For the past two months millions of Facebook users and Page owners have been able to register short URLs, like facebook.com/yourcompany. From the start Facebook has stated that once registered, the URL can’t be changed. However, recently the rules have been updated and now users can change their short URLs. This only applies to profiles. Pages have to settle with the URL they have already grabbed.
Currently you need more than 25 Fans to qualify for a short URL. But the limit might be raised soon. Originally it was at 1000 fans for several weeks… Then suddenly lowered to 0… then 25… and within hours it was raised to 100 fans where it stayed for two months. In the beginning of September it was lowered to 25 fans. But there’s no telling how long this will last. Facebook is still testing the most profitable number, at which Page owners are most willing to pay for ads to get visitors.
So you better hurry up to register your special URL before the minimum requirement goes back to 100 fans.
How to register a short Facebook URL
Once you have acquired 26 fans, you can register a short URL at facebook.com/username. By default there are some suggestions for a username according to the name of your Page. If you administer many Pages you can choose a username for every one of them. Username is the name Facebook has given to these short URLs. Some call them Vanity URLs. To create a username you must use alphanumeric characters a-z, 0-9 or a period(.). Minimum length is 5 characters. Some words like screw are censored and can’t be used. Also you can’t register generic words like “pizza.”
You should get an URL that is closely related to your brand name. If you don’t, it might be reclaimed later. Some trademark owners have prevented their name from being used. If you manage to get a trademarked URL, it can be taken away at any time by the real owner.
In order to register the URL you need to verify your account with a code that will be sent to your cell phone. If you have many Pages you only need one cell phone and one verification.
If you want to change your already registered URL to something else, then go to Settings… Account Settings… and click to change the username. If a user changes his short URL, the old one will instantly become available for anyone to register. If on the other hand your account is deleted, the old username will not become available. Unlike profiles, Pages can’t change their short URLs. Hopefully this will be allowed in the future.
If you are an application developer, you can register a short URL for your application, too. But instead of the URL being apps.Facebook.com/application, it is Facebook.com/application.
If a Page or application profile has many administrators, the first one to register gets to choose it and after that it can’t be changed. So make sure your team is on the “same page” with your thoughts.