Dare I say it? That one word that makes you cringe every time someone asks you, what is your….for…..? I bet you can guess what it is now so hold on, Password.
Passwords will be the death of us! These days there is a password for everything from email to banking to making an appointment. Yes, they can be painful but they are meant to protect our identity and our account so that no one else can get our vital information.
You are probably thinking about that book you wrote your passwords in or wondering which piece of paper has your password for the account you just created. For those a little more tech savvy, you might be referring to your iPhone’s note application or address book under Madonna which is your code name for passwords. Did I cover them all? There are better ways of storing your precious passwords such as using an application on your iPhone. I use 1Password which is an amazing app that helps keep me and my business from going crazy when I’m asked for a password.
If you are the type that really wants to exercise their brain and remember your passwords maybe this system will work. Please note, this was a method that was shared with me and its just another idea for helping you keep track of your passwords. When having to create a password for an account you could ask yourself, “Where am I going?” The answer would be two letters representing the name of the company you need the password for followed by 2-4 numbers and possibly a pets name or something like it. For example, if you have to create a password for Verizon it would look like this: Vzfriday2015. I personally have never tried this method but if it helps you remember, by all means do whatever works!
For those of you using Gmail, please do yourself a huge favor and don’t forget this password! Let me repeat, Gmail users do NOT forget your password. I love Gmail and use it frequently but they have the worse password reset system (list the 5 most frequent contacts you email, when did you start using Gmail, what was the last password you remember) in the world. Worst part is, if you can not answer the questions correctly you are out of luck. I know! I am still trying to pick my jaw up off the floor. I can’t believe that one of the biggest email providers, if not the biggest, has no way of helping you retrieve a forgotten password. There is no one to help support you as Google does not have anyone dedicated to support for Gmail or a way to access your account. If you forget your password and can not remember you can not get into your account. Everything is lost.
Remember, these are just suggestions. Passwords are not going away anytime soon so we have to make the best of it for now. What methods have worked for you in remembering passwords?
UPDATED:
One more note on passwords, when it comes to your security questions mix it up a bit. Hackers don’t need your passwords when they can just guess the anwsers to your secruity questions and reset the password. Yes, it will be more of a hassle for you, but if you are using a password manager like 1Password then you can add your “hints” to the notes section within the app.
Think about it, you know those “fun” all-in-one “About Me” chain letters a friend tags you in on Facebook asking you to fill out. The ones that ask what street did you grow up on? Where did your parents meet? What city were you born in? Starting to sound too familiar? Well, while those maybe fun in the moment, but they are a great way for hackers to get a head start on taking over your accounts, now that everything is in one place. As always be cautious when sharing your information especially online.