If you hadn’t heard, Facebook will allow you to choose a username as of Saturday, June 13 at 12:01am EDT. You can read up the details at www.facebook.com/username, which OF COURSE requires a Facebook account to even see it (and that’s lame). If you can’t see it, don’t worry because you’re not missing much. It just has a countdown time and links to this (thankfully) public Facebook blog post.
In answer to the question of whether having facebook.com/your-user-name actually matters or not, the answer is no because if people truly want to find you on that system, they will search you by real name which the system requires.
I could understand the value of Facebook usernames if the system didn’t require real names, but being your profile is identified by your given name already, it just makes no sense whatsoever.
However I will give Facebook kudos in the way usernames will be given out.
You can’t have a username less than 5 characters long
I agree with this because it does add better security.
Users who register after May 31 won’t be able to get a username until later
This is a very cool maneuver because it kills off the vast majority of name squatters.
Facebook will honor copyrights for trademarked names
They have a form set up for that already. So if you try to register "Microsoft", "Chevrolet" or the like as a username, you’ll get flat out denied. Or if you do get it, it won’t last long.
Facebook appears to be taking the threat of name squatters very seriously.
Is Facebook "pulling a MySpace"?
For those that remember, MySpace did not originally give out usernames either; they added that later. And it did nothing to improve the system whatsoever.
Even though Facebook is taking care to promote an even playing field for username selection, this still may end up in disaster – particularly with Facebook "pages".
I guess we’ll watch how this pans out to see the results.
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Yes, it does matter. they are simply playing catch up to what Twitter already does. And you cannot put Facebook URLs onto any printed material, etc, because it is long and cryptic. So, for people who use Facebook for promotions at all, it does matter.
If the facebook requirement enhances security in any way, then I guess I’m fine with the new requirements. Thanks for the tip and heads up!
I got my name as the username.
You don’t need 1,000 Fans to get your own username.
Your Facebook account must be registered before June 9 as the only criteria.
Mike
Erm, you cannot see the value of clean/descriptive/meaningful URIs?? And how do you think the five letter minimum enhances security exactly??