Editor's note: The marriage of technology and communication has been a boon to savvy entrepreneurs. But it's also a huge challenge for those who aren't sure how to navigate through social networks. To help, Dallas-based marketing professional Shama Kabani is answering your questions. Email her at shama@marketingzen.com.

How can I acquire an inactive Twitter user name?

Dear Shama,

Our company just went through a huge rebranding process. Accordingly, we are trying to set up our new social-media profiles. Facebook and LinkedIn were easy enough. But, we are having an issue with Twitter. Someone already has our company name as their user name. I did some further digging and found that it hasn’t been used in over a year. Is there any way we can acquire it? What are our options?

—Dave, a chief marketing officer; Chicago

Dear Dave,

This process can be really simple or really complicated, depending on whether you have that particular user name legally trademarked. In which case, simply submit a Twitter support request with your trademark registration number. You should be able to get the user name very easily.

However, if you don’t have it trademarked, it isn’t as easy to obtain an inactive Twitter user name, but it can be done. I, myself, have used both methods below with success.

Option 1: Try to find out who currently owns the user name. Sometimes they have a link to their blog or website on their profile and you can contact them. You do have to be careful though, because it can go either way. The individual may no longer have an interest and hand it over. Or, recognizing that their Twitter account is desirable, they may decide to use it—nullifying the inactive status of the user name—or offer to sell it.

Option 2: Appeal to Twitter directly. This is a hit-or-miss option as well. It used to be that if an account was inactive for six months or more, Twitter would allow someone else to claim it. Technically, this is no longer their policy. Their website claims that they will be releasing inactive Twitter accounts in bulk, but not necessarily distributing them one by one to requesting parties. That being said, I’ve still had success with obtaining inactive Twitter user names by contacting their support team with a ticket.

Help! An associate is poaching my network on LinkedIn!

Dear Shama,

I was stunned when I learned an associate had contacted all of my LinkedIn contacts, inviting them into her network using my name. The awful part was 90 percent had no relevance to her business. She just wanted a larger network. I have since turned off my contact lists, but it got me thinking: Was she being smart and savvy, and was I being naive? What is the proper protocol, and how important is it to have the contacts open to my network?

—Mary Beth, an interior designer; Miami

Dear Mary Beth,

It is extremely poor etiquette to add people on any social network with the mere purpose of “growing” one’s database. Moreover, it isn’t effective and can cause tremendous damage to your reputation. Simply stated: You don’t want to be like this woman in question.

I like to believe that most people online do silly things not out of a malicious intent, but truly because they don’t know any better. Some misguided expert tells them to grow their network online, and they start adding people left and right. The Internet, with all its nuances, is still terribly daunting for some, and they respond by taking the "bull in a china shop" approach.

While there is nothing wrong with reaching out to a secondary connection (a friend of a friend), you must do so in a strategic manner. Ideally, you should be close enough to your primary connection that they would make the introduction for you. When it comes to social networking, a strategic and personalized approach works best. If you find yourself, as you did, in a position where a contact is taking advantage of your connections, the best approach is to contact them directly. You can politely ask them to cease and desist. Often, they just don’t realize that what they are doing is in poor taste. If they don’t take the hint, you are free to remove them from your online network. One day, they will learn their lesson.

Here’s to you, Mary Beth! A networker who now knows better than your associate.

---

Shama Kabani is the CEO of The Marketing Zen Group, a Dallas-based global online marketing firm, author of The Zen of Social Media Marketing and hosts Tech Zen on Channel 33 in Dallas-Ft. Worth. She holds a masters degree in organizational communication from the University of Texas at Austin and speaks all over the world on entrepreneurship and technology. Please send your questions to her at askshama@marketingzen.com.