How to Manually Manage Your Passwords

Managing passwords is a daunting feat, even in this day and age of one-click password programs. And, especially in this day, where every site or service wants you to create an account with a user name and password. That is why I have used the following password maintenance plan for the last 20 years, and still believe it to be beneficial today.

Start by creating five tiers for password usage. Number 5 is the highest level and hardest, most secure password. Number 1 is the easiest to remember password that is used on the least secure situations. Never write any of these passwords down. The point is to make them easy for you to remember, but difficult for others to guess.

Computer username and password, is your highest level security and should be a minimum of 8 to 15 alpha-numeric characters with some caps. Do not use real words in and of themselves, or numeric sequences. One way to make this password or any other password would be to open the dictionary or the phonebook and blindly pick a listing. You might come out with "lawnmower" either on page 944, or with 944 in phone number.

Now change characters in the word to something similar to "L4wNm0w3R944", or "L4wN944m0w3R".  I now have two different passwords that can be used in any of the top tiers of my security system. The first makes the second easier to remember and visa versa. (please note that this is only an example and you should create your own passwords). In order to make some passwords easier to remember, start with the highest level and then pare down to use for a less secure level.

Also, make up different usernames for each level of security. This will not only make it easier to remember the individual passwords, but makes it more difficult for a hacker to break into your accounts, since they will have to decrypt the user name and password.

5.   Highest level of security is reserved for your computer name and password. You and only you know this password and it is never written down or given to ANY other person. It could be one of the two passwords similar to the example above. It should be changed or twice a year or more frequently.

4.  Second highest level for use on Company business account and/or your email account. Never write this password down, or give it away. It should be changed once or twice a year.

3.  This is the password used to log into other hardware in your home, such as a router or a server. This password should be changed at least once a year. Levels three an four might be reversed for some users, as they may feel that the router is more important than email. This is up to the individual.

2. Third highest level is the password used for most social networking site(s). If you allow your browser to save passwords, then this password should be changed very frequently.

1.  Lowest level of security, should be a minimum of 6 to 8 alpha-numeric characters, and is nothing similar to any of the other security level passwords. This is your throw away password. This is the password used when registering on websites, etc, in which you may only need to log on once, in order to redeem some special discount, etc.

I also use a throw away user name and password below number 1. I have no worries about having this account compromised. I have a made up name and password that I use when I am unsure of a websites, authenticity and or spam policies. If I start getting unsolicited mail, etc. directed to this username, I know that one of those sites has given it out, and I throw it away and make up another.

Related Articles

• Tips For Avoiding Scams & Keeping Passwords Safe (parenting-success.com)
• Google Gives You Fewer Passwords (marketingpilgrim.com)

Using Twitter to Keep a Diary

I have questioned whether Twitter could be a valuable tool beyond marketing, and now I have found an answer. I found the article referenced below about using it for a pain log, but it occurred to me that this idea could be pushed for any time you want to keep a running log of events in your life.

Lisa Copen Writes for "Chronic Illness and Pain Support", "Now is the time for those of us who have a chronic illness to let Twitter worked for us!"

With a private account on the social networking tool, Twitter is perfect for chronic pain sufferers to keep a pain log or daily diary. Lisa gives 5 ideas for using Twitter as a logging or diary tool.

1. Create a private account just for your pain log.

2. You can send posts of 140 characters or less from your cell phone as well as computer.

3. Start by sending posts about anything you want or answer the question, "What did you do today?".

4. Print out your posts before your next doctors appointment and highlight any changes in pattern or pain.

5. Use a program on your computer to manage more than one account, so that you can keep personal and non-personal Twitter accounts.

These ideas make it much easier to keep my daily diary. It is sometimes very difficult to find the time each day to write things down, but Twitting is something I already do. Maybe it is something you may want to do now, as well.

Accept - Your Facebook Profile Is Being Phished

You see it everyday. "Your best friend, John Doe, just took the "This Stupid Quiz. Take the quiz and see how stupid you think it is." This actual quiz may or may not actually exist. I wouldn't doubt it, one bit. The quizzes may be made by anyone, even yourself.

The platform that they are created on, and stored on belong to private companies and Facebook development teams. Their primary intent is to entice you to "Accept" their terms and conditions, which allow them to use your information about you and your friends information.

Wow, do you realize how many times you have put yourself out to the world at large? Each of these quizzes and games may be fun or slightly interesting to you, but rest assured that they are much more interesting to those who accessing your personal information.

My wife, Sharon, seemed skeptical. Last night she was on Facebook. She commented that one of the Ads had gotten her name incorrect. It asked her, "Kristin", with a picture of my wife, if she would like to take the quiz and match it to that of her friend.

She clicked on the ad. She clicked on the "Accept" button, without reading the fine print. Now she is taking the quiz and the software has learned of it's mistake and begin calling her Sharon instead of Kristin. Coincidence? I know that it is not. I have spent my career creating web systems that cache or collect a users information. For the business it is imperative to learn as much about the clientele as possible, in order to provide the most focused advertising and statistics for their clients.

Next time, don't just click "Accept" and go through to the game. Read the fine print. Because I did, I now know why I keep getting advertising for impotence and not women's hygiene products. I know why my face book knows that I am a 47 year old, male, Motley Crew fan.