Big news in Facebook land. Starting on June 12th at 11:01pm (to be exact), people and companies using the social networking giant, will be able to create their own “vanity URL”.

What does that mean to you and me? For you, it might mean an easier Facebook address to direct people to, for me it means new search engine optimization (SEO) and branding opportunities to explore.

On The Facebook blog, Facebook Designer, Blaise DiPersia writes,

“We’re planning to offer Facebook usernames to make it easier for people to find and connect with you. When your friends, family members or co-workers visit your profile or Pages on Facebook, they will be able to enter your username as part of the URL in their browser. This way people will have an easy-to-remember way to find you. We expect to offer even more ways to use your Facebook username in the future.”

Note, new Facebookers (those who joined after May 31, 2009) and those fan pages with fewer than 1,000 fans will not be eligible. Sorry newbies!

What does that mean for SEO? Simply put, individuals and companies will be able to market their brands much easier. Did I mention that MySpace and Twitter already offer vanity URLs? Facebook has always lagged behind in this area. Very soon, individuals and companies will be able to easily share their “branded” Facebook URL. For example, in the past, finding someone on Facebook was a bit of a pain. Now people can just use your name.

See Blaise’s example:

A couple of notes, if you want to remain anonymous, you may not want your vanity URL. If your name is John Smith, be prepared for a longer vanity like www.facebook.com/JohnGeorgeFranklinSmith, unless you’re very lucky.

I suspect that there will be a mad frenzy to snatch up popular names and brands. Remember back when those sneaky cyber squatters bought up lots of great domains just to turn around and sell them for mucho dinaro? Facebook says that it is setup to handle trademark infringement cases but still, expect lots of gray areas and legal battles.

One significant thing to note, Facebookers will not be able to register generic terms like ‘houses’. I’m sure there will be a lot of people pushing the envelope on this one. Will you be allowed to select MinneapolisGreenHomes? It’s still pretty generic but it’s a specific, generic term.

Another important note, once you select your vanity URL you cannot go back and change it. Now is not the time to make a typo because you were rushed. Carefully review your selection before hitting that save button.

On a related note, Facebook’s rollout seems to coincide with speculation that Twitter is going to implode because of its inability to scale. It’s a little reminiscent of the hysteria around Y2K. Remember that? Call me a cynic, but how is it possible that this weekend is significant for the two social media giants? I wish I could believe that it’s pure coincidence but…

Be sure to remember to get your Facebook URL rockin’! As for me, I’ll be busy celebrating my son, Jackson’s 9th birthday!

What do you get when you splice Mary Poppins with some creep-tastic music? One impressively sinister movie plot:

Videos like this are the natural offspring of popular video and social networking sites; you can see mash-up spawn all over the web on YouTube and beyond. You don’t have to be a genius to make one yourself. Here are some examples and websites to whet your appetite:

1. The Trailer Mash: Users create new twists to movie spots by remixing and changing up the soundtrack. Scary Mary, above, is just one example.

2. Terminator vs. Robocop is a mash-up with some of that video annotation that Nick mentioned a few posts ago. It was created by the people at AMDS Films, but I’m guessing most of y’all don’t speak French.

3. Vader Sessions includes Star Wars clips with quotes from James Earl Jones’ various roles spliced in. It gets really good when he starts talking about being a breadwinner (3 minutes in or so).

4. Total Recut has it all — source clips, video editing tools, and contests, with categories from political to education to advertising to trailers.

5. Check out The Recycled Cinema for a history of found video footage and a more academic approach to mash-ups.

6. For the politically bent, Political Remix is a blog-style video mash-up site with some very moving and politically charged messages.

7. Jumpcut is Yahoo’s answer to the video and social networking equation. You can use it to upload source material, edit your clips, and share your remixes. Still in beta (what isn’t these days), but the is design slick, unobtrusive, and very user-friendly.

Happy Mashing.

With social networking all the rage, our lives becoming increasingly hectic, and Internet connectivity nearly ambiguous, it’s not surprising that many people maintain some exclusively digital friendships.

I haven’t seen many of my digital friends in over 10 years, and probably wouldn’t even recognize their voices. Even my brother, who is serving in Iraq right now, has become an all-digital sibling.

Whenever I hear of more Minnesota casualties on the radio my heart skips a beat, I rush home to the computer, and check his Facebook page hoping to see a recent update so I know he is still alive.

All this has led me to conclude that social networking sites don’t necessarily bring people closer together. In fact, sometimes they make people feel farther apart.

If you’re not already familiar with the infamous scene involving one bro, one John Kerry, and a gang of taser-wielding campus police, check out the video — and listen closely for the quote of the year. (Note: if you’re squeamish, skip it.)

I’m not sure how the Quote Patrol decides which quote is “most memorable,” but no doubt it has something to do with being one of the top quote queries on Google and one of the most popular videos on the web. And now it’s official: “Don’t tase me, bro!” has become the most memorable quote of the year according to the editor of the Yale Book of Quotations.

What makes the video and quote so popular? It’s that special somethin’ — the word “bro.”

(more…)

With so many to choose from, it’s getting harder to settle down with just one social networking site. Most of us are SNS polygamists, spreading the love around to a few.

The first one is always special though, and says something about who you are. For instance:

LiveJournal
You are old school and were blogging before there was even a name for it. A select number of friends read your long thoughtful posts over warm spiced chi.

Twitter
You have way tOo many friends, and they have tOo many friends. The constant beeping of your cell phone keeps you in the loop to what your friends are up to when you should be concentrating on the road.

LinkedIn
You are power-lunching outgoing socialite with a resume as long as my arm. Your friends (connections) keep you abreast of their upcoming IPOs.

FaceBook
You are well-educated and have multiple Gmail accounts. When bored in company meetings, you update your status from a Blackberry Perl.