Liveblogging BlogHer '10: How to Control Your Digital Footprint

This session is in the Geek Lab, presented by Rosemary Jean-Louis and Kristen Kuhns

Unless it's in quotes, the following is mostly paraphrased:

Why is it important to you to preserve a digital legacy?

Kristen: "Because there's info about you, and you're not always going to be able to control it, don't you think" that it's important that your grandkids will be able to read something you left behind online?

Rosemary: you should take an inventory of your digital life. Centralize your digital legacy. Consolidate your log-ins with OpenID or Facebook connect. "that's something to consider to make your life easy so you don't have all these usernames and passwords floating around.

AUDIENCE QUESTION: Is it less secure because of that?

Rosemary: It's actually suppposed to make it more secure.

Kristen: OpenID is an open coalition, as opposed to Facebook which is just one company

AUDIENCE Q: But aren't we supposed to change our passwords from site to site and from time to time?

Kristen "when you log in thru openid all the back-end ... is encrypted" so it's safe.

Kristen: "if you found out that your great great grandmother had kept a diary ... even if it was kind of mundane, ... what if someone had just thrown that out or if it got destroyed in a housefire? how mad would you be? then how mad would you be if u found out that your great great grandmother had a facebook profile, but facebook doesn't exist anymore"

think about what will happen to your blog in the future, even the companies say now that they will keep them forever

If you send Google a death certificate they'll send you a CD copy of the person's emails!

Other steps for your legacy:

-- consider adding username and password info to your will

rosemary "i know it's kind of strange but ... if you're a blogger and a blog is your business ... your loved ones would need access to it in order to close out your business.

AUDIENCE MEMBER: in my family we have sent a sealed envelop to everyone with all usernames and passwords.

R: That's a good tip.

R: there is a co. that creates digital wills for you. this main co. that i found is called Entrustet.com. you fill out different forms that allow you to list where you've been online, what usernames and passwords you have and who you want to entrust with this information. when you pass on, this info is sent out to the people you're entrusting it with. and it deletes email accounts that you put in the system that you want deleted once you pass on.

R: Online vault sites such as DataInherit.com, or just backup sites like OnlineStorage.com, can help you back up your info in a way that can be saved for your legacy.

K: remember that not all file formats will be available forever either. some of your digital videos may need to be converted to newer technology before it's too late.

K: "These things will be priceless to you and your family later."