Once you've performed this procedure, the folder in question is automatically synced to the Dropbox servers and to your other Dropbox-configured computers and devices. On your other computers, you see the actual folder and its contents--not a symbolic link--letting you access and modify the data inside the folder; changes are immediately synced back to the original Mac.

There are a few caveats to keep in mind when using symbolic links with Dropbox. First, if you're thinking of linking to your Applications folder to sync your applications between your Macs, don't. Besides Mac OS-specific issues that may arise, there's currently a . (Each Mac application is actually a bundle of many--even thousands--of files, so your Applications folder would easily trigger this issue.) Similarly, don't link to your iPhoto library. Second, don't link directly to a file; link only to folders. Linking to a file can result in the symlink being replaced by the file itself when syncing. Finally, and perhaps most important, if you later decide not to sync a linked folder, be sure to delete the symbolic link only from the computer on which it was created. If you delete the folder from a different computer, the next Dropbox sync will delete the linked data on the original computer, as well, even though the original data isn't located inside the Dropbox folder.

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