Apparently Facebook is phasing out "Become a Fan" and replacing it with the already existing "Like" button.

A Facebook spokesperson said, "In the next few weeks we will introduce a small language change that will allow people to connect to a Page by clicking 'Like.' This will replace 'Become a Fan' ads but will not affect the functionality of Pages at all."

As reported on AllFacebook.com, "One of the major drivers of the verb change is that 'Like' performs much better than 'Become A Fan.' The other is that developers will be much more likely to implement 'Like' within their applications as it's easier to integrate into other applications and websites."

The implications for brands is that this potentially could help them build much larger audiences on Facebook. This strikes me as a matter of pyschological symantics... "become a fan" is simply more committing than saying that you "like" something. As a result, expect company and group Page participation to shoot up — however be wary of what that number actually means. Fundamentally, having more "likes" isn't going to necessarily mean more engagement or involvement with the brand, since "like" is essentially a watered down version of "become a fan."

As for myself, I'm still waiting for the "dislike" button.