With these uncertain economic times, people everywhere are preparing for a crash. But if you ask me, they should be thinking about a more immediate, and potentially more damaging threat - the crash of your primary computer.

If your hard drive went on the fritz today, could you soldier on? Is your data backed up on an external hard drive somewhere? Do you have the phone number of customer support handy? Do you remember all your account information?

A key issue when a computer crashes is that more often than not, the information we need to give a technician is...you guessed it...unfortunately stored on your machine. One of the first questions a technician will ask you is your computer’s make, model and serial number. If you had to right now, do you have the number stored in a place you can easily access, should your computer go on the fritz?

I’ve prepared a crashsheet for you to download and fill in. It will help you keep track of your computer(s), your account information, your Internet access, and your social sites. It also asks you to list the names and phone numbers of a tech-savvy friend, because it’s never a bad idea to be well-prepared!

Download the crashsheet here, and remember to keep it in a safe, private place: http://www.webbmediagroup.com/crashsheet1.pdf

Read all of Amy Webb's columns here.

Amy Webb is a digital media consultant and head of Webbmedia Group, LLC. Find more multimedia tips and ideas at her blog, http://www.mydigimedia.com. You can also follow Amy on Twitter and delicious. Webbmedia Group is a vendor-neutral company. Any opinions expressed about products or services are formed after testing, research and interviews. Neither Amy Webb nor Webbmedia Group or its employees receives any financial or other benefits from vendors.