Twitter Username - AllTwitter

How To Get A Twitter Username You Love (And How To Change It If You Hate It)

Lauren Dugan — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 12:00:38 +0000

Setting up a Twitter account for the first time is not as simple as it seems. You’ve got to brainstorm a killer username, a label that people will know you by, one they’ll want to retweet, and something with that X factor of cool. Despite what you might think, you’re not stuck with “@iluvbkstrtboys7.” Here’s how to get your ideal Twitter username.
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The Average Twitter Username Is Now 25% Longer Than It Was In 2007 [STUDY]

Shea Bennett — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 10:00:03 +0000

If you’re new to Twitter you probably had an awkward time finding the perfect username. As the platform has expanded dramatically over the past few years, growing almost one hundred fold since 2007 (counting dummy, abandoned accounts and bots, which we are, as they’re still taking up usernames), the availability of good and especially short usernames has dropped exponentially, and, much like domain names, this isn’t going to get better unless they implement a brand new system, or start over.

So how bad is it on Twitter? Well, according to a new study, new usernames are almost 25 percent bigger in 2012 than they were five years ago, and the average number of non-letter characters in a username has more than doubled over the same period.

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4 Reasons Why You Need To Change Your Username On Twitter

Shea Bennett — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 06:00:26 +0000

Did you know that you can change your Twitter username any time that you like? And that it won’t have any negative impact on your Twitter profile?

That’s right – simply head over to your profile settings on Twitter.com and type in the new username of your choice. Twitter will do a quick check and if it’s available, you’re all set. The best part? You won’t lose any of your tweets, followers or anything else – the only thing that will be different is your handle.

In this article, I’m going to give you four reasons why you should change your Twitter username right now.

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Twitter Finally Rolls Out Long-Promised Real-Time Activity, Username Streams On Twitter.com

Shea Bennett — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 15:55:35 +0000

Finally.

It was announced back in August, for Dorsey’s sake.

But Twitter has started to roll out the long-promised Activity and @Username streams on Twitter.com. I have it, and so do a lot of other users. And many of them are not happy.

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Forgot an Important Phone Number? Just Dial Their Twitter Name

Lauren Dugan — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 14:15:10 +0000

It’s happened to you: your phone is dead or temporarily lost, and you can’t access your phone book to make the call you need to make. You could call your mom or your best friend, but you really don’t know anyone else’s number by heart. Well, there’s a brand new service that connects your phone number to your Twitter user name, so anyone looking to call you will be able to do it without knowing your number.
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Twitter – Know Your Limits

Shea Bennett — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 15:04:44 +0000

Twitter enforces various limitations on the things you can do within the social network. This includes the amount of characters you’re allowed in a tweet, the length of your userrname, and how many people you’re able to follow before somebody on the other end goes, “Whoa.”

Some of these limits are well known; others, less so. I thought it would be fun to group them all together via the power of the infographic, which I’d like to share with you below.

(This is my very first infographic, so be kind. If you’re curious about what some of these statements mean, read the official word from Twitter here and here.)

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What’s In A Name?

Shea Bennett — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 09:30:10 +0000

Usernames on Twitter, and the URL this gives you (http://twitter.com/username) are becoming almost as important as regular domain names. And finding one that is meaningful, aesthetically-pleasing and available can be quite a maddening process. (Aspiring rock stars will also have experienced this frustration when trying to find a band name that isn’t taken but doesn’t suck.)

When picking a username, there are a few things you need to consider:

If you’re already known to a large audience under a given name, that’s your best option on Twitter.
For individuals, certainly those who operate in a professional capacity, your best option is always your real, full name – i.e., sheabennett. And even if you don’t want to use that as your primary account (I use Sheamus), it pays to register it anyway to prevent identity theft. If your real name is taken, try a combination of your initials against your first, middle and surname.
If you’re a brand, it needs to be your brand name, or as close to it as possible without looking like it’s been forced.
When making a final decision, consider how is it going to look on your business card? Do you want @PeterWilson, or @ladyzman69?
It needs to be as short as possible. Why? Retweets. If your long username makes it awkward for people to retweet you without doing some major edit work then your retweet rate will suffer accordingly. I would propose that your username should be no longer than 12 characters if possible. (See this article for more on the importance of your number.)
Avoid gimmicky names. While ‘ilovemakinbacon’ might be funny to you now, in six months time when you’ve decided Twitter is a fantastic opportunity for you to bring new clients to your business, it might not seem quite as amusing.
That said, if your business is gimmicky, and your primary interest in Twitter is brand-promotion, then a gimmicky name can often pay off.
Don’t stress about rich keywords in your username. The search mechanisms for tracking people down via their username are poor and people are less and less impressed by words like ‘expert’ and ‘guru’ in titles (especially when coupled with SEO, search or social media).
Be mindful to avoid accidental euphemisms and double-meanings.
Underscores should only be used if nothing else is available.

Celebrities naturally can get away with pretty much anything. For the rest of us, it does require a little thought, especially if we’re looking to build a relevant and targeted audience.

Of course, it all depends on your expectations. If you’re 100 per cent confident that Twitter is never going to be anything more to you than a place to hang and chat with friends, then your username really isn’t all that important. Otherwise, think about the future – where might you be in six months or a year, and what part could Twitter play in that period of your life? And how may your choice of username impact on that?

The network continues to grow in popularity at a rapid rate.Â Twitter’s quite ridiculous policy of allowing anybody to change their username at any time* means these tips are applicable to everybody. In six months, almost all the good usernames will be gone, much like almost all the good .com domain names are taken now. If you regret your username, and feel that itÂ doesn’tÂ best represent who you are, act today.

To change your username – and while there are no limits, for the benefit of your network this isn’t something I advise you do more than once, so make it stick – click on ‘settings’, enter your new name in the box, and Twitter will tell you if it’s available. And then be smart and let people know. While there are many valid reasons why changing your username makes sense, without making an announcement you might find it’s alarmingly easy to disappear.

* It’s so ridiculous, that I would expect this option to have been phased out by the end of 2009.

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