More than one email address?

 Do you have more than one email address?

My recommendation is that you have at least two email addresses.  I have five.  Why? To help keep private email addresses stay private and not be "sold" for advertising purposes.

If you presently have an email address you use with all of your personal friends, that's perfect.  But I would encourage you to create a free Gmail account OR if you are an iCloud user, create an alias email address.  Use these addresses when you purchase items online OR when you have to enter an email address to create an online account.  If these email accounts become flooded with spam and/or advertising, you can then delete the Gmail account or iCloud alias from your device or from your account.  You can read more about iCloud aliases here.  Read more about adding aliases in Gmail here.

My example:
1) For my personal mail, I use jharcler@mac.com
2) I created an alias using iCloud years ago that is jdhjdh@mac.com That is what I use for all of my purchasing online.
3) I created a Gmail address - jharcler@gmail.com - to use for all of my tech stuff - classes, iPhone Users Group, Tech Tip newsletter, webinars, etc.
4) I also created a Gmail address - emailtosignupforthingsonline@gmail.com - to use as my "junk" email address.  Anytime I have to provide an email address that I don't care to get any further communication from I use this Gmail address.
5) And, I have my "professional" address that is used for all things connected with my university communication - jharcle1@emporia.edu

Confusing? Time consuming?
No, once you've created your alias and/or additional Gmail accounts, add the account(s) to whatever email program you use.  On my iPhone, Mac and iPad I use Mail.  That is the native email program on those devices. It is not the most robust of applications, but it works okay.  I added all of my email addresses to that app and ALL emails come into the same Inbox, whether I am on my phone, iPad or Mac. The program labels each email and it allows me to select a certain email account to view, if desired.

In addition, I've created Gmail accounts (free) for groups I'm responsible for - Lions Club, UMW, Sunday School, etc.  and I've added those accounts to the Mail application. So..... I only have to look in one place for any emails I may receive for all of my email accounts, and the Mail application easily lets me filter those if I want to only look at one account.

If you have questions about the specifics, let me know.  At the very least - consider creating a free email account to use when creating online accounts or signing up for things.  That should reduce the number of times your personal email address is getting sold or put "out there".

New Year's Resolutions for Tech - Part 2

 Hopefully, you have gotten started with last week's suggestions:  

*cleaning up your email Inbox
*reviewing and changing your passwords as needed
*sharing your passwords with someone else in your family
*reviewing your Facebook Privacy and Security settings

Today, let's add one more item to that beginning-of-a-new-year-to-do list.

Remove apps from your mobile devices and  applications from your computers that you no longer use.
Leaving unused apps, applications, and accounts on our devices can make us vulnerable to possible security breaches.  Take time to review the apps on your phone, tablet, etc. and delete them if you no longer use them. 
(iPhone Users - Go to Settings - App Store - Offload Unused Apps and make sure this setting is turned on.  This will automatically help keep unused apps off your phone.  Apps can also be viewed and deleted on an iPhone by going to Settings - General - iPhone Storage. You will see a total list of your apps.  Touch an app in the list and you will be given the choice of removing the app.) 
For other mobile devices or computers, if you are unsure how to remove apps simply do an internet search for "how to remove apps/applications from....(name of device)" to view instructions.

Another beautiful sunshiny day here for getting outside; a real treat for January!  Enjoy.

New Year's Resolutions for Tech - Top 5 List of To-Do's

Do  you make New Year's Resolutions? I rarely do anymore but I always do make plans for doing some things better/different/more timely at the beginning of each calendar year. This year is no exception.  

Starting right now I plan to:
1)  Clean up my email Inbox. Although it works for me, my Inbox of over 16,000 emails drives others crazy when I'm using my phone for demonstration purposes during my classes. It's just a matter of me taking the time to do some daily maintenance, and time still seems to be in short supply even during this extended time of COVID.  But, this year I pledge to do better......little by little.

2) Review and change some of my passwords.  My phone keeps reminding me that I have passwords that have been involved in a data breach or are otherwise not secure.  I'm changing a few of those each day using the same pattern I began using a few years ago (same base password made unique by adding on the first three letters of the website name).

3) Share my passwords with my family.  Once my password review is complete, I plan to share the list with my family this year.  So much of our lives is online; it is important that someone has our login and account information even though it will continually evolve. 

4)  Organize my digital photos and make sure I have them all in at least 3 unique "places" - 1) downloaded from my phone to my computer, 2) backed up in both iCloud - yes, I pay monthly for adequate storage - and Google Photos which happens automatically, and 3) backed up to an external hard drive.  Note to self:  A few minutes each day helps get this formidable task under control!

5) Review the Privacy and Security settings on my Facebook account. It is a good idea to do this every several months; keeping ourselves safe online needs to be a priority.

So, what else should I add to this list?  Do you have things you do on a regular basis to keep your digital life organized?

Maybe today's tech tip is really just for myself; a reminder to hold myself accountable.  I'll let you know this time next year how that worked!  :-)

So, do at least one thing today to get started on organizing your tech.  But, also get out and enjoy this beautiful new day no matter where you live!