Facebook announced earlier this year that it was going to begin verifying Facebook Pages for specific celebrities, public figures and brands. Once verified, these Pages will display a blue checkmark, letting other Facebook users know that it’s the official account for that person or business. Facebook has now updated their mobile apps to give users the ability to easily find these verified accounts.
Simply slide to the right to reveal the left menu and use the search to look for a specific profile. When searching for “Barack Obama” for instance, you’ll find many Pages and Profiles, but only one is the official one, and as you can see in the screenshot, it now sports a blue checkmark so you’ll know which one is the right one to Like.
Not only will this help people find the right profile to follow, hopefully it will also help deter others from creating so many fake profiles.
Businesses should be proactive and make sure that they have an active Facebook Page that is complete. The Page should include a link to the business’s official website, as well as accurate phone and address information. While we do not know when or if Facebook will verify small to medium business accounts, it’s best to be prepared.
The update also includes a great enhancement for the iPad, enabling businesses who have claimed their Facebook Place to edit their place. They can fix the category of their business, edit phone numbers, and other information.
Finally, the update resolves an issue that many people were experiencing where the News Feed was loading slowly.