I created a Twitter account today. I haven’t used it in the past for anything, but I know it can be a great tool for marketing and just for fun. I found it frustrating that the username I wanted to use , SullysBlog, was taken. I settled for an underscore and went with Twitter.com/Sullys_Blog but not what I really wanted. I checked to see and someone was actively using SullysBlog, so it’s not as bad as if someone signed up with the name and then wasn’t really using the account.
This caused me to draw some comparisons about Twitter and domaining. First, whether you use your account for business or pleasure, you want a relevant user name for your Twitter account, just as you would for your website domain. Second, the name you want for your Twitter account may not be available, just like a domain name you desire may not be available. Sometime you need to get creative.
If you own a business and have not yet secured your name in Facebook, Twitter, and other social networking tools, I recomend that you do. These social outlets can be the greatest professional and personal branding tools available to you. I came across a link that suggested how to purchase names that are currently in use. I’m not interested in pursuing that option at this point, nor do I suggest that to others. Eventually, it may be worth the investment, but I don’t see that value right now.
