When people are searching for you on Facebook, the first thing they do is run a search on your name. But what if they only know you by your maiden name or your name is just hard to spell? And what about the nickname you use on Skype, Google talk and AIM, Are they associated with your account? Facebook has a solution for these situations. In this post, we'll learn how to add an alternate name and IM screen names to your Facebook account, thus making you easier to find.

Alternate name on Facebook

As Facebook explain, the alternate name in your account "is only used to help people find you in search and will not show up in your profile". Use it "for a former name or a name in another language." Here is how to add an alternate name to your Facebook account:

1. When logged in, choose "Account Settings" under "Settings" (you'll see it in the top right corner of the screen).
2. Next to "Name," click "change."
3. Enter a full name in the "Full Alternate Name" filed, and click the "Change Former Name" button below.

Once done, you'll see a note saying that "Your alternate name has been saved and will be used to help people find you in search."

IM screen name

To add your instant messaging nickname to your Facebook account, do as follows:

1. Go to your profile page.
2. Below your profile picture, click "Edit My Profile."
3. Click "Contact Information."
4. Choose your instant messaging accounts and fill in your nickname in the "IM Screen Name(s)" field (for some reason, you can only choose AIM, Google Talk, Skype, Windows Live, Yahoo, ICQ and Gadu-Gadu [?!]).

you might also want to read 20 Social Media Practices to Use in Your Daily Life [Presentation].

[Via Search for names on Facebook (the link is to the English translation of the original post, which was written in Hebrew).]

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