Facebook (finally) Introduces Vanity URLs
To lackluster fanfare, facebook users were given the option to claim a new vanity URL for their profiles at 12:01 a.m. EDT. Rumors had been circulating for weeks about the idea of Facebook allowing celebrities, organizations, and bands to select special vanity URLs to replace the random set of numbers that had been used since the site’s inception. The consensus was that even if Facebook made vanity URLs available to the general public, that the service would come at a cost as part of the drive to monetize the site. Roughly a week ago the word was put out that not only would these public figures and institutions be able to secure customized addresses, but so would everyone else- for free.
Such a major release would normally expect a certain amount of fanfare to accompany it, but this time things are a bit different. MySpace, probably the site’s chief competitor since the beginning, has had this “perk” available as standard account accoutrement for years. Facebook had always claimed that their site tries to showcase users’ real names as opposed to usernames because doing so “helps to create a trusted environment because you know the identity of the people” whose profiles you’re viewing. While it is true that MySpace is plagued with identity issues due to their reliance on freeform usernames, its users have had the luxury of memorable, short, custom URLs for a very long time now. Most other social-networking sites have either made the jump or even started out offering the very same service. It’s become a matter of contention among Facebook users that the site had taken this long to follow the trend.
The manner in which Facebook has chosen to go about the release has also been subject to criticism. A vast majority of users remain in the dark about it, even though a banner had been placed on profile homepages ahead of time to inform them of the switch. Of the users that were aware of the new feature, many were actually under the impression that what they were being offered was simply a username, and that it would replace their name at the top of their page.
In their usual attempt to cater to the less technically-adept crowds, the staff at Facebook has not only managed to confuse users with a complete overload of information, but they also come off as condescending and even totalitarian (which would not be the first time). In their blog they even went as far as to state that “Your new Facebook URL is like your personal destination, or home, on the Web.” A claim some are calling just flat out pretentious. Users that made it first into the selection page were greeted by another mild amusement; instead of allowing them to input their desired username like every other site, then showing them possible similar choices should their first pick be taken, Facebook reversed the process. Users were given a choice of four usernames that resembled their own name, with the option to enter their own choice below them and less prominent. The names Facebook had chosen were usually followed by a number as well.
All things considered, most are grateful for the new service. The confusion should play itself out over the weekend as people finish handling the more emergent digital switch for their TV’s and get back on their computers.
Posted in Social Media News and Social Networking. Tags: facebook, myspace, Social Networking, url, vanity
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