One way of quickly checking out the reach of a personal brand name is by scanning the Web to find where it’s used as a username. Here are username checking tools that do just that.
History of Username Checking Tools
All of these tools are based on a free tool called Usernamecheck. It became so popular it had to shut down due to rising hosting costs and nothing to offset them. Luckily, all the buzz in such a short period of time was enough to inspire other developers to pick up from where Usernamecheck left off. Thanks for blazing a trail with a simple yet useful idea, Usernamecheck.
checkusernames
With a nice interface that makes simple but effective use of website logos to show which site is being checked, you have Checkusernames. They will take your query and quickly test over 100 different websites for its existence. If a tested username is available, the site displays a direct link to the signup page for easy access.
usernamez
With a leaner, cleaner user interface than Checkusernames, usernamez only checks 60+ websites. Its similar to Checkusernames, it’s fast in checking them all at once, and in parallel. It also displays direct signup links where sensible although you wouldn’t know it without mousing over the ‘Free‘ links.
myusername
myusername has a no-nonsense user interface, giving you just the bare minimum to get the username-checking job done. myusername takes a few seconds to get started and then checks each of its supported websites one by one. It gives the impression that this tool is slower than the others. Plus, myusername only checks 40+ sites. Its unique feature is to tell you which url was verified, which can help understand the cause of an error.
Now- do Username Checking Tools work?
I manage all my usernames and passwords with a software package on my Palm Treo called Splash ID that also has a Windows desktop version which I use even more. A Splash ID search for any of my usernames generates a list of results for easy reference when testing the above tools. Incidentally, if you need a good, free password manager, try the online-only Clipperz or Passpack, or the desktop-based KeePass Password Safe.
Strangely enough, the tools seem to generate different outcomes when tested simultaneously. The differences don’t repeat themselves with successive attempts. It appears that the differences are more due to the checked websites than the checking tools themselves. In other words, if a specific website was a little too busy when it was checked, the lack of a reply leads the checking tool to report the wrong result. That said, the vast majority of the results did match the expectations from my Splash ID-generated lists.
Conclusion
The username checking tools cover different sites, so it’s a good idea not to rely on just one. And while the complete test results may not always be 100% accurate, using these tools can save you a lot of time. They give you information of your personal brand and a direction for where to move next.
