Hey Rick, Nice post as I was just thinking about changing mine and wondering how it's done. The trouble is someone already had my name 'samadkins' so I got 'samadkinshom' but I was thinking of 'samadkins1' but is there any point do you think in changingit if i can't grab just my name because noone would be able to search it with an added 1 or underscore? What do ya fink? Sam
Cynthia Clinton
· 1 year ago
Very cool, sir! That procedure's scarier than it is difficult. I'm glad you posted, I was curious.
I'd grab samanthaadkinds or thesamadkins or even use a business handle like masscontrolkern does and remember - your real name field is different than your username.
I know you are known as "sam" but women seem to get more mileage on Twitter (sorry if you think that's mysoginistic (sp) but it's not.
That's why I mention the samantha - Ed_Dale seems to survive with an underscore - and I managed to get more than 1000 followers with one...
Hope that is helpful, Rick
Sam Adkins
· 1 year ago
Thanks for the advice Rick! Appreciate it :)
Jeanette
· 1 year ago
Thanks for the directions. I tried to tell my friends to use their real name, but they are stuck in the old IM mode. At least they can switch after they get the value of twitter.
Joy~
@jeanettejoy
Gary Graye
· 1 year ago
I was only thinking of how to change my twitter name a couple of days ago. This really helps. Many thanks Rick, not just for this post but for being part of my continuing education.
Andrea Kalli
· 1 year ago
I changed my Twitter name about a month after I started using Twitter. That was the easy part. There were several apps that were connected to Twitter that I had to go in an update my Twitter name in, such as OutTwit, Friendfeed, ping.fm, hellotxt, Facebook, etc.
It was easy, but you have to remember what you've got connected to Twitter, then check to see if you need to update things.
Andrea
XIII
· 1 year ago
Nifty, I hope it's not just some bug they forgot to patch. Good find!
Note that if you have only one Twitter ID, just click the "settings" link when you are logged in, and in the "account tab"... just start changing your username. Then save. Easy.
Thanks for this information. I was interested in doing this but too lazy to hunt down the info. I saw your link on Twitter and poof! - information delivered. I'm going to Digg it to make sure that others can find this when they need it too.
Cutressa M Williams
· 1 year ago
It was scary thinking about changing... but I knew it needed to be done... it was actually very easy... unfortunately my name is too long for Twitter, so I still had to chose something that "reflects" me ... but I am happy w/the new name...
Thank you Rick for sharing!
_cmw :-) now @ceocutressa formally @richgirl1973, but still richgirl1973 at heart!
All my friends said GO! So I finally ran out of people to call up and try to get to talk me out of it.
I'm using my fancy http://Woopra.com software to see who is on my site - right now I can actually see coach deb is on my site on the "how to change your twitter username id" blog post.
I've tried to IM ya on the on site chat - but it probably scared ya - it would freak me out too!
Thanks everyone for the wonderful words of encouragement.
Rick
@CoachDeb
· 1 year ago
hmmm...uh...er...."scared" wasn't the description iiiii'd use... but - uh... ok - let's call it scared when i saw an IM woooooopra pop up while I was typin up my comment
:P
all i know - is I'm glad YOU made the _ change - BRAVA!
i can't tell u the heat i get from others who resist this change... but slowly... I'm seeing them breakdown and get their name sans underscore.
so this is good.
I think my new policy will be - no free advice / coaching. I'll just nod & say - niiiiiice. :)
funny how you're not appreciated when you offer freely eh?
@CoachDeb
· 1 year ago
@ceocutressa formally @richgirl1973
NOTE: If you've been using @richgirl1973 for any length of time, establishing a brand and links from that twitter ID - you'll want to create a separate Twitter account (with different email address) and Grab @richgirl1973 back before anyone ELSE does!
Currently, there are people who've talked to you and if you click on their links to you - it shows up as that person doesn't exist.
Instead - grab the @richgirl1973 and have your 1st and last tweet say: Please follow me at @CEOcutressa my NEW TwitID
@CoachDeb
PS: oh crud! just when i said NO to giving any more free coaching. ok then - feel free to deposit $397 into my paypal account and we'll call it even. :P
StumbleUpon
· 1 year ago
Thanks for the informative post.. and thanks for adding our comment to the blog. I am subscribing to your feed so I don\'t miss the next post!
I did take the leap & changed my ID a week or two ago & didn't loose anything. Seamless transition (just had to remember to update my ID throughout the Web where I had the old listed).
R Mishra
· 1 year ago
Will I be able to retain all my old updates if I change my user name?
Chris
· 11 months ago
Rick,
Thanks for the post. I just followed your instructions and it worked like a charm. Thought I was going to have to start over and am really glad that I don't. :)
Thanks for the guidance, especially for the hint, do provide a second account for bearing the old name!
