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Is Your Real Name Already Taken on Twitter? Here's How to Get It Back.

by Terrence O'Brien on May 20, 2009 at 11:55 AM

Registering early is the best way to get the username or URL of your choice on social networking services. But being first isn't always enough.

Sites like Twitter and MySpace, for example, reserve the right to "reclaim" a URL for celebrities, brands, and public figures. So if someone with the same name as yours becomes the next American Idol, don't be surprised if the link to your Twitter page changes.



Sometimes deals are struck for the transfer of these names without involving the Web site. For example, the CNN Breaking News feed was originally started by a fan who set up the unofficial feed to Tweet CNN's e-mail alerts. CNN decided it wanted to control the domain, and its rather sizable audience. But rather than risk a backlash by asking Twitter to "reclaim" the account, CNN asked the fan to hand over control in exchange for a consultant gig teaching the CNN staff how to tweet.

Even if you aren't a celebrity or mega corporation, you can petition a social networking site to close the account of someone is clearly impersonating you. MySpace has automated this process: You send them a photo of yourself holding a piece of paper with the URL of the impersonator's account (strange we know...). If MySpace decides someone is indeed attempting to impersonate you, they will then shut the account down. [From: Wall Street Journal]

Tags: account, microblogging, twitter, url, user names, UserNames

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