Facebook recently announced on a blog post that they’ll be implementing vanity URLs starting this Saturday at midnight. So get ready, because this means that millions of users will be racing to get a pretty URL.
By “pretty URL” I mean a web address that is easy to remember instead of the ugly string most of us have now. That’s big news for companies and individuals who are using Facebook for more than sharing pictures with their friends.
This will be possible in a couple of days.
For whatever reason, Facebook has been reluctant to join the vanity URL party like most social networks. And now that they have, they’re doing it with a very short leash – perhaps a bit too short.
Take your time and think very carefully before registering your new personalized URL. Why? because if you go for facebook.com/hottie69* or you misspell your company name, you won’t be able to change it.
Consider this FAQ:
I accidentally selected the wrong/misspelled username for my Facebook Page. Can I revise it?
No. Once you have claimed a username by clicking the “Set Username” button, it is not possible to edit it, or to transfer your username to a different account on Facebook. Additionally, when an account is removed from the site, its username will not be made available to other users for security reasons.
–Facebook FAQs
Talk about potential for disaster. Imagine you’re the social media guy at Billabong. The fan page has 235,ooo+ fans collected over years of hard work. You decide to get the vanity URL and, BAM!, you hit “Enter” after typing “facebook.com/Bilabong”… You know someone is going to do it – I just hope it’s not you. (I’m sure Facebook will have to allow changes, but it doesn’t look easy.)
*When choosing a URL, think long term. Having your name or variation of your name is the safest bet for any personalized URL. When we’re in high school, college or a company where we feel comfortable, we tend to forget that things change.
Even more, as social media becomes more popular we’re going to have potential employers, clients and other professional acquaintances wanting to connect, or in this case, friend you.
I know I’ve had to change a few usernames and in some cases, start over because of it.
SEO wise, Facebook profiles will probably going to rank very high. If that’s your goal, good for you. If not, read Nick O’Neill’s 10 Privacy Settings Every Facebook User Should Know.
Spread the word and get ready to grab your name!
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UPDATE:
To grab your pretty URL visit www.facebook.com/username/
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