I would really like to see a revamp of Twitter's policies on inactive usernames. In my opinion, if a username hasn't been used in 6 months, I think it should automatically be made available to the public. Unlike domain names, which people pay for, common twitter handles have been scooped up because of the lack of monetary investment needed to maintain them. Twitter is able to purge unused accounts over time, but I haven't seen it happening very often. Automating this process is the way to go.
SOLUTION (And here's how twitter can make a few million dollars in a week)
- Twitter should take control of all usernames that have been inactive for 1 year.
- Auction off the names over the course of a week or two. Highest bidder gets the rights to the name.
- Let's assume (conservatively) there are 1,000,000 user names people would be willing to pay for. Let's also assume the average bid for these names would be 10 dollars.
- Put rules in place barring resale, and only allowing one user name to be bought per twitter user (only allow people with X number of followers to buy to ensure they are a credible party).
- Easy Money. Happy customers.
Replies
I can see a service popping up that will auto tweet something every 6 months to keep a username active.
I can see that as well, but I think such a tool would not get used by the masses. My concern is that the usernames of individuals who aren't actively trying to retain their handles are still not being cleared.
I want @PGSports the guy doesnt use his account
I know that I've been checking for my own username and the account has been inactive for about 3 years.
I think it would be fair if a notice was sent after a year of inactivity, the person was given a week or 30 days to reactivate the account and if no response, make those accounts available to other users to claim.
Thanks for the feedback, Len.
We don't currently accommodate individual requests for inactive or suspended usernames. We may release all inactive and/or suspended usernames at some point, though we haven't set a date for doing so.
Twitter can only transfer usernames under our trademark policy (http://support.twitter.com/articles/18367 ). If you're writing on behalf of a trademarked brand, you can file a new ticket for our policy team to review.
You can file a ticket here: http://support.twitter.com/forms/trademark
What if you own the domain, but the twitter handle is taken but hasn't been used/active for more than a few years?
For example, I own the domain www.laraphoto.com (my photography business) but the twitter handle @laraphoto is registered but not in use since Dec 08.
Is there a process where you can request a release of such name due to the length of time the account has been inactive?
Hi, I am @gfxmuma and i would like to have the username @muma which has not been used from 2007. I have been waiting for it to be free up from a long time. I am getting irritated because I've been asking for this request from a long time now. Don't think it's fair, this person only has ONE TWEET. Please help.
I'm in the same boat.. user with folklove has not tweeted since 2009 and again only has one tweet.
This is just not true. I've seen this done before.
yes it's true, in 2010 they were releasing names if you asked them and it was inactive over 8+ months...seems to have changed
Jason thanks for the reply. I have inquired with folks on your end many times about securing an unused Twitter handle and gotten the same response as you offered.
I appreciate that you guys can't accommodate all the individual requests that come through since that would take a while. I just hope that at some point, you create a more automated process.
I may investigate getting a trademark for the username I'm looking for, but considering it will cost around $500, it's a bit of a risk since I don't know for sure that Twitter will release the name in question.
At some point it would be great if Twitter creates an automated processes that flushes unused Twitter handles after a certain length of time. I created this thread to give people a place to make suggestions in that vain.
The kind of automated process you mention is definitely something we can consider. The thing that's also important to note is that, just because an account does not tweet does not necessarily mean that it is an inactive account. There are a variety of other use cases to consider in which the account owner may just use the account to listen or consume tweets, they may be an application owner and manage the application of the account, and so on. We take all of these things into account when investigating the activity of an account.
yes, I agree that there may be use cases where someone is simply using twitter to consume content and not necessarily create it, but in some cases (such as the username i'd like to secure) there are no followers, no content being written or followed -- it truly seems like an inactive account. i'd love for a way to have that username released (to me) :)
+1
pinging this thread again. It's been 14 weeks since I wrote and a few of us posted directly to @Jack's tweet about features / issues we'd like resolved. Any news at all on this?
hopeful...
+1
I don't know if this is the right place to ask, but I am NOT a software developer, just check this area out. I'd like to get that @Anywhere and a tween button on my site that discretely says follow me. Can someone at Twitter help me?
Also, can I have photos posted on my Home page? I mean my individual photos, instead of Twitters suggestions, no offence, There's certainly enough space to have a double row of photos and the other stuff can just move down.
I know this probably isn't one of your normal practices, but don't know where else to turn? Thanks!
