What Was That Password Again?

For People Like Me, A Nice Gift Idea for People on the Computer A Lot

Anyone using a computer has three major types of headaches. Connectivity and technical glitches, privacy concerns, and finally log on information. Everyone has at least one to two email accounts, and an endless list of ids and passwords to recall. When small scraps of paper, Post-its, and backs of envelope's run out I sometimes spy folks writing down such important info on the back of their hands. Storing them on the computer can be risky, too. Phishers will do anything to get into your bank accounts or retrieve credit card numbers, social security numbers too.

A good solution is to have one central place to record this all. A company named Innovation Lab Inc. is now offering a solution. The Internet Password Organizer(TM). This 122-page book provides users with a single, centralized location to store their passwords and features a wire-bound spine for easy data entry. Laminate-reinforced tabbed dividers alphabetically separate the 5.5" x 8" pages keeping passwords organized for quick information retrieval.

Each entry includes fields for web page, user name, password, and notes. Additional "Bonus" sections store information about the user's Internet Service Provider, Home Network Configuration, Product Licenses, and other indispensable information required to resuscitate a user's computer when crisis strikes.

For people still used to the notion of this it may make more sense, or so I thought. But in designing this address/domain/info organizer, Innovation Labs surveyed customers and I believe for people at a desk or work station this is just what professional could use. Mark Alexander Barros (President of Innovation Labs Inc.) said "Our conversations with people revealed a common theme. Nothing beats writing your passwords down. The problem is, where? Post-it notes and loose scraps of paper are commonly used, but locating the right one at the right time really hinders work-flow. So people tend to use the 'Forgot your Password' link quite liberally. In fact, for many, that link is their password-management solution. Our goal is to provide a practical way for people to store and retrieve this information and present it in a familiar way."

I thought in a digital world centralized by I Phone and Cell phones/Blackberries, that a software version of this that can be downloaded to a users I phone would be a great success too. That way you could take it with you and when working remotely at home (lets say you are sick and want to catch up in your bathrobe and pink fussy bunny slippers) you can look it up no problem.

However, by writing something down we tend to recall it better. I know that this works for me that way. The utopia of the Mac world excluded, this seems like a great gift idea.

Any thoughts?


Here is the link to the story:

http://www.publishersnewswire.com/booknews/2008-01-0123-PNW002.shtml