Facebook Username Registration Opens Tonight
Facebook username registration opens for the firs time in just a few hours, marking a major milestone in Facebook identity. For the first time since Facebook began over 5 years ago, users will be able to choose a username to go by on the site. And while it may not be clear today how broadly Facebook usernames will be used in the future, everyone should be careful to pick a username that they will want to be associated with their real Facebook identity for years to come.
Here’s how the username allocation process will work:
- Starting at 12:01am EDT tonight (4:01am GMT on 13 June), Facebook users can choose a username on this page. The names will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis.
- Once a name is chosen, Facebook says it can never be changed or transferred – it will be your Facebook username and URL forever. So you should choose a name that you’ll be comfortable associating with yourself for the rest of your life.
- Usernames must be at least 5 characters long, and will only be available in Roman characters at launch.
- Facebook has restricted a lot of generic and trademarked usernames – so you won’t be able to pick “InNOut,” “GeorgeBush,” or “Mesothelioma.”
- If you created your account after June 9, 2009, at 3pm PT, you’ll have to wait until June 28 to get your username.
In addition, Facebook has set up several rules for businesses interested in getting vanity URLs for their Facebook Pages. Only those Pages with more than 1,000 fans on May 31 will be eligible for usernames starting tonight. The rest will also have to wait until June 28.
Facebook chose to start the username landrush at midnight on a Friday night in the US to ease the transition on its internal systems and processes. Europeans probably have the toughest time though – they’ll be getting up at (or staying up until) 4-5am to get their Facebook username.
Good luck getting the name you want!
June 12th, 2009 at 6:13 pm
nice…
http://www.blogfornoob.com
June 12th, 2009 at 8:37 pm
[...] with more than 1,000 fans (as of May 31st) to get first rights to their username. As for those legitimate businesses with less than 1,000 fans, you will have to wait until June 28th. [...]
June 12th, 2009 at 9:19 pm
I got my name as the username.
You don’t need 1,000 Fans to get your own username.
Your Facebook account must be registered before June 9 as the only criteria.
Mike
June 12th, 2009 at 9:32 pm
My new username. The one I wanted and got it:
http://facebook.com/blogmoney
My girlfriend got:
http://facebook.com/blogsoftware
Good luck everyone!
June 12th, 2009 at 10:07 pm
It was hard for Europeans (6 AM in France) but now it’s done, and I got what I wanted:
http://www.facebook.com/joffrey
June 12th, 2009 at 11:58 pm
Not sure that this is right as it has not told me if it avaible or not
June 13th, 2009 at 1:10 am
I got what I wanted :)
http://www.facebook.com/fbdeveloper
Then if you want to publish what you go visit
http://apps.facebook.com/myusername
;)
Good luck to those who haven’t selected a username yet. They are going incredibly fast of course.
June 13th, 2009 at 1:12 am
Snatch your username RIGHT AWAY! I went to get mine – less than 2 hours since it opened and I believe I’m already the victim of cyber name squatting.
Tried to get facebook.com/lynnrose but it was already taken by someone who’s listed as evelyn rose. What’s weird is that her name is available so why take ‘lynn rose’ AND her profile is locked and she has no pic – so it looks very suspicious.
Anyone know if there’s anything I can do or any way to investigate?
Thanks for your help…
Lynn
June 14th, 2009 at 4:50 am
“Sexonomics” is my registered trademark (since 1990)
June 15th, 2009 at 3:31 pm
[...] share of Internet visits is up from 2.9% of all visits in the beginning of May to 3.6% when the Facebook username floodgates opened on [...]
June 28th, 2009 at 3:17 pm
[...] weeks ago, Facebook opened up username registration to all users, but only those Pages with over 1,000 fans before May 31. Tonight, the second wave of [...]
June 29th, 2009 at 2:49 am
[...] y a deux semaines, Facebook avait ouvert l’annuaire des noms d’utilisateurs à tous les utilisateurs, mais seulement pour ceux dont les pages avient plus de 1000 fans au 31 [...]
June 29th, 2009 at 11:23 am
[...] y a deux semaines, Facebook avait ouvert l’annuaire des noms d’utilisateurs à tous les utilisateurs, mais seulement pour ceux dont les pages avient plus de 1000 fans au 31 [...]
