5 Reasons Why You SHOULD Use Your REAL Name On Twitter

Twitter is easily becoming one of the fastest growing social networks of all time. With that said, more and more people are using Twitter to connect with friends, find jobs, build networks, market products, build businesses and brands, or just to share what’s happening in their world. However, what I’m discovering is that many people have succumb to the old Myspace-ways of using fake usernames as their Twitter names. Though this may seem really insignificant, and almost not even worth bringing up, I want to push back to and say that this may be more important than you think. From my observation and personal experience of being an avid Twitter user, I’ve compiled…

5 Reasons Why You SHOULD Use Your REAL Name On Twitter:

1. Noticeability: Have you ever had someone you know follow you on Twitter, but you had no clue who they were because of their unidentifiable Twitter name? Their name may have been something like SugarMama101 or MakeMoneyNow09. I have had this same constant problem of having people follow me, and I can’t figure out who they are. I’ve had friends follow me without any links on their profile page and I wouldn’t follow them back because I didn’t know who they were. What I’ve found is that when people use phrases and acronyms as their Twitter names, it makes it difficult for even their friends to identify them. Since Twitter isn’t designed to have traditional profile pages like Facebook, Myspace, and LinkedIn, there are only a few ways you can really be noticed or identified. One easy way is to link your profile page to your website or another one of your social network accounts or to just use your real name. Otherwise, you run the risk of following people and not being followed back.

1. Searchability: Twitter is becoming a very popular search engine. People are now using Twitter Search find topics, events, people, and places. I’ve tried to search for particular people on Twitter, and couldn’t find them… though they were on Twitter. If you’re one of these people, here’s my advice to you: If you want people to find you on Twitter with a name like SugarMama101 or MakeMoneyNow09, good luck! Even on a bigger scale, being searchable is REALLY important. If you ever decide to build a business or brand using Web 2.0, owning your name and using your name in all of your social networks – especially sites like Twitter – is almost like an easy boost for your brand. That’s hard to do with a name like MMN09.

1. Connectability: When you are searchable and noticeable, it makes it easier for other Twitter users to connect and follow you. I’ve had several people within my network who were friends of mine on Facebook. When I found out that they had a Twitter account, it was easy for me to search, find, and connect with them on Twitter because they used their real names. This is proving to be just as important for connecting with people you don’t know personally too. For example, there are several leaders and designers that I respect and follow through their blogs and websites. Since most of them were wise enough to use their real names on Twitter, it was easy for me to connect with them there as well. If you’re using Twitter is to connect with people, it would do you a major disservice to use names like SMG09 and SugarMama. Just saying (lol).

1. Approachability: I’ve found that I am less likely to approach someone on Twitter or take the time to figure out who they are if their name is really weird or questionable. Trust me, when you see someone following you with a name like SugarMama or MakeMoneyNow09, there’s a slight reluctancy to engage in conversation or even follow them back for that matter. With all of the spammers and weirdo’s out there that use social networks for negative purposes, you run the risk of being categorized as one of them when you use these funky names. I’ve even “unfollowed” a few people whose names were very questionable. Though you may not be a spammer, it can be hard for the person you’re following to tell what your motives truly are when your name sounds like porn site or sales pitch.

1. Credibility: Whether we want to admit it now or not, Twitter has become a mainstream platform on the web. Everybody from Oprah to the college kid on campus is now on Twitter. So what does this mean for you? As momentum continues to build on the web, owning your name on all your social networks will later prove to be a major asset and advantage. Why is this so important? You never know how simply using your real name can have an impact on your near future. Something as simple as that could lead to future job opportunities, new relationships, a bigger network, a stronger brand, or just a way to connect your thoughts and ideas back to yourself.

I’m sure this list can go on and on. But I want to know…

What are your thoughts? Do you use your real name or some acronym or fake name? Why?