I have photos stored on Facebook. I have spreadsheets stored in Google Docs. I have documents stored in Box. And I have videos stored on YouTube. Which is great--until I want access to these files when I'm offline. I could go to each site and download all of my files until I've amassed an offline collection of my stuff. Or I could just turn to SocialFolders, a service that offers an idea that's so simple--it syncs the content you have on your social sites to your desktop--I have to wonder why someone didn't think of it before.

SocialFolders is both an application and a Web service: You download a component to your desktop, which creates a SocialFolders folder that you can access via Windows Explorer. Then you head to socialfolders.me, where you create an account and start connecting your social services. SocialFolders supports Box, Evernote, Facebook, Flickr, Google Docs, Instagram, Photobucket, Picasa, SmugMug, Twitter, and YouTube. (The free version of SocialFolders limits you to three services and 2,000 files; a Premium account, which costs $10 per year, is unlimited.)

SocialFolders does more than just create a backup of your files. It also lets you access your friends' photos and files (as long as their privacy settings allow you to do so), and to create an offline copy of these documents, too. I found this a very handy way to grab photos of my nieces and nephews that my siblings share on Facebook. I did notice that some of the photos that SocialFolders downloaded for me looked to be slightly lower res than they appeared when viewed on Facebook, though. The company says that it does not change the resolution of photos when they're downloaded, but that it relies on the API of the social site itself. For example, SocialFolders uses Facebook's default upload API, which can reduce photo resolution. The company does note that most of the photo-sharing sites it supports lets users download photos in full resolution, though.

Minor issue with photo resolution aside, I was quite impressed with SocialFolders. It offers a free and easy way to make sure you always have a backup of your precious online data.

--Liane Cassavoy