Facebook recently added a new feature called a Facebook vanity URL, or username. Over 6 million users grabbed their username the very first weekend the vanity URLs became available. So just what is a vanity URL and why do you need to get yours ASAP?
A Facebook username let's your family, friends, and business acquaintances visit your Facebook profile or fan page by entering your username. Prior to the availability of a username, people had to remember a long randomly assigned number to get to your profile or fan page.
Why else should you get a Facebook username? The change makes it easier for search engines to return high quality results and is also expected to tie into Google Connect in the future.
In addition to grabbing a username for your profile, you can get a username for Pages with more than 1,000 fans. Why the restriction? Facebook didn't want people created new pages just to "squat" on a username. If you already have a fan page but don't have 1,000 fans, sorry, you're out of luck.
Let's take a look at a specific example. Before I had a Facebook vanity URL, people could visit my Facebook profile page via the URL
http://www.facebook.com/people/Karen-L-Sielski/1067148921. Not exactly user friendly. I couldn't even remember the number, so how could anyone else.
After getting my Facebook username, people could visit my profile via the URL http://www.facebook.com/karen.sielski. Ahh, much better for me and people that want to access my profile.
Hopefully you now see why you want to get your username. Here's why you want to get it ASAP if you don't already have one. You should grab your username as soon as possible, or risk it being taken by someone else, especially if you have a common name.
It's really very easy to get your Facebook username. Just login to Facebook and then visit facebook.com/usernames/ where you will be prompted to choose your username. You will be offered several suggestions or you can make up one on your own.
Caution, you can not change your Facebook vanity URL, so choose wisely. Think twice before selecting a name such as ILoveSue or BrittanySpearsFanForever.
Facebook Username - Why You Need to Get Yours ASAP