Below is the guide that Google gives out to users on how to create and handle passwords.  I do disagree a little with one tip here.

“Never write your password down.”   I feel that you should never write it down on something you carry in your wallet or purse EVER!!!  Realistically it is very hard even for someone like me to keep up with everything.   I mean I probably have passwords for 50 websites some of which are not that important and others are very important and I want them to be secure.  Do all of those logins use the same username?  Trying to remember all the different username and password combinations I have is hard.  Any of you use online banking?   Protect your passwords like your social security number.  Even that is on your SS card right?

My advice is to keep track of your passwords in a small notpad or small spiral notebook you buy for $1 at Wal-Mart, Dollar Tree, Walgreens, etc…   You can keep up with the website address, username and passwords.   This “little black book” of passwords NEVER NEVER EVER leaves your home.  Leave it on your computer desk or even a fire safe.   If you are worried someone might steal that book then that goes into home security which is outside the scope of this post.  Those that know me know the answer for that problem.

Another suggestion.  Use a password scheme.  Find a sentence or phrase that you can remember.  Just like the information below, change the letters to numbers and you will have a strong password.  @ for A’s, 3 for E’s, Zeroes for 0’s, $ for S’s.  Make it hard.  8 characters or more if at all possible.  Some sites won’t let you use something this hard…  I say dumb it down but keep the same scheme or base password.

Example would be: 

Use SavvySteve for all your PC repairs! = Us4@ypr!

Below is from Google -> https://www.google.com/accounts/PasswordHelp

How safe is your password?

The first step in protecting your online privacy is creating a safe password – i.e. one that a computer program or persistent individual won’t easily be able to guess in a short period of time. To help you choose a secure password, we’ve created a feature that lets you know visually how safe your password is as soon as you create it.

Tips for creating a secure password:

• Include punctuation marks and/or numbers.
• Mix capital and lowercase letters.
• Include similar looking substitutions, such as the number zero for the letter ‘O’ or ‘$’ for the letter ‘S’.
• Create a unique acronym.
• Include phonetic replacements, such as ‘Luv 2 Laf’ for ‘Love to Laugh’.

Things to avoid:

• Don’t use a password that is listed as an example of how to pick a good password.
• Don’t use a password that contains personal information (name, birth date, etc.)
• Don’t use words or acronyms that can be found in a dictionary.
• Don’t use keyboard patterns (asdf) or sequential numbers (1234).
• Don’t make your password all numbers, uppercase letters or lowercase letters.
• Don’t use repeating characters (aa11).

Tips for keeping your password secure:

• Never tell your password to anyone (this includes significant others, roommates, parrots, etc.).
• Never write your password down.
• Never send your password by email.
• Periodically test your current password and change it to a new one.

Posted on 25 January 2010 | 12:29 pm - permalink