Bubsy and Other Embarassing Words

Photo by Randy Pertiet

It's something your great grandparents never dealt with.

(No, I'm not referring to talk shows, Halloween decorations, or cleaning the bathroom.)

I'm talking about passwords--those pesky little names or numbers you must accumulate to protect everything from your bank account to your business e-mail and everything in between.

In honor of Friday being the day we focus on the office, here are some tips for keeping yourself safe:

1. Don't use the same password for every site. Reason goes to show that if someone figures out your favorite child or song, they'll unlock your entire life.

2. Be careful what you write down. If you must write down your passwords, do so cryptically enough that someone else's discovery of your list won't mean your entire life is destroyed. (i.e., Avoid writing MY LIST OF PASSWORDS at the top of the page. And never put this list on the fridge.)

3. Keep it to yourself. Change your passwords from time to time, and never, EVER tell untrustworthies what they are. If you do need to enlist the help of someone who receives your password (such as the "trustworthy IT guy") change it as soon as possible.

Here is a great strategy for creating passwords and keeping 'em straight:

Choose a password that pleases you: 1970Bubsy and then add the first word of each site in front of it to keep the password unique for each site. So your bank account might be Bank1970Bubsy and your church prayer list might be Church1970Bubsy and your e-mail might be ... you get the point.

Someday, we'll exchange our little phrases for biometrics, and our great grandchildren will have a hay day discussing what their ancestors did for safety. Until then, stay safe.