Wednesday 29 May 2013
Facebook Moves to Verify Accounts of Public Figures
Facebook rolled out what it calls Verified Pages and Profiles on Wednesday. Sound familiar?If so, it’s because Twitter rolled out its “verified accounts” program back in June 2009, to protect the reputations of celebrities, athletes, and other public figures and agencies. Like Twitter, Facebook will stamp a small blue symbol near a person or page’s name. And like Twitter, it is also blue (though a slightly different shade).
“Verified Pages belong to a small group of prominent public figures (celebrities, journalists, government officials, popular brands and businesses) with large audiences. This update is rolling out to profiles as well,” Facebook said on its company blog.
The announcement shows how Facebook and Twitter have become increasingly competitive over the years. The point was underscored at the D: All Things Digital Conference in Rancho Palos Verde, Calif. on Wednesday, when Twitter’s CEO Dick Costolo took the stage.
Costolo, who deflected questions about a possible IPO, seemed to take a few jabs at his rival. He explained that his company was “not only mobile first” but instead “all-in” on mobile, perhaps ripping the oft-repeated phrase of “mobile-first” by Facebook executives.
Later, in a discussion about Twitter’s mission, there was less confusion about which company he had in his crosshairs, noting that Twitter wanted to be the place where people go to for the whole “timeline experience.”
Facebook’s post about the new features does not mention Twitter. The company said it “proactively verifies” pages and profiles.
