Twitter: What It Means to Be Verified

If you’re like me, you’ve long disregarded the blue check mark beside a Twitter username as an ad flag – turns out we were wrong. With a little research we’d discover that this means that an account is verified, or as Twitter puts it, verified business partners that are “high-quality sources of information and trust... at high risk of impersonation.”

Well, who doesn’t want to be endorsed and reduce their risk of impersonation, sign me up!

Unfortunately, Twitter only verifies accounts it deems necessary and does NOT take requests from the general public (ouch). While it’s very possible that this verification is connected to ad dollars spent on sponsored tweets, Twitter hasn’t directly admitted to this. They have directly stated follower count is not a factor in determining criteria.

Another benefit: Once you click on a verified user, their timeline is broken into two feeds – there is All or No replies. This function is built in for businesses and celebrities that frequently respond to customers or fans, that if combined all together, would bury anything said to the general public.

DO NOT USE PICTURES THAT IMPLY VERIFICATION FALSELY. Twitter says any account using the badge in the profile picture or background image without authorization will result in permanent suspension.