Vanity URL Option for your Google Profile
Google Profiles, is a relatively unknown service provided by the Mountain View search engine giant, and for good reason – the service will let the user tie in his YouTube, Blogger and Picasa accounts together, but the web address for the Google Profile he set up was a cryptic address of 21 digits (not exactly what you would call social). One of the steps Google is taking in becoming a more social entity is allowing users to change that 21-digit ID into something that is simpler to recognize and search online.
Here is an example in order to understand this better: until now, the profile ID was http://www.google.com/profiles/123456789012345678901; that profile now becomes http://www.google.com/profiles/USERNAME (where “username” is your Gmail account username or any other alias you want to choose). For users that already have a Gmail account the profile name is set up to display the Gmail username automatically – as you can see here. You need to activate it from that Profiles page though .
“To make it easier for others to find your profile, you can customize your URL. Here's how: If you use Gmail, when you edit your profile, you'll have the option to display your Gmail username in your profile URL. If you don't use Gmail, you can select any available username to be part of your profile URL. If later on you sign up for Gmail, you can choose this username as your Gmail username. Note: if you customize your profile URL, your old URL will continue to work, so you don't need to worry about people getting broken links when they click your old URL,” explains Google.
There is one thing you must keep in mind: you will not be able to change or delete a customized URL. The only option available to you is to make your profile URL private, but in order to do so you must select your old URL from the “Edit profile” page.
Here is an example in order to understand this better: until now, the profile ID was http://www.google.com/profiles/123456789012345678901; that profile now becomes http://www.google.com/profiles/USERNAME (where “username” is your Gmail account username or any other alias you want to choose). For users that already have a Gmail account the profile name is set up to display the Gmail username automatically – as you can see here. You need to activate it from that Profiles page though .
“To make it easier for others to find your profile, you can customize your URL. Here's how: If you use Gmail, when you edit your profile, you'll have the option to display your Gmail username in your profile URL. If you don't use Gmail, you can select any available username to be part of your profile URL. If later on you sign up for Gmail, you can choose this username as your Gmail username. Note: if you customize your profile URL, your old URL will continue to work, so you don't need to worry about people getting broken links when they click your old URL,” explains Google.
There is one thing you must keep in mind: you will not be able to change or delete a customized URL. The only option available to you is to make your profile URL private, but in order to do so you must select your old URL from the “Edit profile” page.
