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	So what's the big deal about backing up my data?
	Data loss costs businesses and home users a lot of money and time - the cost to the US is around $11 billion a year. No matter how stable and secure our PCs may appear to be we have to remember that like any other mechanical device they are prone to break down, either because of software or hardware failure. When software fails, the results are annoying but not usually terribly disastrous - you might only lose a few hours work. When hardware such as your hard drive fails, however, you can lose everything on your computer. This event is also not as rare as you might think - around 80% of data loss episodes are caused by hardware failure. Also, one of the big problems is that backing up important files onto CDs or other backup storage tend to not work very well for small businesses and home users. To make this solution work, the company or user must be extremely diligent in regularly backing up their data. This is fine for larger companies because they will probably have a full time person to do this, but for everyone else it just tends to not get done. The second big problem is that data backups need to be kept away from the computer; in the event of fire, flood or theft, if you have left the backups near the computer, then they are likely to be lost as well as the originals. BuddyBackup helps to solve these problems.
	So how does BuddyBackup work?
	The software works by backing up your files over the internet onto your friends, family and colleagues' computers. The system works so that while you can backup to them, they can also backup to you. This provides a cheap, easy and safe way of making sure our important data is securely stored. BuddyBackup runs invisibly in the background on your computer constantly watching your files. It acts to make sure that you have a backup of the latest version of your files at all times. You should hardly notice BuddyBackup running until you need to recover lost files, in which case it will automatically fetch them back again.
	Why not just use recordable CD's/flash drives/USB keys?
	These items can be a cheap and reasonable way of backing up your data, but they are not foolproof. Firstly you have to be diligent about backing up your data every time you work and most people are not - 3 out of 5 people have lost data they though they had backed up. Secondly, you also have to be careful about where you leave your backups; having backup CDs next to your computer may not help you if you have a fire or a flood (or even potentially a theft). Also, if your data contains sensitive information, you may have to take extra precautions when backing up. Finally, we should simply be able to do better than this: why should we have burn a CD or rummage around behind a computer to insert our USB key when we have a perfect method of saving our backups: the internet. This product aims to make backup easier, and safer than using CDs and USB keys.
	I don't like the sound of backing up my files onto other people's computers!How do I know it's safe?
	You have the ability to pick who can receive your backups and who can backup to you. This means that, should you wish, you can limit this to trusted friends, family and colleagues Also, all the files backed up onto other computers are encrypted using AES 128 bit encryption. Simply put, all your files are encoded with a password you choose, meaning that no-one can read your files without the password. Furthermore, even the filenames are encrypted so recipients don't even know what the files are.
	So it's completely secure?
	BuddyBackup uses well known and well tested third party cryptography software which means that you can be sure that your files will be secure as long as you choose a strong password and not reveal it to anyone.
	Can I back up my whole computer?
	Unfortunately, no this is not possible. Often, the majority of data stored on computers is the operating system and program files. These are often considered not "vital" since they can be re-installed so BuddyBackup is not really intended to back these up. The internet cannot support such huge amounts of data being passed around, nor are people's hard drives likely to be able to fit them on. Therefore, BuddyBackup is intended to back up your files and documents (the kind of things you might put in "My Documents"). If you really want to have a full hard drive backup, what might be appropriate would be to occasionally use another product which backs up the full hard drive (such as Norton Ghost or NTBackup), and to use BuddyBackup as your day to day backup solution.
	So how much can I back up?
	You can back up as much data as you are willing to share with your "backup buddies". For example, if you offer 500MB for your buddies, then you can back up 500MB of your data. Note that amount of actual data you can backup can vary: the files are all compressed which means that in many cases you can backup more than the original file sizes. On the other hand, BuddyBackup will make several copies of the files amongst your backup buddies which will mean you can backup less. The best way to use BuddyBackup is to keep an eye on how much space you are using and adjust what you want to backup accordingly.
	What about movies and pictures, can I back those up?
	You certainly can back these up, and indeed any kind of files, but remember that you can only have a limited amount of space allowance to back up. It is up to you to decide what is important to you.
	How should I organise which files to backup?
	BuddyBackup works by watching whole directories of your choice (for example My Documents). You may find, however that this contains a lot of files you don't actually want backed up. One good way of organising your files is to create a new folder in My Documents called, say, Backups and get BuddyBackup to watch that. You can then copy whatever you want into this folder, or work on files directly in it and everything in it will be backed up as you work.
	How many backup buddies can/should I have?
	The ideal number of backup buddies is somewhere in the region of 2-5 buddies. You can have as many backup buddies as you want, but remember this does not change the total amount of data you can back up - if you have ten backup buddies, you can still only backup as much data as if you had one buddy. Also, if you have too many buddies your files will be spread out amongst a lot of people, and in the event of data recovery you may need more people to be online to get your data back.
	How should I choose buddies?
	The best kind of buddies are people who are often online at the same time as you and are people you know. Remember that in the event of data recovery, you will need some of your buddies online. Being able to contact buddies at any time to ask them to turn on their PC is a useful thing.
	What if none of my buddies are online?
	When you have files that need backing up BuddyBackup will just queue the files that need to be backed up, and will back them up the next time someone comes online. If you are recovering lost data then you do need to have some of your buddies online to recover the data. In this situation it is helpful if you can get in touch with your buddies to ask them to turn on their computer. If the situation is not urgent then BuddyBackup will recover the data as and when they come online.
	Isn't it a hassle having buddies online to be able to get data back?
	A little bit yes, but it should be noted that recovering lost data is something which will happen rarely. Also, if it is not immediately vital data, then no effort is actually required at all because the data will be recovered as and when your buddies come online. If the data is needed now then it could be argued that it is reasonable to contact your buddies by phone or otherwise and ask them to turn on their PC. Remember, they are using BuddyBackup too and they'll know that someday they might have to do the same thing to you!
	Will BuddyBackup use up my network bandwidth
	BuddyBackup uses a special compression system which means that the amount of data sent across the internet is minimal. This system works by only sending the changes to your files across the network. For example, if you are working on a word processing document which has already been backed up by BuddyBackup and you add a couple of pages, only the new pages are sent over the internet. You may notice a drag on the internet when you first backup a series of files. This is simply because the first backup is being made. After this, however, you should not notice it at all. Having said this, BuddyBackup does require a broadband connection to work effectively.
	How do I get the software?
	Please refer to the download page for instructions on downloading the software and getting started.
	Can I invite friends to use this software?
	Definitely! In fact without friends, family and colleagues the whole BuddyBackup system won't work so go right ahead. You can point people to this web site yourself or you can use the Add New Buddy feature of the software which will send an e-mail invitation to your friends on your behalf.
	And what happens if I lose my data?
	If you have just lost some data but your PC is still working, then you can recover the data from BuddyBackup without having to recover it from your backup buddies. Simply find the file in the BuddyBackup explorer, double click on it and recover whichever version you want. If you have completely lost everything and your PC is not working then you will need to recover your lost files from your buddies. If you have access to a friend's PC then get them to install BuddyBackup. Then, use the special guest mode version (by clicking on the icon in the start menu). This will allow you to recover your files from another computer. If you have your own PC (for example after a broken PC is repaired) then simply reinstall BuddyBackup and your files will be recovered automatically. Please see Recovering lost data for more details.
	What operating systems does BuddyBackup run on?
	Currently it will only run on Microsoft Windows XP. However, this is only a short term restriction and the final version will be available on a variety of platforms including Linux and Mac

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