Facebook allows one-time username changes

When Facebook first announced it would be allowing users to pick vanity URLs, a lot of people rushed to claim some version of their real names, but others just picked something they thought would be funny or clever. If you recall, the vanity URL would allow you to use facebook.com/johnsmith if you were John Smith. Of course, if you weren't John Smith you could still grab the name, hence the mad dash at midnight to secure your name.

• If you haven't claimed your vanity URL, you can do so here.
• If you want to change your username, you can change it here.

Now that some time has passed, I'm sure some people feel like they picked a username that doesn't sound so great anymore. In fact, some people picked terrible names, like the guy who just held down the 'a' key. To address the problem, Facebook is letting users correct their mistakes with one name change per person.

Why did Facebook wait until now to allow name changes? Perhaps the announcement that names would be permanent was a way to deter people from choose stupid names, celebrity names, or trademarked brands. The one-time change serves the same purpose. After the big Facebook land grab when usernames were first introduced, though, users switching now might find their top choices unavailable.


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Tags: facebook, news, social-networking, username, vanity-URL