RedGage

More than often, you like your readers to follow/join you on various Social networking websites, specially Facebook. And thus you would like to share a link to your profile. After observing a lot of broken links for "Join me on Facebook" at Triond, this article was written to share the information about Facebook Vanity URL Username.
So what is Vanity URL username? It's a special username not created for you by default on Facebook. You have to explicitly generate it. Unlike your display username this one would be unique, and would not contain spaces. This name entailed to facebook.com will take your users directly to your profile.Many people do not have their Vanity URL Username for Facebook, and they just add their Facebook display name with spaces at the end of facebook.com. And as a result, instead of redirecting your readers to your Facebook account, the link will lead to a 'Page Not Found' error.There are two ways to correct this. The following sections discuss each of them.Share your Facebook ID without creating your Vanity URL name.Well, it's not a compulsion to create the Facebook Vanity URL username. You could simply share this link, created with your Facebook user ID:www.facebook.com/people/[your-display-name]/[facebookID]For example, www.facebook.com/people/Anusha-Jain/100002123200806Note that, a space in the username should be replaced by a hyphen. You can find your Facebook ID by clicking on your username. You will be able to see something like this in your Browser's address box: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002123200806The number in the end is your Facebook profile id.For users of Triond: In your "Find Me On" Widget, click on 'Widget Options' (Hover close to 'cross' and 'move widget' to make it visible. For 'Facebook name' add this:
people/[display-name]/[facebook-profile-id]For example, people/Anusha-Jain/100002123200806In order to share your Facebook ID on other websites, use the complete link like this: http://www.facebook.com/people/[your-display-name]/[facebookID]Important: While sharing the above link, don't forget to use http:// in front of the link, else it might become nested, and your readers will again get 'page not found' error.Create a Vanity URL Name for your Facebook AccountA Vanity URL is the nothing but Facebook address tailed by your vanity URL username. For example, my Vanity URL username is anusha.uv and thus my Facebook Vanity URL ishttp://www.facebook.com/anusha.uvThis URL will direct the reader to your Facebook profile. If someone already logged on to Facebook will click on this link, s/he will go to your profile page, will be able to see your public information and can then send you a Friend Request.As discussed above, a Vanity URL username is NOT your Facebook username or display name. And remember, a vanity URL username is not created for you by default. To create your username go to http://www.facebook.com/usernameSelect a username from the suggested usernames, or click on the More link - You will get a text box to enter your preferred username. Click on 'Check Availability' button. You might have to modify the username if it's already taken. If it's available, click on confirm and your Vanity URL is ready.Warning: Remember that once you confirm it, you will not be able to change it, so check for any spelling errors carefully before you confirm. Your Vanity URL is, www.facebook.com/[vanity_URL_username]For Triond users: You may now enter just the vanity_URL_username in your "Find Me On" widget's Facebook section. Conclusion and Quick TipThe second method is recommended because, although creating a Vanity URL Username might look like a task at first, but it will become simpler to share your 'Find me on Facebook' link later, not only on Triond but at all other places.That said, if you don't have time at the moment, you could share a link quickly created by the first method, and later switch on to Vanity URL. Your previously shared link will still work. A last quick tip, in general, whenever you add a link, remember to check it by clicking on it. Broken links are bad for not just the first impression on your readers/users, but also will cost you some could-have-been subscribers.