Twitter is set to discontinue its legacy verification checkmarks on April 1, leaving many corporations and celebrities scrambling to pay the subscription and keep their verified handles.
On a trial basis, the US firm has launched a new service called “Twitter Verified Organisations” for corporate entities on Twitter. Subscribers to this service receive a gold checkmark on their account, indicating that it belongs to an official business.
Corporates and public figures in Kenya are rushing to enroll in the Twitter Blue subscription program before the April 1 deadline to avoid losing the status of their verified accounts.
When a Twitter account is verified, it shows users on the social media platform that your profile is credible and authentic—-a critical issue for business brands and personalities who want to keep their clients and followers up to date.
Accounts used by businesses, politicians, celebrities, musicians and artists, influencers, and journalists, among others, are eligible for verification.
According to a schedule on their website, verified accounts on iOS will pay ksh 1,454.20 monthly, verified accounts on the web will pay ksh 1,057, and verified accounts on Android will pay ksh 1,438.
There is also an annual package for iOS, web, and Android users in Kenya, which costs Ksh 15,195.80, Ksh 11,101.37, and Ksh 14,830, respectively.
“Previously, the US Firm used the blue checkmark to indicate active, notable, and authentic public-interest accounts that it had independently verified based on certain criteria.”
The blue checkmark can now mean one of two things: that an account was verified using the previous verification criteria (active, notable, and authentic), or that the account has an active subscription to Twitter Blue.
“Accounts that receive the blue checkmark as part of a Twitter Blue subscription will not undergo review to confirm that they meet the active, notable, and authentic criteria that was used in the previous process” it adds.
The US firm has introduced a new service known as “Twitter Verified Organisations” for corporate entities on a test-run basis. Subscribers to this service receive a gold checkmark that designates the account as belonging to an official business.
Through Twitter Verified Organisations, businesses can affiliate other accounts with their account. Affiliated accounts receive a label with the image from the business’s profile picture.
If you ever need to cancel Twitter Blue, you can manage your subscription from your Twitter Blue settings on the platform where you subscribed. Your Twitter Blue features will expire at the end of your billing cycle.
To avoid further charges, cancel your Twitter Blue subscription at least 24 hours before the auto-renewal period. Canceling won’t give you a refund for amounts already paid.
The US Firm has in the past fortnight made many changes to its subscription Twitter Blue program including opening up the subscription plan for purchase globally, and also reducing the time new accounts must wait to be eligible for a Twitter Blue subscription from 90 days to 30 days.