I have seen a bit of a debate going on over using your real name or Social Media ID as your facebook user ID.

I opted to use my real name ‘Karrine’ though the reason is only because I know there is another Karrine out there who is always snatching the name up before me. I don’t have a fan page for my blog/s or myself (that seems a little conceited) which means I am no where near the required 1000 user names to obtain a user ID for the non existent group or fan page.

Be sure to think about what user name you want and double check your spelling as there is no going back once you hit that submit button according to Facebook;

“No. Once you have claimed a username by clicking the “Set Username” button, it is not possible to edit it, or to transfer your username to a different account on Facebook. Additionally, when an account is removed from the site, its username will not be made available to other users for security reasons.”

Which reminds me of the time I set up a dating profile and mistyped my user ID. Girlwithabrain means something completely different on a dating site when you type Girlwithabrian !

To see all the Facebook USER ID guidelines check their Facebook User ID notes page.

While you are there stop by Shawn Collins Fan page and become a fan. According to his Affiliate Thing Podcast yesterday he only has just over 200 fans.

“OpenID eliminates the need for multiple usernames across different websites, simplifying your online experience.”  Openid.net

I have heard some buzz around the Internet about Facebook Connect this week. Is it the same as open ID ? All three (Open Id, Facebook Connect, and Google Friend Connect) allow users to interact with third party sites.

Google Friend Connect uses Open Social Facebook harnesses the power of a known interface.

Read Write Web’s Marshall Kirkpatrick has a great mind map outlining Facebook Friend connect and open Id features and merits.

I personally feel Open ID is great for blogger and social media applications. However it will be interesting to watch Google’s more easily integrated solution ( a few lines of code to insert) and Facebook Connect ( more complicated) .

If building a strong referral system is what you are looking for, you should check out Facebook connect and consider the power Facebook connect. Facebook takes accountability and their user base seems to contain more real users (less spam and trollers) who interact with their connections. This means more quality referrals and testimonials for your business.

Just a few of my thoughts on Facebook connect and Google Friend Connect. Please share yours as well by commenting or Digging the post.

So in celebration… For the next 30 days you can win $25 in free Facebook advertising ( and that actually can go a LONG way on facebook)  by becoming a Fan of Her Media’s blog on Facebook.

Click Here to become a Fan on Face Book

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Help spread the word to earn additional entries. Tweet the contest ( tag #hermedia so I can include your entry), comment below, and be sure to subscribe to the feed.

Wondering how to get $100 in Free Facebook Advertising ? Visa is offering $100 in pay-per-click (PPC) advertising credit to Facebook users/advertisers as part of their Visa Business promotion. Log onto Facebook and add the Visa Business Network Application. Follow the instructions to receive your credit code by email.

Facebook is a great Social Media tool, though I find creating a balance between my private life and business life is hard. It was suggested that I have two separateFacebook accounts if I was concerned about privacy. The lack of time to manage two Facebook accounts proved to be a larger deterrent alas, I have only one Facebook profile.

If you wish to add me as a friend on facebook, please send me an email first letting me know why I should accept your invite …

Stop by Gigaom for more details and a chart.