Enter The Net

Lots of people ask me about how to get those cool Facebook URL’s seen around the web. For example, this is the current URL for a company called King Of The Cajun:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/King-Of-The-Cajun-Gourmet-Brand-Seasoning-and-Barbecue-Sauce/53226214642

That’s kind of a mouthful to put on business cards, websites and email signatures. King Of The Cajun would surely enjoy:

http://www.facebook.com/KingOfTheCajun

Here is what Facebook says about this (they call it a username.)

You can personalize your Facebook URL (web address) by selecting a unique username. It will appear in the location bar of your browser after “http://www.facebook.com/” when you view your profile or Page.

An example of a username is the phrase “fbsitegovernance” as used in the web address http://www.facebook.com/fbsitegovernance.

By the way, notice that you can get a vanity URL (Facebook username) for a PAGE (business) and your PROFILE (person.)

It is very simple to do this! You need to have 25 fans of your page in order to make it happen. Just log into your account and follow the directions below:

You can select a username at http://www.facebook.com/username. You may choose a username that Facebook suggests, or create your own. Select “Check availability” to check for available usernames. If the desired username is available, click “Confirm” in order to confirm your choice.

Below are some screenshots that show me getting a username for one of my pages. You can click on an image thumbnail to see it full size. After viewing a screenshot, click your browser’s BACK button to come back here.

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For your convenience, I have pasted Facebook’s FAQ for usernames. If you have other questions, please post them in the comments section below and Enter The Net will try to answer!

Basics » Usernames for Facebook Pages

Why should I register a username for my Facebook Page?
Usernames allow public entities to easily promote your presence on Facebook with a short URL. This username can be used in your marketing communications, company website and business cards.

An example of a username is the phrase “fbsitegovernance” as used in the web address http://www.facebook.com/fbsitegovernance.

How can I secure usernames for my Pages?
If you are an administrator of a Facebook Page, you will be able to choose your username at http://www.facebook.com/username just like a user selecting a username for their profile. There will be an interface for you to choose usernames for each of the eligible Pages you administer.

I tried to get a username for my Page but Facebook said the Page was not eligible. What are the requirements?
If you were not able to get a username, your page may not be eligible to have a username at this time. Pages with more than 25 fans can get a username.

What are the guidelines around creating a username for Facebook Pages?
Usernames were created to make it easier for Facebook users to identify their profile or Page and share with others. As a public figure, business or brand with a Page on Facebook, your username should be straightforward and easy to remember. Facebook encourages you to consider the following when creating a username for Pages:

Create a username that is as close as possible to your public figure name or business name (e.g., MarkZuckerberg, Facebook). Or if your Page is about a particular topic related to your brand or service, create a username appropriate to that theme (e.g., fbsitegovernance).
Usernames can only contain alphanumeric characters (a-z, 0-9) or periods (“.”), and must contain at least one letter. You may also include periods and capital letters to make your username easier to read, but their use by others in finding your Page or profile is optional. For example, fbsitegovernance and FB.Site.Governance are the same username, so http://www.facebook.com/fbsitegovernance and http://www.facebook.com/FB.Site.Governance go to the same Page.
Choose a username you will be happy with for the long term. Usernames are not transferable.
Your username must adhere to Facebook’s Statement of Rights and Responsibilities.

Will usernames such as “flowers” or “pizza” ever be available for Facebook Pages? Can I sign up on a waiting list?
At this time, generic words are not available as usernames. Facebook encourages all users and Page administrators to create a username that closely matches the true identity of their name or business.

I accidentally selected a wrong/misspelled username for my Facebook Page. Can I revise it?
No. Once you have claimed a username by clicking the “Confirm” button, it is not possible to edit it, or to transfer your username to a different account on Facebook. Additionally, when an account is removed from the site, its username will not be made available to other users for security reasons.

Can I have more than one username for a Facebook Page?
No. Only one username is allowed per Page.

