Over the years, verification has been granted to celebrities, high-profile figures, and those that Twitter considers to have their identity confirmed, as a way to let you know an account is authentic; and many users have relentlessly begged for the social network to verify their accounts. Finally, the company is now giving each of its users the chance to receive the blue tick, according to CEO Jack Dorsey, by filling in a form to have their account assessed for verification.
Twitter introduced the blue checkmark in 2009, and users need to apply for the blue tick, explaining why they need one. Twitter had previously allowed users to apply to be verified but removed the feature when the requests were overwhelming, opting to independently look for the accounts to verify.
Currently, Twitter says an account is eligible to be verified if it is determined to be an account of public interest. Typically this includes accounts maintained by users in music, acting, fashion, government, politics, religion, journalism, media, sports, business, and other key interest areas.
In a live stream on Periscope, as part of the CEO’s efforts to improve the company and make it more publicly accountable towards progress, Dorsey said Thursday that opening verification to more people could help to make sure people on the platform are who they say they are.
“The intention is to open verification for everyone, and to do it in a way that is scalable where we are not in the way. And people can verify more facts about themselves and we don’t have to be the judge or imply any bias on our part.”
One of the pros that come with having a verified account is a specific activity column that shows only @ messages, favourites, and retweets from other accounts that have been awarded the blue tick status symbol. The social network has consistently had problems with users being abused on its platform, and so the move may allow for Twitter users receiving harassment to filter what they see.
How to Verify your Twitter Account
The process of getting a verified badge is not complicated at all, especially for an established company. Twitter has to be able to authenticate your account to ensure that the tweets reflect the brand ethos. These are some of the requirements:
- A verified phone number
- A confirmed email address
- A bio
- A profile photo
- A header photo
- A birthday (for accounts that are not company, brand, or organization accounts)
- A website
- Tweets set as public in Tweet privacy settings
Recommendations from Twitter
Some common characteristics of verified accounts include:
- If the account belongs to a person, the name reflects the real or stage name of the person.
- If the account is a corporation or company account, the name reflects the real name of the corporation or company.
- The profile and/or header photo reflects the person, the corporation’s branding, or the company’s branding.
- If the account is a corporate or company account, the email address associated with the account is a corporate or company email address.
More Twitter tips on Verifying Accounts
- They’ll ask you to tell them why they should verify an account. If the account represents a person, they want to understand their impact in their field. If it represents a corporation or company, let them know the company’s mission.
- When providing URLs to support your request, choose sites that help express the account holder’s newsworthiness or relevancy in their field.
- They may request that you scan and upload a legible copy of your government-issued ID (such as a passport or driver’s license) to confirm your identity.