Facebook Adds Verified Accounts And Nicknames, But Only For The Coolest Kids

By Phil Villarreal February 17, 2012

In a series of moves seemingly geared to make the site more attractive to celebrities, Facebook is rolling out “Verified” accounts, granting the status to its most popular users who prove their identities to the site’s high command. The chosen ones will then be allowed to buck Facebook tradition by using aliases — for instance, stage names — on their timelines.

As CNN reports, the change marks Facebook’s slight departure from its insistence that users stick with their real names. Verified accounts will get top billing on areas in which Facebook suggests accounts for users to subscribe to. The implementation of these higher-level accounts will presumably cut down on impersonators and make it easier to distinguish fan sites from the genuine article.

Common folk, however, won’t be able to verify themselves or re-dub themselves with their LiveJournal handles, as they could in their MySpace days.

Facebook rolls out ‘verified accounts,’ celeb nicknames [CNN]

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Comments

  1. rpm773 says:
    February 17, 2012 at 8:30 am

    …who prove their identities to the site’s high command.

    I’m envisioning a casting couch in Zuckerberg’s office.

  2. Don't Bother says:
    February 17, 2012 at 8:30 am

    Someday… Someday I’ll be able to list my name under Facebook as Dick McFacebutt.

    Little victories.

  3. gafpromise says:
    February 17, 2012 at 8:30 am

    Wait what? After they verify a person’s real identity they’ll allow that person to use a fake name? I’m lost in a maze of confusing logic!

    • bhr says:
      February 17, 2012 at 8:36 am

      It sounds like, for example, they will let Charlie Sheen use that name rather than Estevez (his birth name).

      I don’t get the point, I’m one a millions I’m sure who doesn’t use their full given name while job searching (even with privacy maxed it made sense to drop my last name and go first-middle )

  4. Wench86 says:
    February 17, 2012 at 9:23 am

    I tried to prove I was a real person to FB once. They “permanently deleted” my account. Wonder if that means I’m a figment of my imagination.

  5. ancientone567 says:
    February 17, 2012 at 9:44 am

    Your using Fakebook? Fail!

  6. Power Imbalance says:
    February 17, 2012 at 9:46 am

    Facebook = Lame

  7. u1itn0w2day says:
    February 17, 2012 at 10:32 am

    Facebook aka your CIA file which is about to get a little thicker for some.

  8. pot_roast says:
    February 17, 2012 at 11:24 am

    So now that blogs are on the decline, we’re going to be seeing “A-List” Facebook celebs.

    Meet the new boss. Same as the old…

  9. Kestris says:
    February 17, 2012 at 9:11 pm

    Already use a pseudonym on Facebook, so who cares.

  10. sarakelley says:
    February 19, 2012 at 4:15 pm

    My husband’s account has been suspended twice because they wanted him to verify his identity. He did so after the first time, they apologized for the mistake and reinstated his account. A few days later, they blocked him from it again and will not reply to his repeated requests for help.

    I can’t imagine paying Facebook for this service if they are going to just cut you off from your account after verification anyway.