For years, Twitter has become synonymous with social media micro-blogging, with millions of users taking using the site every day to air their views about trending topics and life in 280 characters or less – as well as see the latest from those that they follow.
Historically, only some accounts have had the added privilege of a ‘blue tick’ on their account – commonly seen on accounts from verified companies, celebrities, sports stars and more.
However, since Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter, the blue tick has become a bit of a headache.
The initial rollout of a paid blue tick verification scheme had to be paused due to a huge number of impersonators.
This was one of many changes Musk made in his tenure, but after people were pretending to be world leaders, verified with a blue check from their paid subscriptions, more changes have come about.
That said, the scheme was eventually brought back, allowing UK users to purchase a blue tick for £9.60 a month.
Now, the infamous blue tick is being phased out for ‘legacy’ accounts – that is, anyone not prepared to pay.
So just what does a blue tick mean and can you still get one yourself?
What is a Twitter blue tick?
At its simplest, a blue tick now means that an account has a phone number added, has paid for the subscription (either annually or monthly), and has been approved by Twitter.
It was previously verified by demonstrating consistent use of Twitter in the six months prior to applying, abiding by the Twitter rules and not posting content that harasses, shames, or insults any individual or group.
The service lists its new Twitter Blue additional benefits as:
- Prioritized rankings in conversations and search
- See approximately twice as many Tweets between ads in your For You and Following timelines.
- Add bold and italic text in your Tweets
- Post longer videos and 1080p video uploads
- All the existing Blue features, including Edit Tweet, Bookmark Folders and early access to new features
You also get longer tweets, more edits to tweets, and the option to have an NFT profile picture.
Can you still use Twitter Blue to get verified?
Two badges are issued by Twitter for the purposes of verification.
Grey badges mean an account is representing a government, multilateral organisation or official.
A gold badge is for a verified company or business.
How can you get your own blue tick on Twitter?
If you want to get a blue tick Twitter account, simply select the ‘Twitter Blue’ tab on the left of your desktop Twitter homepage.
If you are using the app, click on your profile picture on the top left, then select ‘Twitter Blue’ from the list.
You can then go through the required steps to select a subscription option and get your account approved by Twitter.
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