- Getting the verification tick on social media platforms is an important sign of authenticity and signals genuine influencer or brand status.
- Once you achieve a certain follower size, you can apply for 'verified' status on most platforms.
- Here are the details for how to get verified for the 7 major social media platforms.
We live in the age of fake news and conspiracy theories. No one really knows who or what to trust anymore. When you find a social media channel that supposedly belongs to a celebrity or influencer, how do you know it is them? It could easily be another person pretending to be the celebrity to gain attention and make money from their social media channel.
All the major social media platforms have created a solution to this problem. They have a social media verification system, where celebrities and influencers can verify their identities. Once they have the verification mark on their profiles, it will prove they are who they claim to be. That makes it easier for entrepreneurs, companies, and customers to trust influencers and purchase their products and services.
Want to get verified on the most popular social media platforms? Let's discuss how to get verified on all the major social channels.
1) Instagram
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When you want to establish your reputation on Instagram, you need to do two things. First, you need to have a decent number of followers and views on your Instagram channel. Second, you need to request verification for your channel by verifying your identity with Instagram.
Newbies can save time if they buy Instagram followers or buy Instagram views to make their profile stronger. It is crucial to verify they are "real" followers and not fake followers. Otherwise, Instagram might assume you are a scammer and deny your channel verification request. It's a smart idea to research the merchant to ensure they sell authentic followers.
Instagram has only offered a verification program since the end of 2018. People who become verified will see a small blue checkmark next to their name on the profile page. Viewers will see the same checkmark whether they use a smartphone app or the Instagram website to look at your profile.
After you've accumulated a few thousand followers, the next step is to submit the verification request to Instagram. There is no guarantee whether you will get verified, but it should be smooth if you follow the procedures. All you need is your photo ID ready to go, such as your driver's license.
Log into your Instagram account. Visit your profile page and choose the hamburger icon, which should be located on the upper right-hand corner of your screen. Now tap the word "Settings" and select "Request Verification" from the drop-down menu. The format of the page might look a little different, depending on which platform you use.
Next, you will be brought to a page where you enter your identity information. Enter your first name and last name in the appropriate boxes. Now you must enter the ID number on your driver's license or photo ID. Instagram will verify your ID information with the records from your state. If they match the information you entered, it proves you are the person you claim in your profile.
As a result, the verification icon will appear on your profile page. Then you can attract more attention as an Instagram influencer or brand because people will trust and believe in your authenticity.
2) TikTok
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TikTok is a Chinese video-sharing platform that has gained momentum in the west over the last year. It lets you create and share short-form videos of various genres, such as comedy, education, and dance. Teenagers and young adults use the platform the most, but older celebrities and influencers use it too. There is no reason why you cannot use it either, regardless of your age.
TikTok offers you two ways to verify your identity, both of which require an established and reputable TikTok account. You cannot merely make a new account and expect to receive verification status immediately. TikTok requires verified users to be celebrities or notable people. It takes time for a new user to achieve this kind of status.
If you are not a celebrity or a notable person, you still have a chance to pass the verification process if you post great content on your channel consistently. In this case, you would be deemed as a "popular user" rather than a "verified user."
The TikTok support team awards these titles to members who continue to post great content or achieve celebrity status. There are no verification forms to fill out and submit like there are on Instagram.
Just stay consistent with your content creation endeavors and promote your channel on other social media networks. If you gain a large enough following, the TikTok support team will notice it on their own.
3) Twitter
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Twitter is a microblogging platform and one of the most popular social networking services. It is also one of the first social networks to create a verification program for its users. Once a Twitter account becomes verified, a small blue checkmark is placed alongside the name on the account page.
The Twitter verification process is not as complicated as you might think. You simply need to fill out all the account details and produce examples of web properties. Unfortunately, Twitter has stopped verifying new accounts since the beginning of 2018. They have been working on a new verification program for the last two years. The good news is the verification program should be available again in 2021.
Most people don't need to worry about Twitter verification unless they are a celebrity. An easier way to prove your identity to people is to post video blogs of yourself talking into the camera. Make sure you say the username of your Twitter account in the video, so people will know that the video wasn't stolen from elsewhere.
4) Facebook
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Facebook needs no introduction. It is the number one social media network in the world, with over one billion registered users. A big reason why Facebook is so popular is that it caters to businesses as well as individuals. But when you have so many people on one social media platform, it requires a top-notch verification process to guarantee the identities of its most prominent users.
