Google+ Widens Rollout of Custom URLs

Google+ has started rolling out the custom URLs it first announced earlier this month to select users and brands  but the company says it may start charging for the shortened addresses in the future. Instead of profiles being identified by a randomly assigned number string, the new wave of custom URL receivers are able to switch their profiles over to a simple, easy to find and remember URL.
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The Google+ team began notifying users Thursday morning of the option to claim a pre-approved custom URL or apply for a different one. Here’s an example of the emails users have received:

A look at the service’s updated Policies & Principles page, however, shows that Google+ users may eventually have to pay for their convenient, easy-to-use custom URLs.

“Custom URLs are free for now, but we may start charging a fee for them,” the terms-of-use page reads. “However, we will tell you before we start charging and give you the choice to stop participating first.”

Saurabh Sharma, a product manager at Google’s San Francisco office, wrote in a blog post earlier this month that the personalized addresses will eventually be “available to people and pages worldwide,” but did not specify an exact date.

Would you pay money for a custom social media URL, or is would that be an unfair charge?

Source: Mashable