It's a phenomenon, and like it or not, people are grabbing up usernames like they're domains of the 90's.

I'm noticing that even though brands should protect their identity, it's not the end of days if someone grabbed your username on Twitter, or YouTube. In fact I see a lot of company's on Twitter, opting in for the personal touch. For example, the recent launch of ExecTweets shows there are many executives representing themselves and their prospective brands. The executive has a certain degree of privacy, as they are a bit more difficult to find through Twitter, yet what they present is a more personal representation of the brand then tweeting through a brand seal.

YOUR-NAME-HERE_at_YOUR-COMPANY-HERE.

The personal touch also allows you to create a larger breadth of communication, as you may have several people tweeting for a brand. In a recent article from Mashable.com, they laid out the 40 Best Twitter Brands, and while many of them are real brands like the famous @JetBlue and @TheHomeDepot, some were personal accounts such as Chevrolet's @AdamDenison and @Alicia_at_Honda. I like the personal touch, because I like hearing the inside scoop and making personal connections, but I also follow a lot a name brands, because they do create a lot of value through their Tweets.

What's your best bet as a business?

In the words of Ice Cube, "You'd better check yourself before you wreck yourself." And it is in that spirit that I invite you to checkout your brands username availability and see if other people are out there representing you.

 

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