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Facebook vanity URL. Do you think it's important or not?
You can now claim your own facebook url ( like http://facebook.com/mashable ). Do you think this will become an important Facebook feature?
more information about vanity urls:
http://mashable.com/2009/06/12/usernames-facebook-live/
more information about vanity urls:
http://mashable.com/2009/06/12/usernames-facebook-live/
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First, I do not use Facebook at all, but I understand it. This is also a very interesting question to me, and it's really got me interested as I'm soon launching a social networking site that will be interesting in many ways. Of course that's my opinion, but I was intending on launching the site with a vanity URLs, and now I'm surprised how much publicity they've gotten over this silly, one little, yet very important feature. I also realize how much actually could go into correctly or properly launching vanity URLs, as there could be much politics behind a vanity URL. When you think about it, there are so many possibilities to vanity URLs, and there are ones you do not want people having. For instance, you wouldn't want someone who is not a celebrity to get a vanity URL for a celebrity, simply because they are a fan. You wouldn't want a person to get a certain URL for a company who is not that company or affiliated with that company.
I think it's an important feature, but I don't understand why they waited this long to launch it. It's nothing new by any means. In fact Mahalo Answers has vanity URLs, or in simpler terms this is called a username.
Why do I think it's important?
1. You can add your unique username and associate with it across sites.
2. You can easily brand a company or product that you're affiliated with.
3. You can tell someone a way to connect with you, without having to give out your full name, etc. and have them link to your name.
4. It works your name or nickname into search engine optimization.
The drawbacks of vanity URLs.
1. You might not be able to get your name, (ie. what if you're Joe Smith or a common name)
2. Your real name or identity can be misleading.
3. It leads to squatting of names and potential issues with connecting people the way they were meant to be connected.
4. It lends itself to people creating silly names like ILiketoPartyingAllTheTime, which may be a drawback if you use your networking profile professionally in some capacity.
I think it's an important feature, but I don't understand why they waited this long to launch it. It's nothing new by any means. In fact Mahalo Answers has vanity URLs, or in simpler terms this is called a username.
Why do I think it's important?
1. You can add your unique username and associate with it across sites.
2. You can easily brand a company or product that you're affiliated with.
3. You can tell someone a way to connect with you, without having to give out your full name, etc. and have them link to your name.
4. It works your name or nickname into search engine optimization.
The drawbacks of vanity URLs.
1. You might not be able to get your name, (ie. what if you're Joe Smith or a common name)
2. Your real name or identity can be misleading.
3. It leads to squatting of names and potential issues with connecting people the way they were meant to be connected.
4. It lends itself to people creating silly names like ILiketoPartyingAllTheTime, which may be a drawback if you use your networking profile professionally in some capacity.
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Given the popularity and engagement of people with Facebook, I'd say that they *can be* very useful. Like anything else that brands you, securing, protecting, and promoting a FB vanity URL can be a very useful thing.
A lot of my friends use Facebook and judging by what they say the answer has to be a resounding "yes". Vanity URL's are useful to them.
I'm torn I think it's a bit of a publicity stunt from Facebook but there again seems to appeal to their community.
Time will tell how effective this has been.
I'm torn I think it's a bit of a publicity stunt from Facebook but there again seems to appeal to their community.
Time will tell how effective this has been.
Yes, I think it will be very useful. It'll be helpful for people to find people easier VIA search engines and will allow one more step of personalizing their pages.
As a freelance webdesigner my facebook is the vanity url as my portfolio webpage. Just trying to get my name out there as best as I can.
As a freelance webdesigner my facebook is the vanity url as my portfolio webpage. Just trying to get my name out there as best as I can.
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SImply put (as above by easyeboy) it's useful in establishing branding or a common thread. But how often does a person need to be concerned with branding?
It's useful for groups and business names (fan sites for example) but as often as Facebook gets used to gather personal information about it's users (Facebook has a policy that you must provide real personal information or your profile can be disabled), I feel that it's a liability to use it.
Interesting personal experience:
I was denied a Facebook profile because I would not provide a copy of my drivers license to prove the name I registered with was my real name. Bizarre but true!