Although the information we enter in our profiles at mystery shopping provider sites is not public, that does not mean that no one else sees it. Schedulers and others at the mystery shopping company can see your profile and that often includes the password you use to access the site.
Why does this matter?
For one thing, there is a question of security. Do you use the same password for all of the shopper sites at which you are registered? If a scheduler for one company knows your password there, and it is the same for other company sites, that scheduler could access all of your other profiles. That is especially true because many systems use easily-guessed log in IDs. Most schedulers are honest and ethical and would not dream of doing something such as this. But it only takes one.
It can be hard to remember dozens of different passwords, one for each mystery shopping company site. (Not to mention all of the other sites you use.) An easy way to manage your log ins and passwords is to use RoboForm. RoboForm does many things to protect you, including:
- Memorizes your passwords and Logs You In automatically.
- Fills long registration and checkout forms with one click.
- Encrypts your passwords to achieve complete security.
- Generates random passwords that hackers cannot guess.
- Fights Phishing by filling passwords only on matching web sites.
- Defeats Keyloggers by not using keyboard to type passwords.
- Backs up your passwords, Copies them between computers.
- Synchronizes passwords between computers using GoodSync.
- Searches for keywords in your passwords, notes and Internet.
You can download a free trial version to see how it works, but the free version stores a limited number of log ins and passwords. The full version is only $29.95. Do you use many different computers? You might want to get RoboForm2Go. It runs on a USB drive (you know, those little flash drives you plug in to a USB port) and can be used on multiple computers. You can learn more and download the free trial version at the RoboForm site.
In addition to security issues, your password may tell a scheduler something about you. A good password consists of seemingly random letters and numbers, but most people choose familiar words. If your password includes obscenities or inappropriate, unprofessional language, that can make a bad impression. “devilgrrl” would not be a good password.
Be aware of how your password might be misinterpreted. There is a famous list of domain names that can be misread as much less innocent than they actually are. My favorite is the URL for a site that tells which agents represent various performers, whorepresents.com. Did you read it as intended, WhoRepresents.com, or did you see WhorePresents.com? Make sure your passwords do not unintentionally include inappropriate language by looking at how the words and letters you choose run together.
Of course, using entire words makes your passwords easier to guess, especially if you use obvious things such as the names of your children. Another way to make up passwords is to use initials. Using the first letter of each word in a quotation is one way of coming up with a password that is easy for you to remember but hard for others to guess. For example, you might use, “fsasya” representing, “Four score and seven years ago . . .” To add a layer of difficulty, always capitalize one or more of the letters, say the third one. So now this password would be, “fsAsya.”
Keep your passwords secure with tools such as RoboForm. If you create your own passwords, do not use the same password for every site, and make sure your passwords do not create a negative image. Use initials or other “code” instead of full words.