Kanji vs. hiragana names

Can you use japanese peoples names in hiragana when writing the name? or do u have to learn their kanji names? I have no problem learning their kanji. just, is it important to write it in kanji every time?

Kanji are very important in Japanese names, so ideally you should write those. If one Japanese introduces themselves to another, there's a good chance the first conversation they'll have will be about the characters in their name ('Really? You can write it that way?'). If you're in doubt, I've always relied on katakana over hiragana to indicate that the word is not just another Japanese word.

mmhm.. どもありがとう ^_^