Fight Nerd vs Facebook!
I opened my Facebook account in 2005 after avoiding it, and Myspace, because I had other things to do. It was another fad that I did not want to be part of, like Nintendo, the internet, and boxer shorts. Sadly, all three of those turned out to be integral parts of American living and since then I have embraced them all, especially the overall airiness of boxers. Back to the subject at hand, I started my FB account as a way to connect to people and find some hot ladies on campus.
Years later I began to buff up my FB account and it quickly ballooned up into a friend list of almost 900 people strong. Professional and personal began to meld into one and I decided it was time to separate the two. So earlier this year I opened facebook.com/TheFightNerd to keep my fans informed of what is going on and not worry about anyone else hearing my emo whinings on my other account.
The heart of our story comes when I wanted to space myself further from my real name and truly become The Fight Nerd by eliminate the name on my birth certificate and donning the spectacles and sideburns of my alter ego. And why not, just about every other business out there was using their company as their name, what would make me so different?
So I went into my settings and tinkered around to change my name. I was rejected faster than my prom date could say “You didn’t pay me enough to suck that.” After multiple attempts I tried to just change my alternate name to The Fight Nerd. Still rejected. I tried eliminating my website from my profile, removing “The” from the name, or even making it one word, three words, whatever combo I could.
Nothing.
In a last ditch effort, I sent over an email to FB Support. Here is the conversation.
Hi
I have attempted to change my alternate name to “The Fight Nerd” which your system will not recognize at all. The Fight Nerd is my business name, pertaining to my site thefightnerd.com, which already has a fan page created by myself. I would like to change my alternate name as soon as possible to “The Fight Nerd” so please let me know when this change can occur. thanks
The response:
Hi Matthew,
Facebook requires that everybody sign up using their full first and last names. We do not process any requests for name changes unless the full first and last name is included.
Please note that if you are concerned about your privacy you can always restrict who can find you in searches from the Privacy page, which can be accessed by selecting the “Settings” link at the top of every Facebook page. I apologize for any inconvenience. If you have any further questions, please visit our Help Center at the following address:
http://www.facebook.com/help.php
Thanks for contacting Facebook,
Ursula
My response:
Hi Facebook team
I absolutely do not understand this, what you sent me back did not
answer my question at all. I have used the help FAQ and nothing has
worked. I attempted changing my nickname and facebook would not allow
it repeatedly, same with adding an atlternate name. I would love to
know how others have changed their display name to their business yet
I can not. Many friends on my friends page in fact use their business
name, such as MMA Weekly or MMA Fight Council and even Guard ya Grill
custom mouth guards and many many more have their business names as
their main name, yet i can not. I already have a fan page, thats not
the problem, i would like an explanation as to why i cant change my
display name to my nick name or alternate name, let alone even have an
alternate name. Thank you.
They fired back:
Hi Matthew,
If you want to use Facebook for your business or promotional needs, you should consider creating a Facebook Page.
A musical artist, public figure, business, or brand can create a Page to share information, interact with fans, and create a highly engaging presence on Facebook. Facebook Pages are distinct from personal profiles. They are optimized for business entities’ needs to communicate, distribute content, engage their fans, and capture new audiences virally through their fans’ recommendations to their friends.
To create a Page, simply click on the “Create a page” link under the Sign Up section of www.facebook.com, or visit:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/create.php
Not one to take no for an answer, my retort to the retards:
FB team,
in my previous TWO emails to you, i already said that i have created a fan page and that is not the problem. i am sending you links to other peoples pages who are using their business name as their profile, and are not fan pages. I would like to know why i can not change my alternate name or nick name to reflect that as well.
http://www.facebook.com/MMAWeekly?ref=nf
http://www.facebook.com/musiccitymma?ref=nf
http://www.facebook.com/ringsideboxing.show?ref=nf
why are these sites listed with their business names but mine can not be? thank you
The next round seemed familiar to say the least.
Hi Matthew,
Facebook requires that everybody sign up using their full first and last names. We do not process any requests for name changes unless the full first and last name is included.
Please note that if you are concerned about your privacy you can always restrict who can find you in searches from the Privacy page, which can be accessed by selecting the “Settings” link at the top of every Facebook page. I apologize for any inconvenience. If you have any further questions, please visit our Help Center at the following address:
http://www.facebook.com/help.php
Thanks for contacting Facebook,
Ursula
My response:
Dear Ursula
You have not addressed my previous email with why other facebook sites have their business names and are NOT fan pages. These three additional sites use their business name as their profile name yet I am still unable to.
www.facebook.com/uwcmma
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1825459693&ref=mf (this is volatile fight gear, they are using their business as their name)
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1487947307 (this is Barrons Martial Arts in MN, they are using their business name as their profile name as well)
It is my understanding that some of these business names were put originally instead of their real name, so how did your brilliant automated system accept those but not accept my changes after the fact? I have already opened a fan page but I would appreciate being able to use my business name like these and thousands of other sites on your network, so please help me make the change from Matthew Kaplowitz to The Fight Nerd or at least let me change my alternate name to The Fight Nerd. Thank you!
So the next move belongs to facebook. Welcome to my nightmare, Fight Nerd fans. I will keep you updated on how things turn out and if anyone has any more suggestions, or even better, some childish names I can call Ursula, please let me know!
In the meantime, you can also friend me at facebook.com/thefightnerd or join my Fight Nerd Fan page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/TheFightNerdcom/121052296130?ref=mf
