Image Courtesy of Wheelz24
Getting married and the days leading up to your wedding can be quite stressful, but has social media also become a new factor in an otherwise ancient tradition? When a women gets married she often takes the last name of her husband, but what if your online identities are intertwined with your maiden name?
Times are changing and people are retaining their names or beginning to hyphenate them, social media now becomes a factor in changing your maiden name. Some individuals use their name as a handle on Twitter, and most other social media sites require your full legal name.
Though Facebook and Linkedin have features to ensure your connections can still find you, Twitter has yet to fully develop a system for this. The following presentation will guide you through altering your Facebook and Linkedin maiden names, and altering your Twitter account information.
Username Changes on Twitter
Twitter has always allowed its users to change their username freely. With their new retweet system, it even reduces any confusion on past tweets after a username is changed; however, there are many people who still use the manual retweet process. Additionally, if anyone mentions your previous twitter name or links it on a website it will no longer function, or worse someone else could have acquired it.
The most efficient way to let people know of your username change is to essentially create a small campaign. Start with a tweet announcing your new username, and place the information in your profile bio. Better yet, start and end each day with a tweet announcing the new information for a week, and if you know anyone has you listed on their site directly reach out to them.
It's good practice to track who has you listed on their site anyway, and this is also another great example of why you should try to create an evergreen username. Until Twitter creates a new field for your maiden name, the best solution would be adding both last names onto your account. Both Google and Twitter also index the content in your bio so you can place your maiden name there as well.
TL;DR - Though retaining your last name is becoming more common after getting married many woman still do continue this tradition. Now that social media has become such a large factor in reconnecting with others this may become an issue for those using Twitter or other sites that don't state your maiden name.
Whether you are changing your legal name or getting married, would you alter your online presence as well as your legal name? If your maiden name was your username, would that be a factor in changing your last name?
Dedicated to my soon to be wife, Claire.