Secrets, we all have them and although we may tell a certain few some of our stuff, we don’t air all our dirty laundry. Some things are OK to tell others like the time I cheated on a Calculus exam. Other things aren’t OK to tell other people. Notice I didn’t give up any potentially incriminating evidence about myself.

Passwords are one of those things you should go to your grave not letting others know. Like secrets, passwords have different values depending on their use. Based on their importance, passwords should also have a hierarchy.

Over the past several weeks we’ve had a fair number of customers complain their passwords have been deleted from their system. Based on current viruses, it’s become essential to clear the internet browser’s memory during our process. Unfortunately for many customers, the only place their passwords are stored is within the browser.

So this week I want to discuss passwords and consolidate some password basics. First, I’m going to outline how to create a good password. Then I’ve decided to talk about security of passwords at various levels. Finally, I’m going to talk about the various types of passwords you will stumble across in your daily technology filled lives.

Creating a password is essential to maintaining your online privacy. “Password123,” “jones1954,” and “sox14” are really bad passwords because they’re fairly obvious and easy to guess. Good passwords should be at least eight characters and must be made up of numbers, letters, characters, and capitals.

My rule is to pick a nearby object and modify its name. Because I have a stapler nearby I’m going to use the word “swingline.” Because it’s fairly easy to guess, I’m going to modify it using my rules. Applying my formula I’m left with the combination “5w1nGl1n$.” My math brain estimates this combo would take roughly 200 million tries to decipher; making it an excellent password.

Alright, so we’ve hammered the most important password lesson. Now we’re going to talk a bit about who should be given access to password protected stuff. Email and financial site passwords should never be shared with anyone. Anytime a password is forgotten on any site, new passwords are almost always emailed to the primary address.

There is a time and place when handing out passwords is acceptable. Wireless passwords to family and trusted friends are OK to share. Sometimes an accountant or lawyer will need access to business accounts and that’s acceptable. There are times when passwords must be given to access a computer. Other than that I can’t think of any other reason why we’d want to share a password.

Storing passwords is a tricky one and something you should take great care doing. Every day I handle machines with passwords written on scraps of paper and taped to the computer. Most people, as I said earlier, rely on their computer to remember all their information. Additionally, there are third party software utilities that store passwords in encrypted files and insert them while you’re surfing. None of these are good ideas.

Your passwords should be stored in a safe location at your place of business or home. If passwords are treated like family heirlooms and tucked away secretly then they can be reused and easily remembered if the computer fails. Personally, I keep all my passwords neatly printed and keep that paper tucked safely away. As you’re pondering my article tonight, don’t forget to look up and watch the meteor showers. I know I’ll be thinking of new passwords while I’m sitting on the shore.

(Jeromy Patriquin is the President of Laptop & Computer Repair, Inc. located at 509 Main St. in Gardner. You can call him at (978) 919-8059 or visit www.LocalComputerWiz.com.)