Like many people, I was somewhat unimpressed when Facebook first announced the Usernames feature (also referred to as "vanity URLS"). People already know how to search and find people/Pages on Facebook, and it's not hard to just post a direct link to your Page or Profile -- I was skeptical of the need to bring "usernames" into the picture. What's the big deal? Do we really need to turn Facebook into a place like the rest of the Internet, where people can go by something like "moonbeam1982"? Hmmm.
But I dutifully created mine on the night the feature went live (www.facebook.com/michelle.renee.paul), and not long after, I had my "duh" moment.
I ran into an acquaintance on the street in Brooklyn a few weeks ago. She used to be my upstairs neighbor, but I recently moved into a new apartment and I hadn't seen her in a while. We decided to make dinner plans and catch up, but since we used to be neighbors, we'd never exchanged contact info before.
She was about to whip out her phone to do the usual get-my-number-and-call-me-to-give-me-hers thing, but I realized there was an easier and faster way. "Hey, you're on Facebook, right? Just look me up there and send me a message -- my username is 'michelle dot renee dot paul.'"
Aha! So there IS a point to usernames, beyond the "vanity" aspect of the vanity URL. Suddenly it's really easy to integrate my online life and my offline life, and let people know how to find me.
Obviously, this applies to arts organizations too. Web site URLs are ubiquitous in offline marketing materials now -- they appear on posters, in direct mail, in TV commercials, etc. Your Facebook username means that your Page can now have the same prominence. If you've been working on your Page, and you're serious about wanting to gather more Fans, why not set up a username and include it everywhere that you currently mention your Web site? (And for the record, I haven't heard of or seen very many people opting for the "moonbeam1982" approach to usernames. Most are sticking with their real name, like me.)
Click here to create yours now, if you haven't already. I highly recommend setting your profile username first -- almost every problem I've heard about people having with this feature relates to accidentally getting a personal profile branded with an organization name. That's easy enough to avoid if you set up the personal one first.
One more note: Despite weeks of insistence that usernames were set in stone and uneditable, Facebook recently caved and now allows a one-time change of username. So be careful, but know that you've got one chance to make a mistake now.
What are you doing to promote your Facebook Page? Leave me a comment and let me know!
Monday, July 27, 2009
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