Anita Johnson
· 11 months ago
Well, the instructions were easy enough, but for me, it was just plain scary! I didn't realize I shouldn't have added anyone to the NEW account and then I had trouble logging back in to both accounts! Seems the passwords are now reversed. And now that I've unfollowed all the people I added in the New (now Old) account, I've been locked out! I think I'll wait a while before trying to login to my formerly old, now NEW account. Sheeesh!
What I would like to find out is how to consolidate two Twitter accounts. Well, that is not exactly accurate... Here's the deal:
Like you, when I first started on Twitter I was not sure about names and how things went. @CoachDeb said not to use underscores and I did not! Thanks @CoachDeb! (See I do listen! :)
I took my name and then my biz name. I have now converted to using my biz name primarily. I would like to get the followers from name account to follow me on biz account. This is where they will meet the "real Roz!" Some are, but I see that some others are still not following me at primary account!
Thanks again for instructions on changing Twitter ID names.
Thanks for the help. Definitely helps the personal brand.
Debra Simpson
· 11 months ago
I have my own name, debrasimpson, and I have my business name, northsandiego. I wanted to establish a twitter identity with the business name for when I sell the business down the road. Does that make sense?
Rick, great post. Extremely useful information and well written! Not only did I use the information to get a better Twitter ID for myself, I referred to it in a post for community bankers. You can see the post at: http://blog.communitybankconsulting.com/2009/03... Thanks for the great work and great information!
Richard
· 9 months ago
Useful post - we've got quite a few Twitter accounts, and a few of them needed changing to maintain consistency!
Jack
· 9 months ago
Great instruction ... brings up another thought though ... I'm wondering if it might be possible to consolidate (merge) two twitter accounts?
Nice post Rick. . .except that it won't let me change my old user name, as it says it's already been used.
Will keep trying.
John
· 9 months ago
Great article. I use Qwitter and it sent me an alert for every follower notifying me that they had all unfollowed me so... you're article could be even better if you instructed to turn off Qwitter for the original account prior to following your steps. Cheers!
Laurie PK
· 9 months ago
Rick,
Do you know if I can change to caps without going through the above process?
That is, I'm @quipsandtips. I want to be @QuipsAndTips. Can I just change it in my settings?
Rick, thank you a TON, I had done what you did...grabbed my full name...but had no idea making the switch could be this easy. Linking to THIS post will be my first tweet under my full name handle. You rock. Thank you!!! @goldenm AND @michellegolden
Thanks a lot for this post. When I first set up my Twitter account I picked a really difficult user name and was afraid to switch it. I just changed it using your directions and it worked perfectly.
Alison Rothwell
· 8 months ago
Thanks for the advice - I've taken the plunge and moved from my brand name to my "real name" :)
Thanks for the information as in my head I'm going through a particular thought process regarding me username. on Twitter whcih is TwilightNewsMan
I originally wanted it to be TwilightNewsBeat like my website but due to the username limitation I'm over by one chracter. Should I stay with what i have (the present name is pretty recent) or should I consider a new name
Thanks again... RudyK
Internet Marketing Connections
· 8 months ago
Great post Rick! Really vaiuable info...linked it!
Can i check, the old twitter username- can I delete it off after i move all to the new name or do i need to keep it?
Emer Lawn
· 8 months ago
Thanks a million for this post. Will really help us when we decide if we're going to change our Twitter name to help people find us better!
Twitter_Tips
· 7 months ago
Glad to hear that worked. It has failed in the past. Changing to a name that was recently used used to give the "name unavailable" message. Tried it several times. So makes me concerned that this might not always work.
In other words, each name, once created, was unavailable to be used again, regardless of whether it became "available" by changing the name on the account it first existed on. So using a name then changing the name to something else made the original name unavailable.
Stefanie Zucker
· 7 months ago
Actually I ran into the same problem as the last person who commented. I grabbed the twitter name I wanted. Then I changed the new account name so I could go into my old account and grab it and it was unavailable to be accessed by my old account. When I went to switch it back and it was unavailable to the new account as well. So now the name I want is unaccessable alltogether. Help, please!!
It worked. It took Twitter 48 hours to release the name I wanted, but they finally did and then I went on and completed the rest of the instructions. Phewww... A little scary, but wanted to tell folks that it does work, but be warned - Twitter may make this a little more work than it has to be... Hope this helps...
I cannot get logged into my account now! Does it usually take awhile to be able to log in to your account when you change the user name? I'm so upset that it won't let me log in :( It also won't let me grab my old user name, it just says that it is unavailable. I will keep trying and HOPE that it just takes a bit for twitter to recognize! .-= Henrietta´s last blog ..Twitter Woes =-.
All Comments
Nice post as I was just thinking about changing mine and wondering how it's done. The trouble is someone already had my name 'samadkins' so I got 'samadkinshom' but I was thinking of 'samadkins1' but is there any point do you think in changingit if i can't grab just my name because noone would be able to search it with an added 1 or underscore?
What do ya fink?
Sam
Cynthia Clintons last blog post..Mindfulness - The Secret To Enacting Personal Change
I'd grab samanthaadkinds or thesamadkins or even use a business handle like masscontrolkern does and remember - your real name field is different than your username.