MaureenaHart or call me at 773-244-8004
What about accounts that have been suspended for some time, do you know of any way of getting those names since it's completely certain that no-one uses it?
I would like to have @iDavid I mean the guy even got a new Twitter account and posted it on his profile, can you guys release it? Please!!! On this profile he posts in Spanish about his new account: "mi nuevo twitter: @dvdwebz" He has no followings and only 6 followers... release @iDavid pls... I already los @David which I was trying to get for a long time... can you notify me? Reply to this msg or something, plssssssssssss
@jasoncosta There might be more signs for inactive accounts rather than twitting. Some accounts are barely following no one, tweeted nothing, and nobody is following them. So, most probably they haven't even signed in to their account.
To be fair and square, the automated process can send a warning e-mail to the inactive user, informing him that he have been inactive for x months, and that his account name will be retrieved if he didn't respond in x weeks.
Fair enough, right?
Hello, I would like to acquire a User name that is currently inactive. I wonder if Twitter could help me with this issue?
Please read the thread above. I started this discussion to offer suggestions and feedback to Twitter to streamline the inactive username process.
I really wish Twitter would do something with this, it's top on my wishlist. Nearly every name that I try to go for is held by an inactive account. Really difficult for somebody like me who works in the social media industry but constantly misses tweets because of the name. My own fault for not adopting earlier I guess.
Please purge the dead accounts Twitter!
Its quite disturbing when your desired User name is not available yet another person is not using it. Could there be a mechanism of informing the people on the dormancy of their accounts
Agreed, there needs to be a system whereby after a period of inactivity (perhaps a year), that the username is released. An automated system would be the best.
This is growing problem with all online services, inactive accounts taking space/usernames and I can't think of a company that takes the issue seriously for something that in my mind is quite easy to resolve.
I'd like to a see all services take up an automated 12 month rule, with a reminder sent on the 9th, 10th & 11th month before finally archiving the account data and releasing the username.
Huh even if there is well regulated policy my case takes over a week and it stopped after mail that I can use username which I selected. Sent mail with username to replace and no changes and news:/
hopefully twitter releases the inactive usernames soon, i've been interested in getting a certain twitter handle that hasn't tweeted or had any activity in the last 2 years, but anyways, hopefully twitter releases inactive usernames like that very soon
@jasoncosta. Twitter needs to address this as soon as possible please. I'm sure Twitter used to free up unused accounts on requests in the past. When did you change policy?
I also agree with David Lara above. I own the domains savoirman.com and savoirmen.com. I'm trying to start my own business.
I already have @savoirmen and would really like the userrname @savoirman too. But it is taken.
However, it's never been used. No tweets, no followers, no following, no favourites and the default user picture. Was registered back in Dec 2009.
I made a request but was told that twitter is "unable to accommodate individual requests for inactive or suspended usernames" as you have already stated. So why give this option under your help center page?
Such inactive and unused accounts should be freed up after 6-12 months like everyone else has said. By all means - notify the registered email user that if they don't use the account then it will be released into the public domain within 30 days as suggested.
I'd really like some help and guidance in this matter please.
I absolutely agree it should be automated, or at least if you request a name and it has been inactive for X amount of time you should be able to have access to it. I wanted the account name @coleydoom since i joined twitter, once i found out that was unavailable I thought I would use the name @ColeyG which also happened to be taken. So i resorted to @Coley_G, unfortunately if you are someone trying to promote yourself or want a name that's easy to remember, having underscores and numbers make it difficult and look un-official and unappealing. If twitter wants to continue to be popular and evolve as a social networking site it needs to find a way around this issue. In this day and age of upcoming use of networking sites and how fast they come and go I think it's important for this and many other issues to be solved so twitter can stay viable. Because I love twitter.
I don't even think I can have "uber" on my name cause of @Twitter App "UberSocial." But if the process of releasing inactive usernames happens sooner than later, I'd love twitter forever and ever and I'd be more than happy to change my username!
There are a lot of dead twitter account without any activity. But as per @jasoncosta , there are some rare cases. so you can forward a mail to those twitter account about inactivity, After that you can consider about the termination of those twitter account.
+1
Definitely agree there should be a system to release inactive accounts after a set period. The account I'm interested in has zero activity and the only follower it has posted a single tweet in March 2009 that says "learning about twitter" and then nothing (the two accounts follow each other so definitely dead accounts).