I am an authorized representative for a public figure, brand or business and/or hold the rights to a trademarked name. I believe that someone’s username infringes my rights. What can I do?
If you wish to report that someone’s username infringes your rights, please fill out our username IP infringement form. For all other reports of intellectual property infringement, including Page names, please click here.

What is the process to request removal of an unauthorized Page of a public figure, brand or business?
If you wish to report that a Page infringes your rights, please review the information here.

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If this article helped you capture your own username, please tell us!

Friend Lists are incredible tool on Facebook. They allow you to place your Friends into groups. Once you have created a list you can:

• Send invitations to events to a limited list of your friends.
• Send any type of status message to a specific list. [Learn More Here!]
• Suggest pages to a limited list of friends.

If used properly, Friend Lists can help solve the classic Facebook Problem: how to keep business and personal separate under one profile.

For example, I may want to create a Friend List called “Family.” I put only my family members (who are Facebook Friends) on the list. I can then send special status messages that only they will see. My other Friends would not see it. I can also send a status message that everyone BUT my family members see.

Here is how to make Friend Lists.

Go to Account > Edit Friends

1. Click the Create a List button.

In the next window, you can do the following:

2. Name Your List (i.e “Family,” “Business Contacts”)

3. Choose the Friends you want to put in the List. Note that you can search for Friends by name or simply browse their profile pics.

Click Create List

Managing Friend Lists

Things change. Relationships develop. People marry into the family. It is easy to manage your friend lists.

1. Once at the Edit Friends screen, you will see a list of your Friend Lists on the left side.
2. Click on a list name to see the people who are in the list.
3. When you roll your mouse over a Friend, you are given the option to Edit Lists for that Friend.
4. You can also search among your current Friends for new people to add.

Placing New Friends in Friend Lists

1. Now that you have created Friend Lists, you will notice that Facebook now offers to add new Friends to a list.
2. This appears as a button that says Add to List after you accept Friendship.
3. We highly recommend putting people in appropriate lists when you “friend” them, to avoid lots of management later.

Status Message play an important role on Facebook. I am often asked about keeping business and personal information separate on Facebook. This especially puzzles people who believe that any status message they share will automatically go to every friend they have.

[Click HERE to download printable directions]

Facebook actually allows you to limit who sees your status message, link, photo, event, etc. You can:

• Limit to a specific Friend List (my favorite.)
• Limit to specific Friends by name.
• Exclude a Friend List or specific Friends from the message.

Here is how to do it. You may also want to check out the Post: How To Make Friend Lists in Facebook.

Enter your status and click the lock icon immediately down, next to the ‘Share’ button as shown in the picture

• You will get a drop down box with four options. Click  ‘Customize’

Enter your status message, then choose Customize.

• A pop-up window appears and from the drop down next to ‘these people’ select ‘specific people’ option.

Choose Specific People to limit Friends by name or by Friend List.

• Start typing the name of your Friends to whom you want that status should appear in the feed, or…
• …you can add a Friend List.  Just start typing the name of the list, and it should appear as an option.

Type the name of the Friend or Friend List and then choose from the options provided. In this example, I am choosing to post a message to a Friend List I have called "Family."

NOTE: Selected friends will never know that you have customized that status to appear in their feed. Rather it appears as a usual status update from you.

How to hide a status message from selected Friends?

• Enter your status and click the lock icon immediately down, next to the ‘Share’ button as shown in the picture
• You will get a drop down box with four options and click the ‘Customize’
• A pop-up window appears and at the bottom of that window you have the option of ‘Hide this from’. Start typing the names or Lists you want to hide.
• You can make these settings as default by checking the option ‘Make this default setting in the bottom’

Thanks to: iGuruTalks

TBA: Please fill out our interest form.

This workshop will cover the basics of how to effectively use Facebook for your business.  This hands-on session covers numerous techniques so participants can actively try out the skills learned in this class.  This workshop can take place in various locations for diverse groups.  Recently, Rob taught this workshop at the North Clackamas Chamber of Commerce.