I know you are known as "sam" but women seem to get more mileage on Twitter (sorry if you think that's mysoginistic (sp) but it's not.
That's why I mention the samantha - Ed_Dale seems to survive with an underscore - and I managed to get more than 1000 followers with one...
Hope that is helpful,
Rick
Joy~
@jeanettejoy
It was easy, but you have to remember what you've got connected to Twitter, then check to see if you need to update things.
Andrea
XIIIs last blog post..Blog redesign
Note that if you have only one Twitter ID, just click the "settings" link when you are logged in, and in the "account tab"... just start changing your username. Then save. Easy.
Mike Staskiewiczs last blog post..mikestask: make that "hours"...
Thank you Rick for sharing!
_cmw :-)
now @ceocutressa
formally @richgirl1973, but still richgirl1973 at heart!
Cutressa M Williamss last blog post..ceocutressa: I just updated my name to better reflect my business ... did it work? like the change?
All my friends said GO! So I finally ran out of people to call up and try to get to talk me out of it.
I'm using my fancy http://Woopra.com software to see who is on my site - right now I can actually see coach deb is on my site on the "how to change your twitter username id" blog post.
I've tried to IM ya on the on site chat - but it probably scared ya - it would freak me out too!
Thanks everyone for the wonderful words of encouragement.
Rick
:P
all i know - is I'm glad YOU made the _ change - BRAVA!
i can't tell u the heat i get from others who resist this change... but slowly... I'm seeing them breakdown and get their name sans underscore.
so this is good.
I think my new policy will be - no free advice / coaching. I'll just nod & say - niiiiiice. :)
funny how you're not appreciated when you offer freely eh?
formally @richgirl1973
NOTE: If you've been using @richgirl1973 for any length of time, establishing a brand and links from that twitter ID - you'll want to create a separate Twitter account (with different email address) and Grab @richgirl1973 back before anyone ELSE does!
Currently, there are people who've talked to you and if you click on their links to you - it shows up as that person doesn't exist.
Instead - grab the @richgirl1973 and have your 1st and last tweet say: Please follow me at @CEOcutressa my NEW TwitID
@CoachDeb
PS: oh crud!
just when i said NO to giving any more free coaching.
ok then - feel free to deposit $397 into my paypal account and we'll call it even. :P
Helges last blog post..Warum ist Polygamie verboten und tabu?
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Stumbled :)
I followed the directions exactly and did not lose my replies or directs.
Scott...
<abbr>Scotts last blog post..Back room deals? Norfolk politics makes my head spin!</abbr>
Thanks for the post. I just followed your instructions and it worked like a charm. Thought I was going to have to start over and am really glad that I don't. :)
-chris
<abbr>Chriss last blog post..Hallicious: @chimoose Ha! Delicious it is... Hallacious.com was taken. My fav was Halltomaton (automaton) but my focus group gave it the thumbs down :)</abbr>
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What I would like to find out is how to consolidate two Twitter accounts. Well, that is not exactly accurate... Here's the deal:
Like you, when I first started on Twitter I was not sure about names and how things went. @CoachDeb said not to use underscores and I did not! Thanks @CoachDeb! (See I do listen! :)
I took my name and then my biz name. I have now converted to using my biz name primarily. I would like to get the followers from name account to follow me on biz account. This is where they will meet the "real Roz!" Some are, but I see that some others are still not following me at primary account!
Thanks again for instructions on changing Twitter ID names.
Roz
http://www.Twitter.com/SayItWithEcards
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<abbr>Jacks last blog post..write recipe</abbr>
Will keep trying.
Do you know if I can change to caps without going through the above process?
That is, I'm @quipsandtips. I want to be @QuipsAndTips. Can I just change it in my settings?
Thanks,
Laurie
<abbr>Laurie PKs last blog post..10 Tips for Getting Out of Debt</abbr>
<abbr>Michelle Goldens last blog post..Social Media: The Unavoidable Intersection of Your Business & Personal Life</abbr>
<abbr>Alison Rothwells last blog post..Why I’ve Changed my Twitter Name</abbr>
Thanks for the information as in my head I'm going through a particular thought process regarding me username. on Twitter whcih is TwilightNewsMan
I originally wanted it to be TwilightNewsBeat like my website but due to the username limitation I'm over by one chracter. Should I stay with what i have (the present name is pretty recent) or should I consider a new name
Thanks again...
RudyK
<abbr>Internet Marketing Connectionss last blog post..Your Twitter Username & How to Change It</abbr>
In other words, each name, once created, was unavailable to be used again, regardless of whether it became "available" by changing the name on the account it first existed on. So using a name then changing the name to something else made the original name unavailable.
<abbr>Stefanie Zuckers last blog post..The littlest victims of the recession</abbr>
Hope this helps...
<abbr>Stefanie Zuckers last blog post..The littlest victims of the recession</abbr>
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.-= Henrietta´s last blog ..Twitter Woes =-.