Public Folders in Mobile Me can be password protected. They can also be set as Read Only, using the iDisk tab of the MobileMe System Preference pane. Here, in a section called Your iDisk Public Folder you will see an option to Allow others to: and you will be able to set this to Read only or Read and Write. If you set it to Read only then while users will be able to see the files you store on your iDisk they will not be able to alter them. If you set it to Read and Write then other users will be able to upload to your Public Folder.
But if you check that box for Password-protect your public folder then you might wonder just what username and password combination to use. Well, the password is simple enough, just click on the Set Password button. But the username… Click on the link listed in the Preference pane and you’ll be asked not just for a password but also for a user name. It’s public. Simple enough, but who’d have guessed. Obviously you can also use your actual MobileMe username and password, but most users aren’t going to want to hand that out to others.
When you provide others with access then you will tell them to do one of two things. #1, open http://public.me.com/ followed by your username. When they are prompted they’ll enter public for the user name and then the password you set as the password. The other way is from a Mac, click on the Finder, then click on Go, then click on iDisk, then click on Other User’s Public Folder. Here they’ll be prompted for a username and password. That too is the username public followed by the password you entered in the System Preference pane.
In order to upload and download files you will have an easier time of it, assuming that the MobileMe System Preference pane already has your username and password stored. All you have to do is click on the Go menu, then click on iDisk and then click on My iDisk. Or, use the keystroke combo of Command-Shift-I. In your iDisk you’ll see a folder called Public, which should mirror what others see in your iDisk.
