question Company wants to buy my social username

[Dondomainer]

This is the first time that happens to me, a company has offered me $ 400 for one of my username in one of the social communities, I don't know why I think they are willing to pay even more...

what do you think I sell?

 

[RJ]

It’s misleading in the fact that you must delete the handle in order for it to become available. Adding new handles to your account does not make old/less used handles available.

Why you would choose to delete a handle is beyond me. I just counted and I have have 27 active usernames. Zero reason to delete any.

Wow! That's a lot of usernames. How would you handle the situation if a company was offering you $5k to give up one of them?

 

[Dondomainer]

what is the best place to get the money... that is a problem.

 

[Keith]

Don't care about exact match social media handles. They add close to zero value.

Meanwhile you’d take @domains in the blink of an eye. Perspective is key and to each brand the right social media handle can be invaluable.

 

[Dondomainer]

what is the best place to get the money... that is a problem...escrow. but.. how?

 

[Recons.Com]

Meanwhile you’d take @domains in the blink of an eye. Perspective is key and to each brand the right social media handle can be invaluable.

Why would it be invaluable? I know many put more value on this than on a great domain, but it is just plain vanity. There is virtually no type-in traffic, the platforms know how to factor in other parameters in search, like username, verified accounts, geo, popularity etc.

It is definitely nice to have and if it is available, i'd go for it, but if /rightbrand is not available (which it wasn't of course), I just go for /rightbrandcom which I did...

 

[Recons.Com]

Congratulations..can we get more info?

More info can lead to the handle being blocked as any handle sale is against TOS. Let's not jeopardize the deal over curiosity.

 

[equity78]

Social media handles and domain names have a lot in common. People want an exact match whenever possible and are sometimes willing to pay a premium to get it.



This is true. But couldn't I offer you some money to change your username on Twitter? The moment you change your username, the old one becomes available immediately to anyone else to get.

People sell them all the time, I know of handles on Twitter and Instagram selling for as much as $5,000.

 

[Dondomainer]

Yeah, attaching a domain would make it safe probably. Buy any domain name that includes that handle in it, even longer, make escrow for domain with the handle included.

what you means, any domain ? ..like ,. sdkajdkdj dot any

 

[Keith]

Why would it be invaluable?

Because of the term attached to it, news, hashtags...

The follower base is formed around many factors and the account can be monetized based on that. In some cases you don’t need a domain, the handle is far more valuable.

 

[Dondomainer]

More info can lead to the handle being blocked as any handle sale is against TOS. Let's not jeopardize the deal over curiosity.

what about escrow like service ?

 

[WhoaDomain.com]

It’s misleading in the fact that you must delete the handle in order for it to become available. Adding new handles to your account does not make old/less used handles available.

Why you would choose to delete a handle is beyond me. I just counted and I have have 27 active usernames. Zero reason to delete any.

I'm confused Keith.

Walk us thru this?

So I have my twitter handle right now Whoadomain are you saying under that handle I can have 27 other handles? I don't see how that is possible? is there a section we should go to do all of this "adding new handles"

and this is all legit?

I find it hard to believe Twitter would allow this. isn't that part of the umbrella of cybersquatting?

 

[Recons.Com]

Because of the term attached to it, news, hashtags...

The follower base is formed around many factors and the account can be monetized based on that. In some cases you don’t need a domain, the handle is far more valuable.

Let's agree to disagree. A company owns a domain, handle is owned by another company that can take it away without any warning. Thinking that companies primary domain is less valuable than handles at a third party service is plain wrong. Collecting your woods for the winter on someone else's rope is never a good strategy. Social media is supplemental and growing it is least dependent on the emd handle.

 

[iAdam]

It is against the TOS of most of the social media networks so posting any usernames could result in suspension.

With that said, companies can easily get their exact match names on facebook, instagram, (not sure for twitter) by filing a trademark or copyright infringement. I did it once for one username on instagram and it workd, they gave me that username of course after proving i'm the legal owner of the TM.

 

[Keith]

wow that's crazy. How did I never know this? and all of those handles can be managed on the one initial registered email address?

I guess you all know what I'm about to do tonight!

here I was thinking I had to create multiple email address just to create twitter handles! lol

Each requires a unique email address but all are changeable almost immediately without logging in and out.

 

[Keith]

THE OWNERS of the world's rarest Twitter names have been offered tens of thousands of dollars to sell their digital monikers, despite the platform banning the controversial practice.

