For many it would be cool to have that white check mark in a blue cloud on their Twitter profile. Getting that seal of approval distinguishes you from the general public.
Zalebs such as Gareth Cliff, Bonang Matheba, Sizwe Dhlomo, AKA are among the chosen ones who got their twitter accounts verified. There are many other local celebs who deserve this honour, but unfortunately they are not verified.
But what does being verified actually mean?
More than a stupid blue and white symbol
Being verified separates you from the parody accounts and increases your credibility and basically means Twitter has put you on a pedestal (along with thousand other verified users of course).
As part of the Twitter elite you also get to enjoy a few exclusive features. Verified users can now view their mentions in three separate categories including, all, filtered, and verified. The idea is to ignore the rest of us help the elite identify the conversations that may be most important by removing spam.
Verified account holders also have access to account analytics, including data and characteristics about Tweet engagement and followers.
So how does Twitter decide if you are “cool” enough to sit at the table of the verified? There’s no exact way to go about getting your account verified. However, if you follow these steps, you might find yourself at the big table.
Tip 1
Contact Twitter. It’s not clear how Twitter recognises the worthy, so why not make yourself more noticeable by sending them a nice letter or email. Tell them how much it hurts not being able to enjoy the luxuries of the verified. Treat it as a cover letter and tell them why you deserve to be honoured. Don’t hesitate, report your problem.
Twitter, Inc.
1355 Market St, Suite 900
San Francisco, CA 94103
Fake it
Tip 2
If Twitter can’t recognise you, merit yourself by designing your own header. There are many websites where you can download these predesigned headers, and Youtube tutorials that can assist you in designing your own.
But be warned; Twitter stated on their Help Centre that accounts using a badge as part of profile pictures, background images, or in any way implying false verification will be permanently suspended. If you don’t want to risk getting suspended, ignore this tip.
Tip 3
According to the Twitter Help Centre, they only concentrate on highly “sought after” users in music, acting, fashion, government, politics, religion, journalism, media, sports, businesses, and other key interest areas. The good news is that they are frequently changing their verification requirements, and verification is not defined by the amount of followers and how many times you tweet. The bad news is that they do not accept verification requests from the general public.
Which brings us to tip number three: make yourself “sought after” and separate yourself from the “general public”.The most common way to do this is by becoming an artist or model. If you want to get recognised as an artist you need to get your own Soundcloud and Youtube channels, a witty Twitter bio, and a cool avatar that’s heavily filtered. If you want to be recognised as a model, squat 100 times a day, invest in bandage dresses and fake Louboutins, and constantly post photos onto your social media. Don’t forget to add hashtags such as #nomnom when you’re posting food, #selfie for your self portraits, and #TBT for the photos you forgot to tweet last week.
Tip 4
When you do manage to get to the top of the food chain, do not forget where you came from. Share your success story, as well as some handy tips, with the less fortunate.
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