New accounts,UserID, Passwords, - - is it getting out of hand?
By coffeebreak
@coffeebreak (17798)
United States
August 2, 2008 9:19pm CST
So we are all "online people". We chat online, we shop online, we earn extra money online, we read the news and watch tv online.
And for every "online" thing we do, we have to be a member or open an account or in some way, shape or form, use a "username" or "user ID" and have a password and email address to go with it.
They say it is not safe to use the same user ID or the same password on multiple sites. However since everything we do online, is it's own site, that means we have to have a Username and password for each and every site.
So my question is...when do you/we stop? I mean how many usernames/passwords can you have, do you need, can you deal with, can you keep straight? It could be you have a userID for online earnings, and different ID for online shopping, a different ID for online chatting and the list goes on, but when does it stop and how soon does it "snowball"?
I write all mine down in a phone address book - you know those old fashion ways of keeping track of phone numbers before the cell phone address book came out. I can use the alphabetical pages for each site I use regardless of what it is and enter site name, ID and password. IT is now nearly full.
I was just looking at Borders BOok store online and they ahd a "big" sale but I would have had to "open an account" with new ID and PW and all... I just couldn't make myself do it! Not another UserID and PAss!! So inspite of the "good" sale (I didn't find anything anyway) I didn't open an account, the site lost a customer.... and all cause I just couldn't make myself create yet another ID and password.
So what about you? When is your time going to come to a close for creating new accounts and new ID/PW's?
3 people like this
8 responses
@twallace (2675)
• United States
3 Aug 08
I have more that one of each of them and have to write them down. Some are the same user name and others are not. I don't have that mean sites that I go to. Ones that I have signed up too are the ones that I really keep up with. I know what you mean though it is a pain to have all of them for the places that you need a password and user id.
1 person likes this
@coffeebreak (17798)
• United States
3 Aug 08
One thing it does do is curtail how many sites I or anyone else, will join! "Do I really want to join that site and keep track of all that or maybe I'll just look around and move on and come back later if I want to!"
@arkaf61 (10881)
• Canada
3 Aug 08
I know what you mean :)
I used to have the phone book thingy as well with websites and passwords and it was getting out of hand because at that time I belonged to some groups and we used to make web pages for members. Each web page each id and password and it was getting complicated - while my little phone buck was getting out of space LOL
However, in many places, specially places where we use credit card or any other personal information, ids and passwords are important for our own safety,
I have a few different ids and passwords that I use and then I interchange them or enter them with something identifying the site I am registering, this was even if I don't completely remember the ID or password I can always give it a few tries according my regular ids and how I organized the site. This way I was able to stop relaying on my phone book and have everything in my head.
@danishcanadian (28953)
• Canada
3 Aug 08
I know. This morning I went to heat up something in the microwave, and typed in my password insead. haha I tried to log into MyLot using the microwave.
My password ae not all identical, but they all follow a certain THEME so that they are easier for me to remember.
1 person likes this
@coffeebreak (17798)
• United States
3 Aug 08
Kind of like what I did too. Each Catagory of things I use have a variation of passwords. Just gotta remember where to find my "Book of Life on the Internet"!
@chrislotz (8137)
• Canada
26 Oct 08
I know people say not to use the same usernames and passwords but since I am a
member with a lot of sites I still do use the same on all of them. If someone
wants to get into my accounts and steal my money, then so be it. I am not
going to think about it or worry about it.
I do a lot of surveys and I have signed up with over 600 of them and if I had to
use a different username and password for each one, I would never be able to log into
them because I would never remember what I used. Besides I wouldn't be able to even
think of that many usernames or passwords.
The only account I have that is different is my paypal account. I have used a different
username and different password with that one since it is where all of my earnings
go. I wouldn't want to lose the money in that one because I have quite a bit in it
right now.
Alrighty then, talk to you later,
your friend, Chris 
1 person likes this
@Vladilyich1 (1454)
• Canada
3 Aug 08
Oh can I relate to that! I have been on, what is now the Internet, since the days when it was ARPANET and USENET. 20 years ago, I decided to use the same username and password for all non-critical accounts. All others I keep in an encrypted file on my current PC.
Unfortunately, if you have an encrypted file on your PC, Homeland Insecurity is authorized to seize it at any border for an indefinite period of time. My wife is Canadian. We both cross the border several times a year. I consider this type of treatment as totally unconstitutional.
@shlooper (309)
• United States
3 Aug 08
ID is hard for me, I have 5 different e-mail accounts that I have linked to different things. Financial, family, online purchases, online money making things, and Other (like social networking). Then I create a user name for each category that I use. That helps me keep straight. As to remembering passwords, I have a firefox extension that creates random passwords and remembers them automatically, I just have a "master" password. I made this password extremely long and complex. I know what you mean about the creating user names though. I have not used websites because they required me to enter an e-mail address for no reason, or because I never was going to come back and I saw no reason to open an account with them. It is rediculous.
1 person likes this
@coffeebreak (17798)
• United States
3 Aug 08
I don't open an account unless I am sure I will be back for whatever is there. I have a Borders Book Store right here, so why bother with the online one. I guess it can be easy to set it all up but more complicated to keep it all straight. Nice feature you mention about the FF extensions.
@lossforredwords (3620)
• Philippines
3 Aug 08
I usually sign in to just four or five sites.. I'm not intro joining lots of paying sites or shopping sites. I have four different email address and all of them are use to this sites. But I have to admit I always use the same username and password, i just can't find myself to change it again and again in every website I join int. Hmm.. maybe I might change some of them just to be safe.
1 person likes this
@WhatsHerName (2716)
• United States
3 Aug 08
I usually use the same password for all the silly sites I join that I'm not sure I'll be active in. For sites like ebay and Paypal, I use a different more secure one.
It is pretty crazy.
1 person likes this
