lives in meaningful and sustainable ways. Each of our 100 million members has a unique story — from finding a job, to recruiting talent, to sourcing new deals, and even starting a business.”
LInkedIn notes that its service is used in more than 200 countries around the world, and that more than half LinkedIn’s members come from outside the United States. The company also notes that execs from all Fortune 500 companies are members of LinkedIn, and the service is showing very strong growth in Mexico and Brazil—Brazil’s membership growth was 428 percent in the last year. The site claims more than 1.3 billion connections have been made amongst its members, and education, facilities services, and ranching (of all things) are among the industries with the fastest year-on-year growth. And, lest one think LinkedIn is all button-down and business-like, there are 74 profiles that list “Elvis impersonator” as a position—and one who claims to be a “martini whisperer.”
Social networking services like Twitter, Facebook, and Groupon are hot in the investment community, and LinkedIn is currently seeking to raise about $175 million in an initial public offering. However, despite significant growth in subscriber numbers and its international representation, LinkedIn does face problems with “stickiness,” or how often its members use the service. In a regulatory filing in January, the company indicated a “substantial” majority of its users visit the side less than once a month. LinkedIn is hoping to combat that trend with new services aimed at job-seekers and recent grads, as well as news feeds tailored to users’ industries and interests.
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