Twitter Account Verification Explained

By now you are likely aware that Twitter launched a Beta version of “Verified Accounts”. Various news sources have given an overview of the program. These articles raise more questions than they answer. What is the process? How will it be deployed? The following attempts to explain and summarize some of these questions.

Process:

We will never know exactly what the requirements for the Verification are. For obvious reasons, this process will be highly confidential. What Twitter will require, and what do they do with the information collected will remain unknown. How many people will be willing to provide confidential information to Twitter?  Will every single celebrity, athlete, and political figure that joins Twitter “jump” at the opportunity to get a Verified Twitter button as many say? We will see.

Deployment:

Deployment will likely remain an option. To mandate a verification program at account creation would create a massive bottleneck, exhausting all Twitter resources.

Example: Lets say conservatively 10,000 people sign up for a new Twitter account every day. Depending on the Verification requirements, one employee could process 20 new accounts a day. That means a staff of 500 just to keep up with one day.

The Beta accounts that have been recently verified have likely been through a process prior. Twitter already knew, so it was an easy initial deployment.

Summary:

This is an opinion based on experience, as the facts remain unclear, only time will tell. This is not going to be a mandatory “cure all” that solves all the Impersonation problems on Twitter. Its another tool in the verification toolbox. Deployment will be a slow gradual process. The doption rate of “Twitter Verified Account” will be 50-60%, as some don’t care, others don’t want the personal information released.