How likely is it that your digital treasures will survive into the future? The answer depends on lots of things, including how much stuff you have, how spread out it is, how many copies you have, and how valuable it is to you.
Do you know how much stuff you have?
a) I have been through my stuff recently, so I know more-or-less exactly how much stuff I have.
b) A pretty good idea, yeah.
c) I have a rough idea of the important things, but I expect there's a whole lot of random clutter I've forgotten about.
d) I have no clue how much digital stuff I have!
Do you have a good idea of the different places (devices, cloud storage, apps etc) where your stuff lives?
a) Yes, I could list all the devices, cloud storage providers, platforms and apps where my stuff is.
b) I use, and have used, a variety of different places to store my stuff. I know more-or-less where my most important stuff is.
c) I have stuff all over the place, but I have a vague idea of where my most important stuff might be.
d) My stuff is all over the place, on different devices and online. It's a bit overwhelming, and I've completely lost track of what's where.
How much of your digital stuff is actually valuable to you?
"Valuable" can mean whatever you want it to. Say, items that are sentimental, useful, necessary, or that represent a lot of your work... You get to decide.
a) I only bother to keep stuff if it is valuable to me.
b) I know more-or-less which categories of things are valuable to me, but I could do with having a clear-out.
c) I know broadly which are the things that are valuable, but I have a bunch of other stuff too.
d) I wouldn't even know where to start in trying to pick my valuable items out from all the rubbish.
Do you know how much of your stuff is unique, and how much would be easily replaced?
a) Most of the things I keep are unique and irreplaceable.
b) Yes, I know which broad categories of things are unique, and which are not.
c) I know a lot of my stuff is downloaded from other sources, but that some of it is my own unique stuff. It would take me a while to sort out which is which, though...
d) Actually, I'm not even sure what I have.
Is your stuff backed up? All of it? or just some of it? Do you know whether your valuable stuff is backed up?
a) I know that I have at least two copies of my most valuable items, and the copies are in at least two separate places.
b) I definitely set a back-up system up a while ago, but I can't remember the specifics.
c) I think some of my stuff is backed up.
d) I haven't done anything towards backing my stuff up, but I'd guess the apps etc. I use have something in place...
How did you score?
Mostly As: Really? Gold star to you! That's pretty darn impressive!
Mostly Bs: You're fine, too! Keep chipping away at it!
Mostly Cs: It depends on how much you care about the long-term future of your digital stuff. If you don't care much, then no problem - move on! But if you do care, there are a few things you can do to give your stuff a better chance of surviving into the future. If you're looking for some tips on how to do this, then I've written a step-by-step guide for you!
Mostly Ds: Am I right in thinking you're not particularly fussed about your digital past? And that you'd rather focus on creating the new stuff, than organising and sorting through the old? That's cool! You do you :)
Thank you!
Thanks for reading! I hope you liked this little test! As always, take with a pinch of salt and have some fun!