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I logged in to Facebook on June 9th, 2009 to find this message from Facebook – “Starting at 12:01 a.m. EDT on Saturday, June 13, you’ll be able to choose a username on a first-come, first-serve basis for your profile and the Facebook Pages that you administer by visiting www.facebook.com/username/. You’ll also see a notice on your home page with instructions for obtaining your username at that time”

Whoa! Is Christmas early this year? Or maybe Facebook knew it was my birthday and sent me a gift. What a day!!! Facebook has always been one of the most popular social networks (Twitter being a micro blogging site, so not considered in the rankings) with almost 200 million active users. Everyone who uses Facebook knows that so far only numbers were allotted to the profiles. Now anyone can choose a username for their profile or page.

This is good news, more than good, it’s the best news till they come with something else to better themselves. Especially for companies and marketers. Choosing a username is the best leverage any marketer can wish for. A username on Facebook opens up a whole new world of opportunities.  A username means:

Recognition for the brand
The first point is recognition. Earlier, the long URL to a Facebook page or profile seldom generated enough interest for users to click on it. The same link posted with a username will generate recognition with the users and the number of clicks to check the links will increase.

Easy recall and connect
Remembering the link to the profile or a page will become very easy. Once a user sees a link and needs to log in again, all they need to do is add the name of the company or individual they are looking for after the Facebook homepage URL.  Search made simpler.

Brand Awareness
Having a username gives authenticity to the profile. This authenticity helps create a feeling of trust because the user will know the identity of the people on Facebook. The company’s or individual’s profile is their home on Facebook. So why not give the users an easy and simplest way to find it.

A Facebook username is permanent, so caution rules over imagination and creativity. A username should be simple, easy to remember and authentic.
So go ahead, create a username. Make sure that no one else gets to it before you do. And try not to get as creative as these people
http://www.facebook.com/qwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnm
http://www.facebook.com/JackBauercouldwhoopChuckNorris
http://www.facebook.com/aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
http://www.facebook.com/default.aspx
(Links Courtesy – Mashable)

Contributed by Maanasi R.K.

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Tags: facebook, Social Media Marketing