How about a PAID service where you can buy an inactive account? As Twitter is a business, they must have metrics on the cost of doing so, and it would be another way for Twitter to show the world it's making money.
Of course some may say this would lead to more people creating accounts, and in all business there is some percentage of fraud, but overall this makes sense. As I am sure many people who are looking for these accounts are businesses or brands, it makes sense to have a price, as it is going to cost someone anyway.
mp/m
I haven't really seen anyone with a case like this, but this seems like the place to ask.
I have my eye on an inactive username (inactive since 2009), as I've started trying to build a business portfolio while I work on finishing college, and I figure having my actual name as a twitter handle would look far better on a business card than "@zombiepaper." The problem is that at some point the twitter username character limit was changed, and if I try and make something like an impersonation claim on the name, it won't let me input the entirety of it. @brandondickerson was made before this limit was imposed or changed, and I can't even really report it for anything since the input boxes cut me off at @brandondickerso.
Right now I've resorted to tweeting at the holder of the username, hoping by some chance they'll have an e-mail about it and at least respond to me. Having not used the account since 2009, I'm not expecting any sort of response. I really wish inactive usernames could be released somehow, but even in this case it seems like it wouldn't matter due to the character limit.
Out with the old and in with the new. I know of so many people who want this and surely it can only be a good thing for the future of Twitter.
I don't like the idea as it is. It'd be good if accounts with less than say 10 tweets get deleted after inactivity, but to remove all accounts it a bit too much. What if the person has died and still has followers who are holding on to them through Twitter? It would be very inconsiderate if all of a sudden that account was deleted.
So what's the status on this? I own a "gregfitz" username on everything from domains to FB and LinkedIn vanity URLs... Twitter is literally the only service I haven't been able to procure it. @gregfitz has never Tweeted, and doesn't respond to my requests (or monetary offers) to give up his handle. Would love some kind of help here...
Hi, I am @gfxmuma and i would like to have the username @muma which has not been used from 2007. I have been waiting for it to be free up from a long time. I am getting irritated because I've been asking for this request from a long time now. Don't think it's fair, this person only has ONE TWEET. Please help.
I would like to have the username @Javiah. It would be one thing if it's taken. But that user hasn't tweeted since April 08!! This is a reason why I don't go on twitter. I can't tweet with the name I want. Twitter really needs to release these names. I thought I was alone. Somebody please HELP!
it frustrates me
I was watching the usernames @cynthia and @cyn for the longest time. Finally someone got @cynthia even though she isn't a "brand" or anything of the sort. "cyn" hasn't been active since twitter's inception. Is there ANY way I can get that one?
I've watched certain usernames for a long-long time. I think frankly the resources required to transfer or clear inactive usernames isn't worth the investment for Twitter. That said, it is something they should consider charging for. I would gladly pay hundreds of dollars to acquire certain domains. They could even use an auction model to boost the price. Seems like a lost opportunity, but perhaps they're looking for monetization avenues that come in bigger chunks.
So what you're saying is that we should pay if we want the inactive twitter account?
That makes no sense. If clearing the inactive accounds will be a waste of money then why hasn't @twitter done the e-mail alerts telling people that either someone else wants the name or their account is unactive. No one is going to pay for a twitter name.
Not exactly so. For example, I would pay up to $300 to get a handle that I have established use of in other social networks. And it's not even for commercial use. I think a fair price for a request for release service would be $10-$20. But there is simply not enough of us for Twitter to be financially or otherwise interested. It's sad.
I would rather see them have an inactive policy than monetize it. Some things are great being free. Great original post Len, smart thinking.
I agree on Twitter deleting inactive an account if it has not tweeted for half a year and automating the process. However, it is best that Twitter send a notice to the user beforehand but do not need any confirmation because the user might have not been using the email address as well.
What is happening with this? Has Twitter started working on a solution or started releasing usernames?
My account @0 has been stolen, zendesk is doing nothing about it. They seem to not even consider your proofs when u r trying to tell them your problem. All the answers are like the ones of a robot. You don't feel like it is actually a human you are trying to communicate with. All the same sentences, wordings etc. What r u expecting in such an environment?
I used to be a good supporter now I have lost my appetite for doing anything about twitter...
I don't believe any account is save, so don't bother yourselves guys. Keep going with your existing accounts.