Whatever, I Want a Facebook Username

Count me in as one of the super-geeky obsessives abuzz over the upcoming Facebook Usernames. And just several precious hours away!

I’ve even got it on my Google Calendar. heh.

There is some contention over these Facebook Usernames though, most notably by Chris Messina. He argues, and rightfully so, that usernames as URLs can be problematic. There is a limited universe of possible usernames out there, so collisions are inevitable. I know I’m not the only Mike Lee drooling over getting “facebook.com/mikelee”, for instance.

It is also going to spark a land-grab (username-grab?) for a vanity URL, unless you are a journalist. But this is nothing new. A similar thing happened on Twitter and other social media tools. And with domain names.

Imagine all the hair Messina’s pulled out over these cases. His bathtub drain must be all clogged up.

Personally, I think only a relatively small number of people in the world care about this. Geeks like me, for instance. And purported “social media experts” (FYI: calling yourself that is a sure sign that you are NOT an expert).

I also wonder how today’s youth views usernames. Anecdotally, I’ve heard that teens may have anywhere from 2-5 email addresses, instant messenging accounts, and social network accounts at any given time. I don’t think they place the same premium we old geeks do on usernames.

Perhaps a username to them is like underwear – a new one is fresh and exciting, but a bit stiff. After a while, it becomes nice and comfortable. Over time, it gets old, stained, and full of holes. So you (hopefully) toss it out. Then you get a new pair and start the process all over again. Natch.

Author: Mike Lee

An idealistic realist, humanistic technologist & constant student. View all posts by Mike Lee