That Username Has Been Taken

One of the well-nigh disregarded small elements of a powerful Facebook business concern page is a customized URL. Later all, which looks meliorate to you:

• https://www.facebook.com/AwesomeBrand-191999230901156
• https://www.facebook.com/AwesomeBrand

The answer is obviously the second 1. Well-nigh people, your average users, aren't going to notice or intendance about your URL; they'll see you on Facebook and they'll deal with you lot without ever looking into the address bar. This is, in fact, why people who replicate the name and images of a page find it so piece of cake to poach followers and steal data, and why phishing pages are taken then seriously by the Facebook staff.

The just times the URL becomes relevant are times when it's visible. This tends to mean times when y'all post it in locations where it'due south non a link. When it's a link, like in your e-mail signature or on a website, it can only exist clicked and take the reader to the right identify.

In other cases, you lot want information technology to be as human being-readable and as memorable as possible, while still representing your brand. You can't make your page /Stars/, because it'southward not your brand proper name – it's actually a grouping of paranormal researchers, though I was expecting the TV network, which in retrospect is spelled with a Z – but information technology should be your brand name. This is and so that when someone encounters it on print media, like a business card or brochure, they can but type it in and be taken to your folio with a minimum of errors. For a page with a lengthy set of numbers, it'south hard to get people to type it in, and they're more than likely to make a typo in doing so.

The same goes for audible media, like a television commercial or a radio advertizing. These are times when the user can't see to visually remember your URL, and will need to remember the words you apply so they can type them in after. The more circuitous, unspellable, or forgettable the URL is, the harder y'all'll accept information technology. At least with visual media, you take the selection of including a QR code adjacent to the URL, so users with a smartphone can browse it and be taken to your page direct.

Claiming a URL

Before we address the topic in the title, y'all first demand to know how to claim your vanity URL, and what restrictions exist on it.

First of all, if you take not yet earlier prepare a vanity URL for your page, you lot should know that on Facebook it'southward called the Username. This is distinct from the username yous use to log in to Facebook; information technology'due south the unique name of your page.

When you have not ready a Username for your page, information technology's like shooting fish in a barrel to practise. Simply go to your page and expect in the left hand column. Underneath the picture and proper noun of your page, yous will run into a small gray entry that says "Create Page @Username".

At present, before you actually choose a username, you lot take to be aware of a few things.

• Usernames are unique. If someone has taken the username Stars, you won't be able to use information technology.
• Pages tin but have 1 username. You tin can't somehow maintain three or 4 URLs and redirect them all to the same folio.
• Usernames are alphanumeric with the . as the only special graphic symbol immune.
• Capitalization and periods do not matter. Username, username, user.proper noun, and u.south.east.r.n.a.yard.e are effectively identical.
• Usernames cannot comprise typical web extensions, similar .com or .net. They must besides exist at to the lowest degree five characters long.
• Usernames also take to attach to all of the language and bear requirements posted in the Statement of Rights and Responsibilities.

Additionally, and I'm bolding this because information technology'due south very important, you tin simply change your username one time after you've chosen information technology. That means if you choose /TheAwesomeBrand but you lot want /AwesomeBrand later, you can change to it, but you lot won't be able to change over again or alter back.

Now, when y'all cull a username and ostend your choice, there are 2 possible outcomes. One is that it'south accepted and your page'southward name and URL change. The other is that Facebook says the username is taken.

When Facebook says the username is taken, there are also two possibilities. To discover which – and to skip to the advisable adjacent section – try to type it in. Just go to Facebook.com/yourchosenusername and see what comes up. Either yous volition visit a page, or you will be taken to a "this page doesn't be" page.

If a URL Doesn't Exist But Notwithstanding Taken

It'south actually quite common for a username to say it's already taken just for it to not be visible to you.

In that location are a lot of reasons this might happen.

• The folio has been created by someone else and is simply sitting unpublished. They may take created it to park it and effort to sell it eventually, or they may have intended to apply it for their own purposes, only either way they have non set it up and published it.
• The page has been created and was, at some betoken in the by, blocked or banned from Facebook. The username is still claimed to prevent its re-utilise.
• The page has been created and is agile, merely regional restrictions prevent you from seeing it. Virtually of the time this happens when a folio is restricted to N America and yous're trying to view information technology from some other continent, though it tin can easily work in contrary.

One thing to notation is that as function of pick 1, when someone parks the page to sell later, it is against the Facebook terms of service. You are not allowed to transfer buying of a name, which means y'all can't sell a folio and you can't alter abroad from a name to allow someone else to change to it. Of course, this happens all the fourth dimension and in that location's not much way for Facebook to discover it, but you do always run the risk of being banned for that reason.

