13 Comments »This evening Facebook added the ability to display your alternative names. Apparently the alternative feature existed previously but I personally was unaware of it. The difference is that now you can actually display that name and as Sophia Huang writes, you can also make it “visible on your profile, in search results, in friend requests, and on other places on the site.” One group that will find this extremely useful is multi-lingual groups, something Sophia Huang happens to be a member of.
Configuring your username is pretty easy. All you need to do is visit your account settings page and click on “change” next to the “Name” section. You then can type in whatever you want into the “Full Alternate Name” space. I decided to use my alternative name of “Nicky Biggs”, a street name that I tend to go by within my neighborhood (I live in the D.C. hood … represent!).
This will be useful for people trying to navigate the site and searching for their friends who have alternative nick names. The only issue now is for those users to search out the page and section that’s necessary for managing their name. Facebook has been trying to simplify their interface but with all the features in the site, that’s becoming more challenging to accomplish.
It will be interesting to see if Facebook can make things easier to manage while adding on things. There are many things they could improve. For example, I would imagine that clicking the name in this instance, from within the profile would be much easier than making two other clicks to the account settings.
This is interesting news. I’m wondering now if the alternate name can be the name of your business. Or, would that cause unnecessary problems?
Thanks!
I’ve known about this for quite some time however, what bothers me about this is that I can not use my first name and last initial. Facebook touts privacy as it’s number one priority yet forces full names. This just defies logic.
I don’t want to use a nick name, I just want my first full and last initial. I’m constantly frustrated by account management on facebook.
I don’t understand the point of not letting you pick a single word as your alternate name?
Yes, that’s weird it HAS to be two words… if that’s supposed to be a nickname, most nicknames are single words.
Unfortunately the story is not true. I choose my brand “traumurlaub” and was not able to save it. They also wanted my real name. Other companies were able to handle it immediately. So where is the difference in treatment?
I need now still 996 friends at facebook to be able to change to my brand “traumurlaub”. Probably you want to add yourself to my facebook? Thks.
The Alternate Name section is for people that have previously had a different real name to the one they had now (because they married, divorced, changed their name, etc), so they can be more easily found by older friends.
It’s not really a section for nicknames, and this is why a full name is required.
Ewwww… that makes it too MySpace-y for my tastes. The thing I had really liked most about facebook was the need for people to be legit. I’ve recently noticed all the changed names, and I think it’s for the worst. Besides, what’s so bad about just a first and last name? If you need THAT much privacy, you really don’t need to be on facebook.
It doesn’t even work for me, I tried entering “Joe Fresh” which is what most people know me as, and it said it wasn’t saved and the automated system wouldn’t approve it (or something like that).
Anyone else getting this message, and know what I can do to fix it?
I set up a Page, but I don’t want MY name (as the creator of the Facebook account) to display.
I de-activated the Facebook account because of that.
I want the product name: Black Iguana to be the display name.
How can I do this?
just how does the alternate name work, does it show you the persons alternate name when looking for them or, i am lookin for a relative who has had their name changed when they were younger thru marriage,i have their pic up thru serch and it says under alternate name but when i click on nothing, i dont understand?
i want my name on my facebook to be dominique sheeperlicious perry.. but it wont lt me it keeps sayin the automatic system has rejected it…..help wah can i do is there a way round this
i belong to facebook/farmtown.get me there, please
Why can’t I see my farm on FarmVille? I can hear it, but I have not been able to see it the last two days. Roseb1950@suddenlink.net Rose Allbright Barrows