5 Electronic New Year's Resolutions | Presbyterian Historical Society

You are here

5 Electronic New Year's Resolutions

December 7, 2014

As we move through the course of our day or week creating content--consciously or as a by-product of the work we do--we rarely have the chance to stop and organize our files. We're particularly apt to forget about our digital legacy, as we're often too busy creating the next spreadsheet or document or status update to take stock.

As this wonderful post outlines, there's no time like the present to start thinking about your digital ghosts of Past, Present, and Future. As we enter a new year and close out the old, we hope these 5 resolutions bring some extra order to your world.

Five Digibytes 2015 resolutions:

  1. Round up any loose media from your phone, home computer, and other devices, and organize them in a centralized location using concise and meaningful folder names
  2. Appraise your digital photographs. Any good digital archivist knows that the best tool is the delete button!
  3. Manage your email inbox. Create folders for emails of permanent importance and rules to filter out the noise--listservs, spam, other mass mailings.
  4. Ensure that you have your important electronic files backed up. Your computer will crash; it's not an "if" but a "when."
  5. Consider naming a digital executor. Most online tools don't yet have provisions in place for when someone passes. By making such provisions yourself you ensure the safety and legacy of your digital property.