If a URL Exists but You lot Desire It

For the other option, when the folio exists and yous tin see information technology, it might show upwards as a business concern folio or as a personal profile. In either case, you can then evaluate the legitimacy of the claim of whoever owns it.

For example, if you were Nike, and you establish that the Facebook page /Nike was owned by an individual, at that place'southward a pretty expert chance you would be able to buy it from them or get them to hand it over on threats of legal activity merely taking information technology from them. There's also a pretty good adventure that Facebook would accede to that action and hand information technology over to you.

If yous were a pocket-size local flower store chosen Stars and you wanted the /stars page, you would take a harder time. As mentioned in a higher place, /stars is already taken by a group of people who use information technology as their brand name already. Your claim is not any stronger than theirs, so your attempt to have it for yourself would very likely be denied.

Attempting to Recover a Username

There are a few ways you lot can go near trying to merits a username that has already been taken. Each method will take varying levels of success depending on the situation and the strength of your merits, your budget, and your lawyers.

The get-go and easiest method is simply to inquire whoever currently runs it if you tin can have it. This method only works if the folio exists and you tin can message information technology, of course. You lot have to craft a message nigh why you lot accept a merits to the trademarked proper name and why yous desire information technology for your business. There'south a chance they'll be willing to paw it over, but I wouldn't become my hopes up. A lot of times people are attached to their names, and won't give them up easily. This is particularly true of brands that are actively using the pages. Of grade, if a brand has claimed a proper name only isn't actively using it, you're non likely to exist able to attain them through a message anyway.

The side by side easiest method is to offer to purchase information technology. If they won't give it to you for free, perhaps they volition give it to yous for money. Some people won't fifty-fifty consider the chance of violating the Facebook terms of service, and if yous're looking to buy the page, you probably shouldn't inform them that information technology's not kosher with Facebook staff.

You will as well have to determine what your budget is for this offer. Individuals might be happy with a few hundred bucks, but small businesses might exercise an analysis of how much work they would take to do to catechumen their links and advertising and may accuse you something quite a bit higher. Be aware that those willing to sell might charge y'all more you're willing to buy. And, of course, plenty of people won't be willing to sell.

Later on this things outset to get tricky. Yous can try a legal threat, but that'due south risky. A threat of legal action is merely as viable equally the legal framework to back it up. Some people will be scared of anything suitably official sounding, which is the basis of copyright trolls and other legal scams. Some people will call your bluff past ignoring you or past outright laughing at you. Others will accept you very seriously and will cease all communications while they call in their lawyers to evaluate your claim.

This is where you may have to put your money where your oral fissure is. If they telephone call your bluff with a lawyer, you had best exist prepared to call in a lawyer of your ain. Either that, or you will have to abandon your claim.

Side by side, y'all can file a trademark dispute with Facebook. Filling out a trademark report is a very serious matter, and Facebook is willing to become to the full extent of the law in order to take appropriate activity. All the same, at the same time, they will evaluate the legal strength of your claim versus that of the current holder of the username, and if they detect your claim defective, they will readily deny it.

In order to file a merits, you need to use this grade. Yous will need to provide Facebook with your full contact information, including name, accost, and phone number. Yous will need a description of the trademark or copyright violation, and a description of where on Facebook that violation is taking place. You volition as well demand to guide Facebook to that information, generally through a link. On meridian of that, you lot demand a signed declaration that yous are pursuing this merits in proficient religion, that the data you've provided is accurate, and that y'all are indeed the legal owner of the trademark or copyright.

It should also be noted that in the procedure of investigation, Facebook volition provide information virtually your claim, including your contact information, to the person yous're filing the claim against. This is to aid prevent spurious legal action, and other potential issues, as well equally to provide them an idea of the legitimacy of your claim.

Again, if your merits is found valid and stronger than the current owner, you will be given the username. However, in the bulk of cases, this isn't going to happen. Also, this procedure is generally used to get content removed, and thus works great against impersonators and parked name holders. Information technology works less well against legitimate small businesses or individuals with a name that happens to include your brand name.

Finally, y'all can really behave out legal action. Taking legal activity against both Facebook and an account on Facebook is probable to exist expensive, long, and probably futile. I wouldn't recommend it.

At the end of the solar day, unfortunately, if the username you lot want for your business page has already been taken, you probably aren't going to become it for yourself. Unless yous're a massive national brand, or the current proper noun holder is a squatter, chances are you're too pocket-size for Facebook to care.

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Source: https://boostlikes.com/blog/2017/01/claiming-facebook-url-taken

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