Let's take an informal poll: Raise your hand if you have no bad habits. Those of you who raised your hands obviously have a habit of lying, so put them back down.
You use the same password for every account. Maybe you text during family dinners or share too much on Facebook. You definitely want to work on fixing any of these.
There are tech habits, however, you probably don't realize are bad.
Forgetting to clean: When was the last time you cleaned your phone? If you can remember cleaning at all, you're doing better than most people.
Think about how often you shake hands with people, open public doors or sneeze, and then touch your phone. That happens every day, probably multiple times. Bacteria and other gunk has just been sitting there ... building and growing ... for weeks or months.
Clean your tech gear as often as you'd clean any other germ or bacteria magnet.
Having multiple users per account: Having multiple people using the same gadget isn't just bad for cleanliness. It's also not great for security and privacy.
You're giving everyone access to your favorite websites and apps. Browsers can store usernames, passwords and even financial information.
On a computer, this is easy enough to prevent. In Windows, go to Start>>Control Panel and select User Accounts. On Macs, go to System Preferences and choose Users and Groups.
You can create as many user accounts as you need. Be sure to make them Standard accounts. This keeps the users from installing dangerous programs.
Not taking breaks: You're working hard on a time-sensitive project. Hours fly by as you type, your focus never leaving the computer screen.
Aren't focus and hard work good things? Yes, but imagine instead of working, I was talking about a teenager playing a video game. What would you say?
Just because you're not having fun doesn't mean the same rules don't apply.
Be sure to look away from the screen at a distant object every 20 minutes or so. This takes the strain off your eyes. There are plenty of free apps that can remind you.
Not upgrading: I know many of you reading this still use Windows XP. You might use Internet Explorer 8 or even 7.
It's time to upgrade.
Windows XP's end-of-life date is coming up in 2014. After that, it's receiving no more security updates. It's already missing key security features found in later versions of Windows.
Internet Explorer 7 and 8 are in a similar boat. They're way behind on security features, and they don't work well with newer websites. Plus, they're really slow.
Treating public Wi-Fi like private Wi-Fi: Public Wi-Fi is great. You can get online with your laptop at the airport, coffee shop or hotel.
However, you really need to be careful what you do while using it. Don't forget that it's a wireless network. That means you're sharing it with other people.
Some hackers even set up fake public Wi-Fi networks. If you connect, they can monitor everything you do.
Don't do anything sensitive while using public Wi-Fi. Always assume someone can see what you're doing.
Kim Komando hosts the nation's largest talk radio show about consumer electronics, computers and the Internet. Listen to her show from 1-4 p.m. each Sunday on KRMG am740 or fm102.3. To read more of her columns or sign up for her newsletters, go to
tulsaworld.com/komando
Original Print Headline: Work to build good tech habits
Tech
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