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HIGH TECH/ High Touch TIPS You Can Use  

   

You want to retain your privacy, yet more and more websites require a secure password access for your use.  Remembering them all can be a strain.... refreshing them often even more of a strain... having your computer retain them leaves you vulnerable.  What's an Internet user to do?

Have a plan or a structured sequence that you might utilize and remember.  Doug Maxwell, the CTO of Insala, technology partners to the Association of Career Professionals International offers the following "chart."

Creating The Effective, Yet Unforgettable Password
By Doug Maxwell, Insala Chief Technology Officer

Passwords are an important, albeit frustrating necessity in today's computing. Choosing the right password is vital to maintain adequate security. While a password such as "password" is an easy to remember option, this obviously provides little protection. However, choosing and remembering difficult to crack passwords is possible. Below is a collection of tips and tricks that can help in this effort.

Tips:

* Use at least 8 characters.
* Use a combination of letters and numbers or punctuation.
* Do not use easy to guess passwords such as your birth date, phone number, family member's name, pet's name, etc.
* Do not use words found in a dictionary.
* Change your password frequently, as often as every month.
* Do not write down your password.
* Do not share your password with others.
* Do not let anyone watch you enter your password.
* Do not check the "remember my password" feature on computers to which others may have access.
* Do not use the same password for all of your accounts.

Tricks:

* Write down hints that will remind you of your password without writing down the actual password.
* Use a phrase to create complex passwords. For example, a phrase such as "After 5 years, I received my master's degree in 2003!" becomes "a5yrMS03!"
* Remove vowels or consonants from a word. Alternatively replace these with numbers or punctuation. For example, "creativity" could be cr#@t!v!ty."
* Do not use words found in a dictionary.

From  the Feb 2004 INFOLINK ENewsletter 

Bob Maher, CMF, The Careerpilot

Bob created his online presence, www.careerpilot.com, in 1994.  He has over twenty years of successful experience in Corporate Recruitment, performance management and Career Management Services.  He is an entrepreneur and innovator in the use of information technology in the recruitment and employment process.  On the Founder's Council of the Association of Career Professionals - International and quite active in their Professional Development, Technology and Chapter Growth initiatives--a frequent speaker at industry conferences and seminars. Awarded his professional Association's prestigious "LIFE ACHIEVEMENT AWARD" in 2006.

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert J. Maher, CMF, has been in the career services field since 1980, and mostly as an independent since 1983. Bob has provided services or spoken to audiences in most major metropolitan areas of the US, and several in Canada and the UK. He has served a very broad-based and diverse clientele over the years with a solid reputation for effective group facilitation, one-on-one coaching, marketing support and consultation at all levels, including executive.