Most Twitter addicts are familiar with the big, baby blue "check" sign that can be found on the Twitter profiles of prominent public figures. This is the social network's way of "verifying" that the account actually belongs to the celebrity, since everyone from Jay Z to Major Nelson has a few fake accounts floating around.
Facebook thought it would be a good idea to give their users the same peace of mind when interacting with celebrities, as Mashable reports that the social media giant will be rolling out their own "verified" system as of Wednesday.
The change is already in effect, as top artists like Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber as well as athletes such as Kobe Bryant and Carmelo Anthony all have a small blue stamp of approval next to their names. If you've been arguing with your friends on whether or not the "real" Kobe replied to your comment about the Lakers' dismal NBA season, now you can settle the dispute.
The verification trend that began with Twitter is a smart way to help fans and friends know that they are interacting with the person they think they are, though many still don't know how exactly the process works. Of course, both Twitter and Facebook are run by major players in the business world, and the people behind each network probably have plenty of ways to get in touch with celebs and make sure that they're tweeting for real.
While the small blue check circles are only on a handful of accounts at the moment, expect to see more and more famous users to be verified over the next few weeks.
How do you feel about this subtle change to Facebook? Does it add a sense of legitimacy to the official accounts of all of the actors, athletes, and writers you've been sending status updates to for months?