Facebook offers two verification badges for its users. Individuals can earn blue badges, and businesses can earn gray badges. A badge means the identity of the respective individual or company has been verified. When people see the badge on your profile page, they will know you're the real person or business rather than a scammer.
Blue badges are for celebrities, brands, government officials, popular companies, journalists, media figures, athletes and entertainers. The average individual cannot receive a blue badge if they don't have much popularity. Facebook expects you to have a good reason to get verified; the service is not available to just anybody.
If you want to receive a blue badge, you need to create high-quality content and gain a lot of press recognition. Once you or your brand gain enough popularity, you can try applying for verification at Facebook. If the support team approves your application, you will have the small blue checkmark placed by your name.
Gray badges, on the other hand, are reserved exclusively for business pages. Your business doesn't necessarily need to be popular to receive a gray badge. You only need to verify the authenticity of your business. Facebook puts a gray checkmark next to your business name if the verification is successful.
It is much easier to receive a gray badge than a blue badge because you don't need popularity. The verification process for a gray badge usually takes about 48 hours, so it is not long at all. But you must operate a real registered business in your state to qualify for the badge. Otherwise, you'll have to work harder to earn a blue badge.
When you're ready to apply for verification, you need to check your profile page to ensure it is complete. All of the information must be filled out, such as your name, interests, location, etc. Upload a high-resolution cover photo and company logo as well. Once this is complete, fill out the Facebook verification form and submit it. Wait for a response from the Facebook support team.
5) YouTube
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YouTube is the most popular video-sharing platform in the world. However, most of its content creators don't realize that YouTube has a verification program. It is reserved for public figures, companies, and professional artists and creators to verify their identities to the viewers on the platform.
For example, if a professional singer wants to upload their music videos on YouTube and monetize them without worrying about a copyright strike, they need to verify their identity with YouTube customer support. It also gives audiences a greater incentive to subscribe to your YouTube channel because they'll know you're the real person or company and not a scammer.
The minimum requirement for verification is to have 100,000 subscribers or more on your YouTube account. If you can achieve 100,000 subscribers, you can apply for verification on YouTube. It will also earn you a Silver Button YouTube Award; a physical award sent to you in the mail to showcase your achievement.
Verification is not essential on YouTube unless you've built up your notoriety or celebrity status. When you have over 100,000 subscribers, you have built a big enough reputation to where someone might want to steal your views and mimic your account. If you notice such things taking place on YouTube, you'll know it's time to verify your account.
6) Pinterest
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Pinterest is another popular image sharing social media service. Users pin various photographs and videos onto their virtual pinboards for other people to view and discover. Companies tend to personalize their pinboards with images that reflect their products, services, and brand.
Pinterest offers a fast and easy verification program. All you do is go to the Settings page of your Pinterest account and upload a company logo for the profile picture. You must also claim the company website too. If you've finished taking these simple steps, you should see a red checkmark next to your profile picture. The checkmark indicates that your Pinterest profile has been verified.
7) Snapchat
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Snapchat is like a combination of a social media network and a messaging app. It is the most popular among teenagers and young adults. The platform currently does not have a verification program for the average person to use. However, there is a unique verification program reserved for superstars and celebrities, such as DJ Khaled and Ryan Seacrest. Anyone without celebrity status will not get verified.
There is no verification page either. Snapchat sends out private emails to members who qualify for verification and offers them instructions on how to sign up for it. Snapchat is better for chatting with friends and family rather than as a platform for businesses—unless you can profit from your celebrity status.
More than half of 18 to 25 year-olds in the workforce are considering quitting their job. And they're not the only ones.
In a report called The Next Great Disruption Is Hybrid Work – Are We Ready?, Microsoft found that as well as 54% of Generation Z workers, 41% of the entire global workforce could be considering handing in their resignation.
Similarly, a UK and Ireland survey found that 38% of employees were planning to leave their jobs in the next six months to a year, while a US survey reported that 42% of employees would quit if their company didn't offer remote working options long term.
