Digital News: Facebook Releases Verified Accounts
Facebook officially launched verified accounts this week. The release allows well-known figures such as celebrities, politicians, and writers to have their Facebook Pages verified by Facebook as the real thing. The move applies to brand pages as well.
Users who have their Facebook Page verified by Facebook will receive a blue check mark next to their name. This bears an uncanny resemblance to the verified product Twitter has, in which verified tweeters are provided a very similar blue check mark on their Twitter profile.
This is what a Facebook Verified Account looks like.
This is what a Twitter Verified Account looks like.
What does this mean for users?
Verified accounts will cut down on spam and allow for a clear separation between fake or fan accounts and those that are official. A major problem for Facebook lies in its history before Facebook Pages, where users were allowed to create groups for their favorite celebrities, athletes, or brands. Facebook Pages morphed out of Facebook groups, prompting the Facebook “fan” or “like”. This added confusion to official users who wanted to create a Facebook Page for themselves. Facebook Pages were essential as Facebook likes became a more integral part of communicating to Facebook users and being a part of marketing plans.
The below image shows how easy the confusion is, with the fan page even using the same profile picture as the actual, verified account.
Who is the right David Beckham? Facebook Verified Accounts will help users easily see the answer.
-Bryan Nagy
