In a bid to reduce the number of fake celebrity and brand Like pages, Facebook has brought in the ability for big names on the network to verify their accounts.
Similar to a feature already in place on rival site Twitter, a verified page now bears a small tick next to the name of the individual or brand. The tick is also displayed when pages are presented in the dropdown results in the search bar.
A recent post on Facebook read:
“We’re launching verified pages to help people find the authentic accounts of celebrities and other high-profile people and businesses on Facebook.
“Verified pages have a small, blue check mark beside their name on timelines, in search results, and elsewhere on Facebook.”
Figures released last year showed that there were more than 80 million fake pages on Facebook – a number that forms almost 10% of the website’s 955 million accounts.
It is believed that fake accounts on the website could lower users’ confidence in ‘Liking’ their favourite people and companies. Importantly from an internet marketing perspective, fake accounts may have previously affected larger businesses’ delivery of content.
With legitimate accounts visibly verified, it is believed that user confidence in content provided by journalistic pages will improve – allowing people to use the site not only to connect with friends, but also as an important source of information regarding current affairs.
The move reportedly comes as a bid to encourage big names on the site to engage with users as closely as they do on Twitter.
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