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Facebook and Free Music

September 8, 2011 by Mike 5 Comments

Call me old-fashioned, but I still listen to music in one of three ways: 1) on my iPhone, 2) with Pandora, and 3) on an FM car radio.  That’s it.  XM Radio, RDIO, Spotify, Last.fm, Google Music, and MOG have thus far eluded my attention, though I have accounts in all services (except MOG, I believe).  I may try Spotify, due to multiple positive reviews from friends.

Will Facebook be offering a music service?  Probably not, as it’s more likely that music services will offer an App within Facebook users can use.  (There’s a difference.)  Facebook’s strategy is still to become the world’s leading platform utility for the sharing of media.  In any case, it does look like some kind of free streaming model may be offered in the near future, via a number of partners.

Will consumers use a music service through Facebook?  That’s hard to answer, but my gut instinct tells me mass adoption is unlikely.  The most successful consumer products and platforms often integrate some combination of 1) ultra-simplicity in usability and design, and 2) some element of “wow” factor that’s new and unique.  Integrating a great user experience like Spotify into Facebook risks cluttering and complicating it.  It also places template-driven restrictions on design that can lessen the likelihood of a “wow” experience.  Why not just use the ‘native’ version of the service?

I’m not saying it’s impossible, but I am saying it’s going to be quite a challenge solving both problems above.  Music service developers will need Facebook guidance and flexibility to create a well-integrated experience, or the offerings may fall flat.  That’ll be challenging, as the Facebook Profile, Wall, News pages are already cluttered with quite a few actionable modules and calls-to-action.

Further, if multiple music platforms are launching simultaneously, how differentiated can they really be?  All said, I’m excited to see where everything lands.

What do you think — will music services sink or swim in Facebook?

Filed Under: Facebook Tagged With: facebook music

Grab Your Custom Facebook URL, or "Facebook Username"

June 10, 2009 by Mike Leave a Comment

It’s Facebook-Username-Land-Grab time! As of 12:01 AM EDT, Saturday, June 13th, 2009, Facebook will allow anyone to create a “Facebook Username” for their existing user profile or Facebook Page.  (Previously, only selected partners were given the ability to do so.)  You should go out and grab your own Facebook Username, as soon as possible, if possible.

How To Get Your Facebook Username

Just go to Facebook.com/username (After 12:00 AM, on June 13, 2009), and follow the username creation instructions.

User Profiles will have to meet one requirement to enable Username creation:

  • They must have been live on Facebook prior to 3:00 PM EDT, on May 31, 2009.  (I’m guessing this will likely change at a later date to require that a user profile have existed for a certain minimum number of days.  Be sure to register your “Coldplay Rules” user profile today.)
  • UPDATE: This limitation is temporary. All users who joined Facebook after the cut-off will be eligible to claim usernames on Sunday, June 28, 2009.

Facebook Pages will have to meet two requirements to enable Username creation:

  • They must have been live on Facebook prior to May 31, 2009.  (Likewise, I’m guessing this will probably change at some point to a “minimum number of days in existance” requirement.)
  • They must have a minimum 1,000 fans as of May 31, 2009.  (Ouch.  So much for getting www.facebook.com/garagespin with my sub-100 fan count.)
  • UPDATE: This limitation is temporary. All Pages created after May 31, 2009 or that had less than 1,000 fans on that day will be eligible to claim usernames on Sunday, June 28, 2009.

Selecting a Facebook Username

Facebook Usernames won’t be able to be edited or changed, and are also non-transferable, so make sure yours is acceptable for the long term.  Only one Username is allowed per Page and/or user profile.  I.e. don’t do anything you’ll regret later.

Additional Facebook Username Info

  • Facebook blog post explaining Usernames
  • Username Frequently Asked Questions
  • Form: Notice of Intellectual Property Infringement form (in case someone beats you to grabbing your own Username, or in case you want to protect a trademark you own)
  • Username Creation Page for creating Facebook Usernames (you must be logged in to see it)

Filed Under: Facebook Tagged With: Facebook

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