No doubt, you have more passwords than you can count.

And no doubt, you forget them on a regular basis.

Although passwords may seem like a pain to use, imagine what would happen on the Internet if they were not required?

For starters, anyone could log on to the Internet using your user-name. Although that doesn't seem too dangerous at first thought, it could lead to you being blamed for something you didn't do, such as breaking user agreements or even doing something illegal. Certain websites also require user names and passwords for services such as e-mail and forums. If they didn't, then anyone could read your mail or assume your identity.

Everyone knows that the passwords they create should be something that no one could ever guess. Some people think that other people would never guess an easy password but you would be surprised how easy it is. A co-worker was once bragging that no one would be able to guess her password. It only took me two guesses - it was her dog's name. I knew it had to be her daughter's name or her dog's name because she talked about them so often.

Here are some general guidelines to keep in mind when you create a password, so that it will not be easily cracked by a hacker:

1: Passwords should be more than seven characters

2: Mix letters and numerals

3: Use both upper case and lower-case letters

4: Do not create a password that contains a single word that is in the dictionary.

The problem is if we make a password too hard, how do we remember it? Here are some more guidelines for making those hard-to-crack passwords easy to remember

1: Use phrases to make passwords, like vanity plates on cars. For instance, you could create the password "pa55w0rdsREZ" from the phrase "passwords are easy". Substituting numbers for letters, like using the number five in place of the letter "S", and a zero in place of the letter "O" in this example, also makes the password harder to crack.

2: Create a pattern when you create your passwords, such as using upper case letters for vowels and lower-case for consonants, so it would be easy to remember but hard to crack.

The word 'Bermuda' would then become bErmUdA.The above advise will keep hackers who break into computers from getting your passwords too easily, but most online crimes are committed by some we know. The following guidelines will help keep your passwords safe in everyday life.

1: Never give out your passwords to anyone, especially representatives from companies that call you. The only time you will have to give them a password is when you initially create a password or when you want to change it.

2: Tell your children to never give out passwords to anyone and continue to remind them to do so. Children have a hard time keeping a secret. In fact, one time my nephew shared his dad's password because he thought it was such a neat combination! One of my friend's children gave out their ISP user name and password to their friends so they could get Internet access (they thought they were being helpful). My friend was double-billed by her ISP for services because two computers were logged in on the same account, at the same time.

3: Change you passwords periodically. Some people recommend every six months. If someone is sitting near you when you have to enter a password, be sure to cover your fingers while typing it.

4: Do not keep a list of passwords on your desk or in a file on your computer. There are, however, some shareware programs that you can get that will store passwords for you, but they use encryption technology so they can't be accessed by anyone but you.

There is also shareware that you can download off the Internet at www.tucows.com that helps you keep track of your passwords. Search for the program 'Passwords Plus'. This software lets you keep track of as many passwords as you want. It encrypts them so no one else can read them, and will even generate random passwords for you if you want suggestions.

In any security plan, the weakest link is always the human one. All the computer programs in the world won't keep hackers away if your passwords are easy to guess, or if hackers are able to coerce you into revealing them. This happens more often than many firms would like to admit.

In a notorious incident in the mid 1990's, a group of hackers obtained the telephone numbers of several people at US military bases and called them, claiming to be a high-ranking officer. They sternly ordered them to reveal their passwords and too many people did just that. Codes of conduct are required in any setting, whether corporate or personal, in which you generally shouldn't trust anyone asking for a password over the phone or e-mail.

Remember, your passwords are your key to the online world. Presumably you don't trace the outline of your house keys and leave them lying around all over town. This also applies to your online "keys".