Facebook has announced its latest “verification” feature for pages and profiles. It is designed to give “famous” accounts an added level of authenticity. As many people think, perhaps this is a straightforward ripoff from Twitter’s “verified accounts” feature (with the similar, small blue checkmark to indicate that a person or business is indeed the legitimate account holder). The mark appears on the pages themselves, as well as in search results and throughout the site.
Compare it with Twitter’s feature:
The Verified Pages are being specified for “a small group of prominent public figures (celebrities, journalists, government officials, popular brands and businesses) with a large amount of audiences”. Facebook has a new section in its help center that describes what a verified profile or page actually is, but it doesn’t say how Facebook goes about verifying any of its users. The checkmark icon acts as a tooltip, providing more info about verification when you hover over with a mouse cursor, and Facebook says that there’s no way for users to request to be verified; just like on Twitter, the social network will come to you if they deem it a useful step in helping you prove your identity.
Facebook had previously launched a verification program, back in February 2012, when it allowed people to verify their account with a valid ID. This was an extra step that allowed people to then use nicknames (handy for celebrities with pseudonyms) and still appear highly in search results. However, this verification program didn’t involve any kind of “public badging” (giving checkmark), which this one does.
More and more, Facebook is trying to become a broadcast channel for media, journalists and celebrities, sort of in the same way that Twitter already primarily is. The subscription feature it launched last year to allow people to follow others and receive their updates without forming a reciprocal “friendship” is a perfect example of how it wants to make it possible for people to go to the social network as a news and information source, as well as a way to connect with people they actually know. Now, with the verified checkmark badge is already live on Facebook, if you peruse your favorite celebrity crushes you should be able to find the blue checkmark. Plus, if you’re really big news yourself, maybe you’ve already got one of your own.