Penn State (@penn_state) officially verified it Twitter account on Tuesday.
A verified account on Twitter receives a blue check next to their username to show the authenticity of that user. It also helps other Twitter users identify legitimate sources for news, according to the Twitter Help Center.
Penn State Spokesman Geoff Rushton said the university was looking to combat fake Twitter handles.
“It helps to recognize it as an official account, and it reduces confusion for people,” Rushton said.
Rushton said Penn State applied for the verification in June, and it was just now approved. He said the verified Twitter has not seen a significant increase in followers since the little blue check has been added.
“Other universities verify their Twitter handles and it helps clear up confusion with any followers,” he said.
According to the Twitter Help Center, verifying accounts helps make it easier for people to find those accounts.
“Twitter proactively verifies accounts on an ongoing basis to make it easier for users to find who they’re looking for,” the FAQ on Twitter reads. “We concentrate on highly sought users in music, acting, fashion, government, politics, religion, journalism, media, advertising, business, and other key interest areas.”
The blue check is provided by Twitter and is in the top left corner after the username; if it is anywhere else on the page, it is not a verified account.
According to the Twitter Help Center, the social media network only verifies accounts that are “highly sought users in music, acting, fashion, government, politics, religion, journalism, media, advertising, business, and other key interest areas.”
Twitter does not accept verification requests from the general public, according to the help center.
There are several Twitter accounts associated with the university, including Penn State Football (@PennStateFball) and Penn State Live (@pennstatelive) that have thousands of followers, but no verified check.
Twitter works in “key interest” areas to verify accounts, so it can take some time before the verification happens, according to the Twitter Help Center.
“If impersonation is a problem for you on Twitter and your fans have trouble finding your account, we’re here to help,” the website reads.
