Facebook Vanity URLs Are Up for Grabs Tomorrow Night!

Facebook has enjoyed a meteoric rise to the top of the social networking world, largely because people use their real names when they use the site.  This gives the site credibility and helps people trust the individuals and organizations that they interact with.

Up until now, however, the URLs that Facebook uses to mark a profile have been a little less than personal.  For example, an individual's profile URL usually looks like this: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=123456789&ref=profile.

Pretty much incomprehensible, right? 
Starting Friday night at 9:01 PST (which technically makes it Saturday night for those on the East Coast), Facebook will allow users to select URLs that are a little more intuitive and user-friendly.  Instead of that long address above, users can select something like http://www.facebook.com/blaise.dipersia, or http://www.facebook.com/findlaw.fan. 

There is a great marketing benefit to being on a social network.  Conversing with other members of the site can spread awareness of your firm's work, solidify brand awareness and lead to opportunities in the future.  Plus, social networking is a fun, cheap and easy way to get your message out there.

This move to "vanity URLs," or "usernames" as Facebook calls them, offers law firms and individual attorneys a great chance to grab a user-friendly Facebook URL, thus giving them greater control over their online presence and branding.  The new URLs will help people find you on Facebook, and grabbing one early will prevent others from hijacking your brand on the network.

If you have a trademark on your practice or firm name, Facebook also offers a way to protect your mark.  Simply contact them here, and they will ensure that your name is not claimed before you have a chance to sign up for it.

These new usernames will help people find you on Facebook and will increase your brand's presence on the Internet.  And, since they're free, what's to lose?

Just be sure to pick your username carefully since once you've selected it, there's no going back.

See Also:
Coming Soon: Facebook Usernames (Facebook)
Facebook Vanity URLs for Businesses (FindLaw's LawyerMarketing.com)
You Have Three Days To Pick Your Facebook Vanity URL. Choose Wisely, Or You're Screwed. (TechCrunch)