So what do you do when you finally have a name picked out for your online persona or trademark? Register it! To be successful you have to think locally, globally and keep it simple. Listed below are a few quick ways you can do this online!

First, double check. I always double check a name before I settle and start registering, which can take up a lot of time. There are many ways to to check on name use, a popular method is Google; simply googling a name will help you establish what is revolving around your word mark. Secondly, use a search tool such as http://knowem.com/, this will allow you to see available usernames on over 400 social networking sites. Finally, a search with local department of commerce and federal trademark search at http://www.uspto.gov/. Keep your brand naming tight and easily recognized wherever you go and you'll find it's much easier to track and promote.

Since I'm from Hawaii, we're able to do this locally at the Department of Commerce & Consumer Affairs website (http://hawaii.gov/dcca), this method is usually reserved for business name, service mark or trademark registration and costs $25 as of August 2010.

Globally can be a bit more in-depth with many options including foreign sites, although I recommend the United States Patent and Trademark Office (http://www.uspto.gov) and apply with the Madrid Protocol, the service allows one to seek simultaneous mark registration with multiple countries (http://www.wipo.int/madrid/en/). The application fee to get you started on global registration starts at $100.

Remember, be a responsible citizen of the world and register a mark that is yours. Have fun! Aloha!

Have fun!
Search State of Hawaii - https://www.ehawaii.gov/lilo/app
Search National - http://www.unclaimed.org/