Introduction to Selecting a Twitter Username

On Twitter, your username, or handle as it is called, is your identity. My recommendation is If you can, sign up for Twitter by using your name or a variation of it as your username. This is, of course, assuming someone else has not already grabbed that particular username. This can be difficult if you have a common name. For example, if your name is Jen Smith, you may want to pick a Twitter username such as @jensmith or @jen_smith, and again, that is assuming it is not already taken.

I chose steph_1970 for mine - it is my first name and the year I was born. I selected it some years ago when I was still in my thirties. Now that I am older and in my forties, I am second guessing that idea, but oh well! :)

A Mention About Twitter Usernames

Twitter usernames typically appear with an at sign (@) before the name, because that is the way you refer to other users on Twitter. However, when you are actually selecting a username, the @ is noy part of it. The only characters you are allowed are the following:

• uppercase and lowercase letters,
• numbers,
• underscore character ( _ ).