Facebook Vanity URL and Niche Marketing

I am sure you are aware of the recent change in facebook which allows you to create a URL with your chosen name in it.
So instead of your facebook profile address reading something like facebook.com/profile.php?id=xxxxxxx where xxxxxxx is a series of numbers
You get facebook.com/your website title, or whatever user name it is you choose

The advantages of this are immediately apparent.

• Search engine optimization.
  If you choose your user name with care and optimize your posts in facebook, you theoretically can get good search engine position for your facebook profile.
  
  Traffic to your facebook profile could mean an increased number of friends and therefore an expanding audience
  
• Promote your business.
  Vanity URLs make it so much easier to refer people to your facebook profile.
  
  Referring a user to facebook.com/your website title makes more sense than referring them to facebook.com/profile.php?id=xxxxxxx
  
• Branding.
  If the facebook account is a business account, then getting a vanity URL obviously helps brand your business

But in view of the draw backs I have seen so far which include

• Saturation.
  All the really good keyword targeted, short user names have already gone. Talk about chasing the long tail...again!
  
  We got this with trying to register a domain name, now we have to fight for a decent vanity URL for our facebook accounts?
  
  It really would be amazing if there is not a significant proportion of user name squatting going on. 500,000 names in the first 15 minutes of launch. people were waiting to pounce on this thing
  
• Locked In.
  Once you have chosen a user name, you cannot change it.
  
  So research the name you want and possible alternatives if your first choice is not available carefully.
  
  Oh and watch out for typos
  
• Unproven.
  The impact that a facebook vanity URL will have on your business as a niche marketer is yet to be proven.
  
  The great stampede is all anticipatory or speculative. May turn out to be the next big thing on the Internet, but personally I think it will just be another tool to add to your niche marketing arsenal

So how do you get your own vanity URL?

• Log in to your facebook account
• Point your browser to http://www.facebook.com/username
• The user name form page will load
• On this page you will be given a few options based on your current profile name
• Click 'more' at the bottom of the list of options and a box into which you can type your desired name will load
• Insert your desired user name into that box and select the radio button beside it. As you type you will see the new facebook vanity URL to the lower right side of the page
• Check availability by clicking the button that says so
• If available click the confirm button if you are happy with your new facebook vanity URL
• Again make sure you have no typos before confirming
• Once confirmed you cannot change your user name

Till next time