Forget domain squatting, now it’s username squatting
As social media becomes more and more popular, and it will, the amount of Web destinations we all need to be a part of in order to maintain our online persona will increase. Which is why, along with the age-old problem of domain squatting, username squatting is now becoming a serious issue.
Recently, TechCrunch posted an article talking about vanity URLs coming to Facebook. These are basically made up of the main domain followed by your choice of username. [Example: twitter.com/davepee]. MySpace, Twitter, YouTube, and many other member communities already use this style of identifier.
Facebook instead uses a not-so-simple number id. But some brands, celebrities, and musicians have now started to obtain vanity URLs on Facebook, such as U2, Kevin Rose, and Demi Moore. Facebook suggests that, in time, this feature will become more widely available to us ordinary bods.
Which brings up an interesting point. If and when Facebook decides to roll this feature out there will be an instant fight for the best usernames. First, all the single names such as Dave and John will go, then variations on this theme.
It’ll also mean Facebook will have to deal with a problem that’s already prevalent on other social media sites – cyber squatting of usernames. As Elapsed Time notes, Apple (either the Steve Jobs helmed company or the record company of The Beatles) doesn’t own the ‘apple’ username on MySpace, Twitter, or YouTube. They’re instead owned by squatters or random users.
Domain squatting has been a serious issue for as long as the Web has been remotely popular, and 2008 saw a record 2,329 cases of domain dispute so it doesn’t seem to be going away. But username squatting is set to join it as a serious problem for celebrities, brands, and individuals eager to keep their online presence in check.
Currently, those who feel they have more of a claim over a certain username really only have two options: negotiate with the squatter directly, or contact the company and try to force an account shutdown in order for them to reclaim their name. Maybe World Intellectual Property Organization will need to get involved at some point, especially if Facebook joins the throng of sites offering vanity URLs.
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March 23rd, 2009
Gee, if only I could get twitter@blorge.com, I’d be set for life.
March 23rd, 2009
This article hits on something that I’ve been thinking about for a while now with regards to Twitter. Companies (and People) need to actively be on the lookout for the next big things to come (such as Twitter) so that they can lock up their names.
I wasn’t aware of the vanity URLs coming with Facebook other than seeing the TV commercial the other day for Vitamin Water promoting http://www.Facebook.com/VitaminWater as the URL. I wonder if Facebook will charge companies and users for vanity URLs. For companies, I bet it would be part of a larger co-marketing arrangement. Facebook definitely gets a lot of publicity themselves out of vanity URLs. Wasn’t MySpace first in that regards?
March 23rd, 2009
Hey, please go back and proof the article. There are a few obvious grammar mistakes and one (so far) that changes the meaning of what the author is obviously trying to say.