Now that it’s clear that usernames are like staking your online real estate claim, let’s discuss how to choose a good username for your social media accounts.
First, think about who you are and what you’re wanting to promote about yourself. Your name is the starting point because if you can secure it, it’s definitely worthwhile. But on the major social sites, most name combinations are already reserved so you’ll have to be more creative. You should also identify what your social activity will be driven by – work or personal. Depending on your job, you might consider two personas if your work and social life are not to be interwoven.
Below are some real usernames for various account types which should give you a few ideas to identify your unique username.
· corporate brand/product – cokezero
· small business owner – thelasikdoc
· personal branded blog with a purpose – thepioneerwoman
· business blog with a purpose – copyblogger
· hobby-oriented – bitethedust (cyclist)
· independent promoter – vegasbill
· personal brand – scobleizer (a nickname: last name with “izer” added)
· company name, abbreviated – rww (readwriteweb)
· blog name, reworked – weddingsurvival (for surviveweddingseasons.com)
If you need more ideas, try a username generator. And remember to keep it relatively short! Twitter only allows 140 characters in a post, so it’s wise to choose a name under 15 characters if possible.