Though not as difficult as finding available .com domains (and boy, do I know that with our recent naming and domain search), its getting increasingly difficult to find available “handles,” or ID’s to use on social media applications like Twitter, Tumblr, Plurk, etc. As the popularity of social continues – and as more tools become popular – its harder to find the name you want.

If you’re planning on participating in more than one social media environment, its helpful to use the same handle everywhere. I haven’t quite followed that model myself, because when I began with Twitter (for example), I used my @copydiva handle as a test account. Why? Because Twitter was still relatively new, and I wasn’t sure if I was going to stick with it (who knew?).

So, I have accounts as both “copydiva” and “robinseidner” which are linked to each other.

Check Username checks availability of copydiva as a social media handle

If you are just starting out – or, if at this point, you’re just focused on one platform – choose a name you can stick with, if still possible. Fortunately, to do that, you don’t have to go to every social media tool site. Visit Check Username instead. All you need to do is type in your desired username, and it automatically checks availability across a whole host of social platforms.

Then, if it is available, click on the “available” link to go directly to the site to sign yourself up for your handle on that platform.