7 Services to Find and Reserve Your Name Across the Web

If you choose a different username for every site you’re on, it can be hard to create a consistent identity across the web. The problem, however — as Twitter-spoofed Megan Fox, BP, and even the Dalai Lama recently found out — is that being the first to claim your name on every site can be difficult. And since most of the hundreds of sites that can host your profile prevent automated sign-up processes, you need to manually create one profile at a time.

These seven services search the availability of your username on multiple sites at the same time, and many also offer the option to create your profile on each of the sites they search for a fee. If you’re aiming to unify your personal or brand presence across the web, these handy tools are worth a look.

1. Knowem

You’re probably not interested in all 400 sites that Knowem features, but whatever you are interested in — blogging, bookmarking, photo, video, business, community, design, entertainment, health, information, microblogging, music, news, tech, or travel — you’ll be able to search that block of sites for your desired username.

For $99, they’ll sign you up for 150 profiles (you handle the e-mail confirmation and profile info). The $599 Enterprise package creates 300 profiles in your name and handles all confirmation and profile information details. The site also launched a domain name search feature today.

2. ud.com

Before you decide on a brand name, check this simple site for domain name, social media, and trademark availability. The site features much fewer profiles than other username checking services, but it’s far more manageable and easier to read: Green, available. Red, taken.

3. namechecklist

Another great free tool for deciding if your username is an optimal and searchable choice, namechecklist tells you what percentage of social media sites and domains have existing profiles that match your choice. The site also runs the name through popular search engines to gauge how common it is on the web.

4. claim.io

You give Claim.io your username and three alternates to use if your first choice has already been claimed. They start signing you up for social media sites with a randomly generated password. In 5-7 days, you receive a report with login information and links to each of your new profiles (which, thankfully, have already been populated with your photo or logo, website, and basic message). They even set up a new e-mail address so that yours doesn’t get spammed by the 300 new sites you’ve just joined. Join 100 profiles for $129 or up to 300 for $329.

5. TM.biz

Policing the social web for trademark infringement can be exhausting. This site helps monitor and protect trademarks by searching more than 500 sites at once. Trademark owners can search name availability for free and opt to purchase a report with screen shots of each profile that uses their name, a service that defensively registers them for sites, or a monitoring service that periodically searches for their trademark in usernames.

The site uses criteria like website traffic and membership size to rank the sites by popularity, and pricing is based on how many of the “top” sites the user wishes to monitor or sign-up for.

6. namechk

A descendent of the since shut-down usernamecheck.com, this site offers a quick-glance view of username availability. A nifty “sort by rank” button rearranges the sites to show you the most popular on top.

7. Domainr

If your ideal “.com” is already occupied, it might be beneficial to explore the nontraditional, often clever, domain suggestions on domai.nr (case in point). The site gives suggestions for creating your chosen URL using domains. For instance, some suggestions for “Justin Bieber” were bieberjust.in and justinbie.be/r. It also lets you know if the suggested domains are taken.

These seven services are a great start for finding and reserving your name across the web. Which services do you recommend? Let us know in the comments below.

More Social Media Resource from Mashable:

- 5 Ways to Clean Up Your Social Media Identity
- 5 Tips for Creating the Perfect Profile Pic
- HOW TO: Spring Clean Your Twitter Account
- HOW TO: Make the Most of Your Twitter Profile Page
- HOW TO: Enhance Your Online Presence with Video

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, ferrantraite

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