Saving the Memories

Written by: Leah Maclean
October 5, 2007

A fresh start can be a wonderful thing (as is being proven by all my fellow contributors to The Calm Space this month)! But would you ever want to start a fresh when it comes to all the precious memories that you have captured on your digital camera.

Digital cameras are the norm in most households, and many businesses, these days. What they provide in convenience they lack in hard copy output. And with digital files so easy to erase, corrupt or just plain loose (ever had that feeling with a document or email you needed?) your digital images are not as secure as your photo prints may once have been.

So what do you do about it?

  1. The most straightforward thing is to just backup your images when you backup your computer (you do backup your computer don’t you?)
  2. Use a utility like Google’s Picasa that will help you organise your images and make them easier to backup (it also makes things easier to find and easier to share)
  3. If you backup to CDs then consider making 2 copies and keeping one of them offsite. The CDs kept in your cupboard will keep you safe if the computer fails, but if the house burns down or floods then the CDs are gone too.
  4. If you don’t want to backup to CDs consider using an online backup service like Carbonite. For a small fee (USD$49 per year is small when you think about starting over) it not only backups your images but your whole computer - you even get sound peace of mind thrown in for nothing.

There’s not a great deal of rocket science to this backup caper. With the above straightforward steps and a little time you will have no excuse for starting over with your digital memories.

Ever wondered what your digital memories are worth to you? For Megan Bowen her memories were worth a great deal.

A Wahroonga mother of five is offering $20,000 for the return of a stolen laptop which stored her family photos. Megan and Peter Bowen’s home was robbed while the family was aleep on the night of August 22 - it was one of several homes to be targeted in Lucinda Avenue that night. Among the valuables stolen was a laptop containing precious memories of all her children, aged 17, 13, 8, 4 and 16 months.
Source: The Village Voice

Are you ready to start afresh or do something now to save your memories?

Leah Maclean - demystifying design and technology for small business women | http://www.thecalmspace.com/about#leah

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