If you have created a new Page on Facebook for your brand or to promote a cause, you will likely have noticed that the social network bestows your new page with a unique URL that can be difficult to remember and even more difficult to share.

However, the social network does offer the option to select a shorter, more memorable "vanity URL" via its service, but would require the Page to register at least 25 ‘Likes’ before its owner would be able to register it.

The good news for new or existing Page owners with a small number Likes is that Facebook has quietly removed the limitation for its username service, facilitating the registration of Pages regardless of how many Likes they do or do not have.

SOURCE: The Next Web

Randi Zuckerberg, the sister of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, wants to put an end to online anonymity.  Ultimately, Facebook wants to start forcing people to use their real names on profiles.

Randi Zuckerberg is currently Facebook's marketing director and believes that users would act with more responsibility if their real names were visible at all times.

During a presentation hosted by Marie Claire magazine on the topic of cyber bullying and social media, Randi said:

"The use of real names online could help curb bullying and harassment on the web.  I think anonymity on the Internet has to go away...People behave a lot better when they have their real names down.  I think people hide behind anonymity and they act like they can say whatever they want behind closed doors."

Times Ten Creative Marketing Solutions is a south Florida based, full service Internet marketing agency that specializes in search engine optimization and social networking.  For more information on Times Ten's services click here.

Facebook's disastrous attempt at an anti-Google smear campaign is an example of how heated things have become between the search giant and the social network. Indeed, this is Silicon Valley's new big rivalry, and we see it playing out on many fronts.

What makes this contest especially interesting -- and fit for a "Knots Landing" script -- is that almost all the key executives running Facebook used to work at Google. And now they want to crush Google. A quick search on LinkedIn (admittedly, not 100% accurate) shows that 358 current Facebook employees used to work at Google. (Facebook's new campus fits 3,600 people.)

Why is talent leaving Google for Facebook? There is the perception that Google web development has peaked and is headed for decline. Really, what more can it do with search? And -- barring a miracle -- it pretty much failed at social. Google's 26,000-person workforce creates the kind of bureaucratic slog that deprives creative minds of oxygen, forcing entrepreneurial execs to run for a breath of fresh air.

In response, Google has been forking over enormous pay packages to get key folks to stay. But the top ex-Googlers at Facebook have already made mountains of cash at the search engine; now they're positioned for another windfall with Facebook's mega IPO on the horizon.

Silicon Valley has a long history of tectonic rivalries -- Google vs. Microsoft, Intel vs. Apple. Big difference? The Googlers who run Facebook know the enemy all too well. 

Times Ten Creative Marketing Solutions is a South Florida Internet marketing agency that specializes in social networking and search engine marketing.  For more information on Times Ten, click here.

Source: advertisingage.com 

A surprisingly large number of studies have been completed by a wide range of interested parties ranging from psychologists to universities regarding the relation of facebook users and narcissism/low self-esteem. The results are actually quite surprising, to say the least.

So, how exactly did this idea come about? Well, it began with the suggestion that people who display narcissistic personality traits may show a higher level of selfishness and overall activity on the leading social network as compared to other users.

A first study completed by Laura Buffard, a psychology doctoral student and  W. Keith Campbel who is a professor from the University of Georgia tested 130 facebook users by having untrained strangers review and rate the page owners level of narcissism.

Another particularly in-depth study completed by York University psychologist Soraya Mehdizadeh used 100 subjects, whose personalities were graded using two special tests to detect low self-esteem and narcissism. When the tests were complete, she investigated each subject’s facebook profile, use habits and recent facebook activity for evidence of a link between facebook and narcissism.

And sure enough, the assumptions were relatively correct. Here are some of the findings of the two studies.

• People with test results showing narcissistic personalities spent more time on facebook, checked it more often and spent more time self-promoting themselves with updated profile pictures, status updates and personal information.
• The amount of friends and the number of wallposts that the individuals have on their facebook pages correlates closely with narcissism.
• While male narcissists spent more time promoting themselves in their information sections, female narcissists were more apt to promote themselves with flashy and revealing images of their physical appearance.
• Those who scored lower on the self-esteem test exhibited far more frequent activity that related to themselves on facebook such as updating their status numerous times a day as well as numerous posts about the "cool" things they are doing or their personal possessions they have such as "going shopping then off to dinner and the movies" or "I’m so glad i have the new iPhone".

Inconclusive to any of the related studies that have been done is that using facebook for an extending amount of time each day is an indicator of narcissism or low self-esteem. Many people are simply heavy facebook users for whatever reasons, however it's interesting to see the connection between facebook activities and ones psychological profile. As an online community of sorts, people with low self-esteem have a chance to appear more appealing and interesting than they otherwise are - which is not always a bad thing. Although for the narcissist it may be nothing more than the inflation of their already obese ego, it may offer a boost to those who otherwise lack some much needed self-confidence.

Times Ten Creative Marketing specializes in internet marketing and social media to assist in growing the online presence of your business. For more information, contact us today.