The Name Change Checklist

(for the geek chic bride)

So you recently got hitched and now you get to do the really fun part: changing your name. There are a multitude of great how-to guides out there with reminders and tips on legally changing your name (driver’s license, insurance documents, etc. etc.).

That’s great, but what about us ladies (and men! no sexism here…) who are invested in our identities and reputation online? What if you’re an entrepreneur or a social media maven? Where’s our how-to for changing our name after marriage on all of our online accounts like Twitter, Facebook, Google +, email accounts, and all that?

 

Well, ladies and gents, I’ve done my best to help you out here based on what I learned in the last few months. Do a little research before you blindly follow these tips – rules change online all the time!

How to update your name (and what not to forget to update) on….

Social media accounts:

Twitter

• Difficulty level: EASY

• Log in to Twitter.com and visit your account settings pages from the dropdown menu in the top right corner. You can change your username here, on the account settings page.

• Start here: https://twitter.com/settings/account

• [Note: Don't forget to change your display name (which is different from your username, or "twitter handle" - it's your real name). You can change your real name in your profile settings tab. Start here: https://twitter.com/settings/profile]

Facebook

• Difficulty level: EASY
• Simply go to your Account Settings page and click on the Name section, type in your name, and save your changes. There are a limited number of times you can change your name, so… y’know.
• Start here: https://www.facebook.com/help/?faq=173909489329079
• You can also change your profile URL – but once you set it, it can only be changed once! Start here: http://www.facebook.com/username/

Linkedin

• Difficulty level: EASY

• Log in to Linkedin.com and edit your profile (profile —> edit). Click the tiny “edit” button next to your name and change away!

• You can also change your linkedin profile URL here, but be warned… If you already have a custom URL and you change it, your old current custom URL will no longer be valid, so be sure to update any links you have out there to the new URL.

• Start here: http://www.linkedin.com/profile/edit?trk=tab_pro

Google Plus

• Difficulty level: MEDIUM
• Log into your Google account by going to https://plus.google.com/. Clich the Profile tab on the left side of the page, then click “edit profile” at the top of the resulting page. Simply click your name and edit it.

AND these other social accounts:

• Pinterest
• Skype
• Foursquare
• Reddit
• Tumblr
• Klout (or other social aggregator)
• Instagram
• Open ID
• Dropbox

More technical accounts to consider:

• Email signatures and “from” name designations for all email addresses.
• Contact information for any domain names you own (that’s public info unless you bought private registration). You’ll need to log into your domain registrar to change that.

Good luck, y’all!

***If you have any tips to add, please leave them in the comments!***