Verified Twitter Account Requests Now Available to Everyone

Those of you who are familiar with Twitter would no doubt have come across the little blue badges that appear next to the name of a person or organisation, indicating the mark of a Verified Twitter Account (see images below for example). This feature has previously been used to identify high profile public figures and organisations, but Twitter has recently announced that the verification process is now open to all.

At present, Twitter has over 310 million monthly active users, with approximately 187,000 of these having verified accounts. An online application process has now been produced, providing all users with the opportunity to apply for verification of their account.

Those who wish to apply for a verified account will need to meet certain criteria set out by the social media giant, which include:

• A Twitter bio

• An accurate profile picture

• A verified phone number

• A confirmed email address

• A website

• Your Tweets set to public

As part of the application process, the user will be asked to provide 2-5 links that will help Twitter to identify them, along with an explanation as to why the account should be verified. Having a verified account could mean that Twitter sees you as an influence within your field, and can go a long way towards establishing yourself or your business as some kind of authority amongst other users.

Twitter’s Vice President of User Services Tina Bhatnagar said, "We hope opening up this application process results in more people finding great, high-quality accounts to follow, and for these creators and influencers to connect with a broader audience."

It will be interesting to watch how the verification application process develops over the coming months. There could be great benefits from a user being able to recognise that an account is official and of public interest, with the potential to gain a higher level of engagement.

To begin the process of becoming verified visit the Twitter help centre to find out more.