Germany-based IT specialist Mark Douglass, known as "@m" on the site, told The Sun he turned down $15,000 for his beloved ID.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/tech/6103393/twitter-rarest-handles-names-worth-value-money/

The sale isn’t on the seller, it’s on whoever holds the bag. I wouldn’t want to pay thousands and have twitter pull my handle due to tos violations.

 

[equity78]

You’ll Pay How Much For My Name?
What struck me after reading Hiroshima’s blog post about his Twitter extortion was that he had been offered as much as $50,000 for his username. And he turned it down.

Multi-thousand dollar offers for Twitter handles aren’t unusual. According to the New York Post, JPMorgan Chase, the banking and financial services company, offered Chase Giunta, owner of the @chase Twitter handle, $20,000 for his username.

Buying and selling usernames is against the rules on Twitter, but there is little the company can do to combat it. Most deals are done quickly and quietly—money exchanges through PayPal accounts and the Twitter handle is transferred.

https://readwrite.com/2014/01/31/the-not-so-secret-black-market-of-twitter-handles/

 

[Keith]

Sure, it is possible. But not smart. They could have as well built their domain where all the goodwill would be collected as well from those social media accounts.

My strategy is that my domain/website is the primary asset. Then I create social media accounts with the purpose of building community there, but also driving them to the website and building separate independent community there, including mail list, comments, if applicable etc.

Just to illustrate, for my Elix project compare twitter.com/elix that is not mine and created in 2008 with 150 followers with twitter.com/elixcom, which is mine, was created 10 years later and with 395 followers that I will grow into hundreds of thousands.

You’re looking at it from one side, assuming the domain is obtainable or available to a holder of a valuable handle. Also assuming it’s the “primary asset” as it pertains to the world.

In many cases the social media handle far outweighs whatever the equivalent domain would bring. Instant gratification..

 

[uzver]

It is definitely nice to have and if it is available, i'd go for it, but if /rightbrand is not available (which it wasn't of course), I just go for /rightbrandcom which I did...

I think you have good chances to get your emd handle on Twitter by reporting a trademark issue here https://help.twitter.com/forms/trademark (use option 1 “I have a trademark and someone is impersonating my brand.”)

I did exactly that for my Twitter handle and it worked perfectly I recall my emd handle was created back in 2012 and there were only 2 old tweets.

Your emd handle was created in 2009 and there is just one tweet posted in March 2009. No retweets, likes, etc. Account is dead and was created for the sole purpose of reserving the handle.

Good luck

With that said, companies can easily get their exact match names on facebook, instagram, (not sure for twitter) by filing a trademark or copyright infringement. I did it once for one username on instagram and it workd, they gave me that username of course after proving i'm the legal owner of the TM.

 

[The Durfer]

congratulations! I saw you sold it for $1700 good price.

 

[uzver]

People are talking about TM's like if someone had Namepros and Namepros had the tm. The most valuable handles on Twitter and Instagram are generic, no one is getting based off of a tm.

Were you referring to my post? I haven’t mentioned that I have a tm (I don’t), and I didn’t need it to successfully “hijack” my 2-word twitter handle.

When you submit a request to Twitter there are a few options to select from and you simply follow “brand impersonation” route. Nothing to do with a tm infringement.

Here is the screenshot from step 2:

 

[uzver]

Exact match social handles bring the "trust factor" just like exact match domains. If you can get an exact match social handle and pair it with an exact match domain you are ready for business. You will gain instant trust. It shows establishment and seriousness. It looks clean. Your message is clear.

To me, it’s more like having a .com vs any other extension.

If your twitter handle is brandCOM/brand2/brand.something than anyone knows there is also just *brand* exist (and it was on twitter first ).

 

[Keith]

Wow! That's a lot of usernames. How would you handle the situation if a company was offering you $5k to give up one of them?

They’re all attached to my domains so without the domain purchase, the handle wouldn’t be available. It’s a matter of complying to say, as part of this domain sale, the active social media account is included.

 

[Recons.Com]

Don't care about exact match social media handles. They add close to zero value.

But, some do value it, so all the power to them. Don't risk deleting it. If there is not much valuable stuff there, like followers etc. in thousands, just pass it to the person as is with personal info changed.

 

[Kamaldeen]

Sold $ 1700

Congratulations..can we get more info?

 

[Recons.Com]

Sold $ 1700

Yeah, attaching a domain would make it safe probably. Buy any domain name that includes that handle in it, even longer, make escrow for domain with the handle included.