Comments on: How to pick a good username, @eschmidt0

By: Gab Goldenberg

Gab Goldenberg — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 04:10:32 +0000

No, what’s really cool about Eric is that he uses Yahoo mail, per his official site . Google him.

By: chiropractic

chiropractic — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 17:46:36 +0000

OMG, can’t believe I missed this earlier. I’ve thought of using my real name in place of “chiropractic” and then using that account for more generic industry purposes, but the username has grown on me (I get introduced at conferences as @chiropractic more than as Mike or Michael).

My primary reason for not going with a real name was due to my name ranking well in serps for sites related to my office, I didn’t want to add confusion for anyone possibly searching for me as a chiropractor and getting results related to local search or SEO. That’s all fallen apart now since I have clients DM me saying they’re coming to get adjusted (easier than calling the office) and commenting on “conferences” I go to in Vegas.

By: Nathan Hangen

Nathan Hangen — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 23:29:57 +0000

All good points, but I would add that what you really need to do is establish your own personal brand. If you use your company for example, what happens if you leave? Make sure that you invest as much time as possible in your own Twitter account and in a way that isn’t affected by the details.

By: Alexis Dias-Nascimento

Alexis Dias-Nascimento — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 19:52:20 +0000

Great post, Lisa. It reminds me of something I’ve been pondering for a couple of months now. I started using Twitter less than a year ago, under the handle of my maiden name (Dias). Recently, I got married and eventually will adopt my husband’s last name (Nascimento), but I am currently using a hyphenated version in the real world. My concern is whether or not to change my username to reflect my new “status.” Eventually I will want to be known as “Alexis Nascimento.” Although a year hasn’t been a long time, I don’t want to negate any of the traction I’ve gained using my current Twitter handle. What do you think I should do? Or better yet, what would you do?

By: Lisa Barone

Lisa Barone — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 15:38:37 +0000

Do we even want to know the story behind “ozzybeef”? :)

By: Lisa Barone

Lisa Barone — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 15:38:10 +0000

Ha! :)

I think in your case you did yourself a favor by picking a fun moniker. It may not have anything to do with your profession but its memorable and quirky and its a hell of a lot easier to spell than your real name. And if you consider yourself a jack of all trades then you really just wants something that’s “you”, anyway. I think you did just fine all on your own. :)

By: Lisa Barone

Lisa Barone — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 15:36:23 +0000

No.

By: Charlene Jaszewski

Charlene Jaszewski — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 02:08:07 +0000

I would LOVE to be able to use my name professionally, and I’m 99.8% certain no one else is using it currently (my relatives are all luddites).
But look at it, it’s a consonant nightmare: CHARLENE JASZEWSKI
No one can pronounce it, much less spell it, and too long for twitter.
It took me FOREVER to come up with “theredheadsaid” but that does nothing for my branding of tech/content strategy. Which is fine because it’s good for just ranting about everything. The other problem is I’m one of those frustrating jack of all trades who is impossible to brand properly. Any ideas?**
**I don’t actually expect someone to be able to solve my quandary, it’s just nice to have an opportunity for a completely relevant rant! :)

By: Dawn Wentzell

Dawn Wentzell — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 22:20:14 +0000

So what you’re *really* saying is I did it wrong. Well, except that I’ve been saffyre9 for 10+ years, and that has always been “me”. Can I at least be forgiven for being a 17yo on IRC when I picked it, and therefore clearly not thinking properly? :P

By: Alysson

Alysson — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 21:04:21 +0000

HAHA! I believe I just got one. You just have such a grumpy, old “GET OUTTA HERE WITH YOUR NEW, FANG-DANGLED CRAP!” approach to 3rd party Twitter apps that I couldn’t resist giving you shit. ;)

I <3 TweetDeck, but there is a transition period required. I can't imagine life without it these days though.