A few months ago micro-blogging service Twitter started rolling out a number of changes that were meant to make it easier to use and help it grow its flat user numbers.
One major change was opening up the option of account verification to everyone. All Twitter users around the world can sign up for this.
Verified accounts on Twitter have a blue badge that shows that the person or entity tweeting from that account is the true holder of the account.
It’s helpful if you might be at risk of being parodied like what we have seen locally with entities like ZESA and the police (yes, that ZRP Twitter account is fake).
As social media increasingly becomes an important way to communicate vital information all serious brands need to consider this option. The fact that Twitter opened this up ought to get more entities to verify their accounts so that they share the real information that clears some false communication.
Some individuals like Professor Jonathan Moyo and brands like Econet Wireless Zimbabwe already have verified accounts.
To verify your account you need to fill out the form provided by Twitter (follow this link here) which asks for the following –
- A verified phone number
- An email address (for companies the email address associated with the account should be a company or organisation email address)
- A bio
- A profile photo
- A header photo
- A birthday (this is for accounts that are not tied to companies, brands, or organisations)
- A website
- Tweets set as public in Tweet privacy settings
- Individual accounts require a copy of your official government-issued photo identification (e.g. passport or driver’s licence) in order to confirm your request.
In addition to this Twitter will ask to explain (in 500 words or less) why your account should be verified. This is supposed to help determine how much impact you have as an individual or in the case of a corporate account the company’s mission.
After submitting your application you then wait for feedback from the Twitter team. If there are areas that still need to be filled in Twitter will advise you. If you have been unsuccessful, you are given the option to re-apply after 30 days.
For any serious brand or influential individual with a reputation to safeguard all this should be fairly strtaightforward. Hopefully, more Zimbabweans (#twimbos) in this bracket will take up the opportunity.
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