The Login Ceremony

It’s the one thing about the Internet that drives us all batty: passwords.

If you click the wrong keystroke, nothing happens. Platforms are also becoming more and more insistent that users create more complicated passwords — all the better to protect you with — but how the heck do you remember them all?

There are reputable websites that offer to store all your passwords, to keep them safe. Well, then you need a password to get your passwords. Who can be sure that site can’t be hacked any more than the sites your other passwords belong to?

There are no guarantees.

You DO need complicated passwords: a combination of upper/lower case letters, numbers, and symbols or phrases. You need a unique password for every site you visit, especially the ones you visit the most, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Google.

When it comes to storing those passwords, I say do what is easiest for you. If you need a hard copy, fine, but make sure it doesn’t get into external hands, and always, always, always have an electronic backup saved somewhere in the Cloud. Otherwise you risk not knowing how to complete the login ceremony.

Originally published November 1, 2015, freelancepublishing.net, Debbie Elicksen