With the recent debacle concerning LinkedIn (DeskDemon also posted an article about this) and seemingly how easy it is to hack in to someone's account - be it Facebook, Twitter - or worse, bank and personal accounts, I've done a bit of reach on some do's and don'ts to help me chose better passwords.

I thought it might be helpful to share some of the ones I thought were valuable:

Don't use the obvious - it's obvious, right? Apparently passwords stolen from LinkedIn contained words such as - password, 1234, monkey, god, career, etc. - yes, obvious ones. But also ones like children's names, favourite football player/team, pet's names, star sign, birth month and year. The experts tell us to think about what information you have in the public arena - and what a potential hacker could work out from Facebook, etc.

But I've already got a difficult password and I use it everywhere, so I'm alright. The research I have done suggests that a difficult and long password - some suggest 15 characters at least! - are the best to have, but you need a different password for each protected area you visit. Research also suggests that you should change your password frequently, and by this they mean about once a month!

I use an unusual word - so I am safe. One thing I did learn was that never use a word that is in the English Dictionary - as these scammers run a programme that contains all 'normal' words - and can even work out words like Man@hester, Cl00ney, Evert0n09, Rhiann&, Beckh£m etc.

Where for art thou? I thought a useful tip was to make up a nothing word from a line from a film, book, song, saying or phrase that you will remember - i.e. To Be or Not To Be = TBONTB - then add any number of !!££&&!*2874 that you will remember. You could always use a foreign phrase or family saying - even harder to crack then.

But how can I remember them all? It's so tempting to write them down, but this say the experts, is a big no-no and can create more worry (especially if you can't read what you've written or lose the bit of paper, notebook, etc.). There are sites out there as well that will safely(!) store your passwords for you - so, you only have to remember one to enter that site, and apparently these passwords are encoded, so they are not seen by the site storing them. I guess meaning, that if they were hacked and your password did get out there for all to see, the encoding would keep you safe. I haven’t done much research on them yet. (I will update this blog again/or reblog if I find any that I think are easy to use and seem legit, if you know any, please let me know.)

It is a minefield really, especially as we are more reliant on technology more than ever. I do wonder (and worry) about the security of iPhones, Blackberry's etc. - as they are really mini-computers - the phone part seems to come way down the list after email, messages, internet, games, etc. We seem to focus our concern towards laptops, PCs etc. - but don't give much thought to phones.

Regarding LinkedIn, I really thought that a professional site where it encourages you to post detailed information about your career would have better online security, but I guess if these hackers are determined enough, they can get into anything. And the lack of information available from LinkedIn, I have been sorely disappointed with LinkedIn and how it has handled this situation.

And the big question for me is: if I have a really long, difficult, with a phrase password that I change once a month, if that gets stolen and published what difference does it make - once it's out, it's out!! Surely all sites should have a secure robust security in place, so if it does get stolen, it is at least encrypted.

Anyway, these are my thoughts.

Be great to hear your comments, and if you have any tips, please do share, as I'm running out of words and phrases that I can easily remember :-)

With about a month to go, you've still time to organise an office celebration to mark the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.

A quintessentially old fashioned British luncheon or afternoon tea party would be perfect. Most Brits love a tasty sarnie and piece of cake or two with a piping hot cuppa.

Or you could always go with an 'EastEnders' theme - pearly royalists and market traders having a right old knees up muvver brown style. But at the moment, let's stick to a British Tea Party theme.

There are many ways to host a party within the office - and it needn't be too stressful for you, as tea parties are one of the easiest to organise. And if you want to raise some money at the same time, you could always charge people a small fee to go towards charity or your Christmas party!

It goes without saying, that many hands make light work, so if you have been tasked with this job or would like to host a party, try and get a couple of colleagues to help and assign specific tasks, so it doesn't all fall to you. Perhaps you have onsite catering who can do all the work for you, but perhaps not.

                                                    You never know who might pop in!

My tips would be:

-  Fix the date asap - I think Wed 30th May or Thurs, 31st May would be ideal. Friday's are normally great for a fun event, but a no-no before a bank holiday weekend

-  Fix the budget - work how many people roughly will come - costing in food, tea, coffee, milk, extras like flags, bunting, plates, platters, clingfilm, etc and get buy in (and the money) from the boss

-  Choose the time when you will get the best turnout - lunchtime would be best - unless the boss gives everyone the OK to come at 3pm - after all this happens only once every 60 years!

-  Location, location, location - obviously the canteen/restaurant if you have one, or a meeting room would do. If you have an outside area - that could be perfect (remember to have something to keep the flies off the food!). But you don't want it to be too far away from where you have to make the tea, carry the food etc. Not only will the tea go cold, you'll be exhausted, but the Health and Safety brigade will take a dim view of you ferrying around piping hot liquid

-  Invites - scrolls or 'by Royal Invitation' cards would be fun, or for ease, email. You could always put up a poster or two with Royal pics and Royal wording if you haven't time for personalised invites

-  Savoury finger food - de-crusted sandwiches cut into quarters with cucumber, ham and cheese fillings needn't be expensive or difficult to do. You could always make them at home and bring in (make sure you have enough fridge space at work and at home for your works of art)

-  Sweet finger food - I would just buy these in - after all Mr Kipling is there for a reason. Fondant fancies, bakewell slices, mixed among cupcakes would look lovely or those exquisite pastel coloured mini- meringues or of course, fruity scones, fresh cream and jam. Strawberries would be lovely too

-  Tea - strong, weak, with lemon, however you take it. And if you have to, coffee for those philistines who don't like a decent cuppa. Pah!

-  Styling - what would make your party look extra special is white table cloths and napkins. Or go vintage with crockery, teapots and cake- stands. Ask around, it's amazing what people hang on to. Although if you are catering for a large group, for ease and to save washing up etc, use disposable plates/forks etc you can get themed ones at the pound shops. Mirrors can give the look a 'posh' feel. If you have any large non-framed mirrors - consider displaying the cakes and cake-stands on them

-  Make sure you have lots of black bin liners - they always come in handy for a quick clear up at the end. And speaking of clearing up, ensure you aren't left doing this on your own and rope in a couple (or more) of people to help when you actually plan the event and don't let them escape early!

-  Dressing up - not everyone likes to go the whole-hog when offices have theme days, but if everyone wore something red, white or blue -  it would make the occasion even more special. Ties, socks are easy ones for the guys - and most women can dig something out of their wardrobe, even if it is a scarf, earrings or maybe a pair of funky red shoes (or wellies would be a good option at the moment!) - tiaras and crowns would also be fun

- Take lots of pictures - be great for your company newsletter or website

-  Last but not least - ambiance. Add flags and red, white and blue bunting or decorations. Get some stirring British music (again see if you can borrow or get a cheap CD or two from ebay).

A fitting end to the party, would be for everyone to stand and sing/mime the national anthem - and as for those non royalists, well, let them eat cake :-)

Enjoy! - and many congratulations Queenie!