PASSWORDS

Yes, passwords. They have become the albatross around our neck, the chain around our ankles, and as we use more websites - increasingly difficult to remember. A good example of this was last week, while on a call, the client asked me if I could help him with his email. I asked him what was wrong and he said he couldn't get mail on his tablet anymore, and it all started when he had to change his mail password at GMAIL two days earlier.

"Well then", I said, "What did you change your password to?" [ed. - silence, crickets in the night, more silence] The client's head slung down like he couldn't hold it up any longer, but finally, he pulled his head up and said those all too familiar words - "I don't remember". Only two days had passed and he was clueless to what his password was.

It's times like these I scratch my head; decades ago we were also told to never write a password down which is impractical in the World of today. I probably have over 100 passwords with different password schemes, and the only I can remember is the one I use to log into the daily work schedule. There are several ways you can manage your passwords:

• A secure password utility that stores your (encrypted) passwords and is a program unto itself
• Norton has what they call a password "VAULT". This comes with it's anti-virus software and requires just one password to open it. Once it is opened, if you click on VAULT OPEN a long list of places you go to that require a login name and password appear (like your favorites list) only when I click on a place like my bank, it pulls up my banks homepage and fills in the name and password for me - easy.

• This 3rd one is simple: write them down on a pad, in a journal, or a blank book - but all in one place and put it somewhere you can easily get to, but doesn't stick out and shout "HEY, I have passwords in here".

And it should go without saying (if you're a regular reader here) to make your passwords as creative as possible. Use phrases rather than one word, and an exclamation point in the middle or at the end of it, along with other tips I've passed along -

'Nuff Said,

Brian