July 7th, 2009 at 12:32 am
it’s great and nice i like it
July 13th, 2009 at 12:47 pm
[...] recently launched the ability to choose a vanity URL (Facebook calls it a “username”) for your Facebook Page, one of the most important SEO [...]
July 20th, 2009 at 1:14 pm
[...] been just over a month since Facebook launched its username registration process, allowing any user or Facebook Page to get its own unique “vanity” URL on Facebook. [...]
July 23rd, 2009 at 9:06 am
hi evry i
July 23rd, 2009 at 9:45 am
[...] when Facebook opened the username registration process 5 weeks ago, it said at the time that once users chose a username, it would be theirs forever – no [...]
July 27th, 2009 at 3:48 pm
[...] Then there’s the searchability of your name. My husband opted to keep his ‘bachelor name’ (to coin a phrase) as his middle name (as women sometimes do with their maiden names — e.g. Hillary Rodham Clinton or Heather Mills McCartney) so that a web search for him under his unmarried name would still find him. We’re both lucky enough to have names which are moderately unusual (we’re not drowning in an unsearchable sea of John/Jane Smiths or equivalent), we’ve been early-enough adopters to claim our names on various sites, and we managed to claim our facebook usernames of choice without even having to get up at 4am. [...]
October 31st, 2009 at 10:31 pm
hi!n hello for all
November 1st, 2009 at 7:11 am
[...] recently launched the ability to choose a vanity URL (Facebook calls it a “username”) for your Facebook Page, one of the most important SEO [...]
December 6th, 2009 at 4:09 pm
i found my old pals.
January 18th, 2010 at 9:36 am
facebook is a very good
January 24th, 2010 at 8:09 am
l appreciate this good electronic forum,l invites all kown and unkown friends for a goodwill relationship,penpal,and friendship.
l am a youngman of 33yrs from ghana west africa, my hobies are reading,sweaming,and at relaxed time watching soccer.
All are invited within the globe.
February 13th, 2010 at 10:45 am
اريدالتسجيل
February 13th, 2010 at 10:47 am
اريد التسجيل
February 22nd, 2010 at 11:54 pm
i want to be subscriber and please send me beatiful girls picture thank you
February 23rd, 2010 at 12:00 am
i need to be suscriberand please send me abeautiful girls picture
thank you
March 11th, 2010 at 9:29 am
old pals dwin love ya all
March 18th, 2010 at 10:57 pm
face book is ok
March 20th, 2010 at 1:54 pm
please how can i be a full member of the face book cos i really need to acfriendscess my
March 20th, 2010 at 1:57 pm
please how can i be a full member of the face book cos i really need to access my friends
March 25th, 2010 at 8:07 am
i love living by example, better is not good enough best is yet to come. when i was a child i talk like a child now am a man i do things like a man.
April 22nd, 2010 at 11:39 am
ممكن
June 2nd, 2010 at 11:51 am
انا حسام ممكن اكون صديق
July 7th, 2010 at 12:03 pm
will be successful
July 7th, 2010 at 12:04 pm
I will be successful
July 7th, 2010 at 12:06 pm
FACE BOOK IS BEST WAY TO JOIN FREINDS ACROOS THE WORLD
July 12th, 2010 at 7:12 am
God is great!
August 7th, 2010 at 12:43 pm
ineedgirls
August 21st, 2010 at 12:38 am
hola this is kidi from a.a i am good and adorible person
August 26th, 2010 at 6:04 am
الله يلعن ابوكو علي ابو الفيس بوك
September 1st, 2010 at 12:15 am
h r u
October 26th, 2010 at 3:48 pm
it is well.
November 14th, 2010 at 11:26 pm
hi
November 14th, 2010 at 11:27 pm
how r u
December 31st, 2010 at 2:47 am
pls i need electrical engineer friends to send he/her to send their profile 4 me
December 31st, 2010 at 6:48 am
hy plz invite me
December 9th, 2011 at 5:07 pm
[...] registration, in a social media context, isn’t a new thing. You need to reserve your Facebook name. You need to join Twitter early and pick the right handle. You need to pick the right e-mail [...]