Personal Name Or Business Name?

Most of us are on several social sites for business. Do you use your own name or the name of your own business when signing up for these social sites? Or, do you use the name of the business you are promoting or the company you are working for?

Let's say for instance, you start a Twitter account and you want to promote the company you work for. Your thinking might be to use your company name or a form of it. This way when you get followers they will see your company name and then become interested in your company. Great!!! You think! 

Rather impersonal, don't you think.

Later on down the road you have thousands of followers. But, for some reason, you either stop promoting said business or you stop working for said company. OOPS!! What do you do now? 

According to Todd Wasserman in his post on Mashable.com you might want to rethink your original decision of using a company name to gain followers on any social network. Be sure to take the time to read his post before it is too late and you find yourself being sued. You can read the post here: http://on.mash.to/IgX9aI 

To me it is not a good idea to use a company name to setup a profile on a social site. I tend to stay away from doing this. Why? I want to brand myself not the company. Why? People join people not companies. People looking at your business want to know who you are first then they will make up their minds about the company you are promoting.

Take my Facebook accounts for example. I have a personal timeline and I have a business timeline. My personal timeline has only my name whereas my business timeline has Elaine Bullin: Life & Business. 

You see I still used my name for both timelines. I didn't just use my business name. Besides neither is my business name. My business timeline comes back to this blog. This is where I want people to come to. On this blog they can learn about me and the businesses I promote. A win-win situation.

Make yourself #1 not your company. Otherwise, you could find yourself in a position that you don't want to be in. Just a word to the wise.

If you didn't take the time to read Wasserman's post be sure to do so. Taking a chance by using a company name you work for or are promoting just may land you in a long drawn out legal battle.

Elaine Bullin