New work trends
Based on surveys with over 30,000 workers in 31 countries, the Microsoft report – which is the latest in the company's annual Work Trend Index series – pulled in data from applications including Teams, Outlook and Office 365, to gauge productivity and activity levels. It highlighted seven major trends, which show the world of work has been profoundly reshaped by the pandemic:
- Flexible work is here to stay
- Leaders are out of touch with employees and need a wake-up call
- High productivity is masking an exhausted workforce
- Gen Z is at risk and will need to be re-energized
- Shrinking networks are endangering innovation
- Authenticity will spur productivity and wellbeing
- Talent is everywhere in a hybrid world
"Over the past year, no area has undergone more rapid transformation than the way we work," Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella says in the report. "Employee expectations are changing, and we will need to define productivity much more broadly – inclusive of collaboration, learning and wellbeing to drive career advancement for every worker, including frontline and knowledge workers, as well as for new graduates and those who are in the workforce today. All this needs to be done with flexibility in, when, where and how people work."
Organizations have become more siloed
While the report highlights the opportunities created by increased flexible and remote working patterns, it warns that some people are experiencing digital exhaustion and that remote working could foster siloed thinking. With the shift to remote working, much of the spontaneous sharing of ideas that can take place within a workplace was lost. In its place are scheduled calls, regular catch-ups and virtual hangouts. The loss of in-person interaction means individual team members are more likely to only interact with their closest coworkers.
"At the onset of the pandemic, our analysis shows interactions with our close networks at work increased while interactions with our distant network diminished," the report says. "This suggests that as we shifted into lockdown, we clung to our immediate teams for support and let our broader network fall to the wayside. Simply put, companies became more siloed than they were pre-pandemic."
Burnout or drop out
One of the other consequences of the shift to remote and the reliance on tech-based communications has been the phenomenon of digital burnout. And for those who have most recently joined the workforce, this has been a significant challenge.
The excitement of joining a new employer, maybe even securing a job for the first time, usually comes with meeting lots of new people, becoming familiar with a new environment and adapting to new situations. But for many, the pandemic turned that into a daily routine of working from home while isolated from co-workers.
"Our findings have shown that for Gen Z and people just starting in their careers, this has been a very disruptive time," says LinkedIn Senior Editor-at-Large, George Anders, quoted in the report. "It's very hard to find their footing since they're not experiencing the in-person onboarding, networking and training that they would have expected in a normal year."
But it is perhaps the data around quitting that is one of the starkest indications that change is now the new normal. Being able to work remotely has opened up new possibilities for many workers, the report found. If you no longer need to be physically present in an office, your employer could, theoretically, be located anywhere. Perhaps that's why the research found that "41% of employees are considering leaving their current employer this year".
In addition to that, 46% of the people surveyed for the Microsoft report said they might relocate their home because of the flexibility of remote working.
A hybrid future
In looking for ways to navigate their way through all this change, employers should hold fast to one word, the report says – hybrid. An inflexible, location-centred approach to work is likely to encourage those 41% of people to leave and find somewhere more to their tastes. Those who are thinking of going to live somewhere else, while maintaining their current job, might also find themselves thinking of quitting if their plans are scuppered.
But remote working is not a panacea for all workforce ills. "We can no longer rely solely on offices to collaborate, connect, and build social capital. But physical space will still be important," the report says. "We're social animals and we want to get together, bounce ideas off one another, and experience the energy of in-person events. Moving forward, office space needs to bridge the physical and digital worlds to meet the unique needs of every team – and even specific roles."
Bosses must meet challenges head on
Although the majority of business leaders have indicated they will incorporate elements of the hybrid working model, the report also found many are out of touch with workforce concerns more widely.
For, while many workers say they are struggling (Gen Z – 60%; new starters – 64%), and 54% of the general workforce feels overworked, business leaders are having a much better experience. Some 61% said they were 'thriving', which is in stark contrast to employees who are further down the chain of command.
Jared Spataro, corporate vice president at Microsoft 365, writes in the report: "Those impromptu encounters at the office help keep leaders honest. With remote work, there are fewer chances to ask employees, 'Hey, how are you?' and then pick up on important cues as they respond. But the data is clear: our people are struggling. And we need to find new ways to help them."
Reprinted with permission of the World Economic Forum. Read the original article.
Modular construction is on the rise. Once a marginal sector focused on building affordable homes, modular construction is now building an increasing share of structures used for commerce, healthcare, and education. By 2028, the modular construction market is projected to be worth $114 billion.
What is modular construction? It's like building with Legos but on an industrial scale: standardized block-shaped modules are constructed in a factory, transported to a building site, and assembled together to form a habitable structure.
What's most striking about modular buildings isn't appearance but the speed of construction. In 2015, for example, a Chinese construction company built a 57-story glass-and-concrete skyscraper made of 2,736 rectangular modules in a record-breaking 19 days. That's three stories per day.
In addition to speed, modular construction promises to be more modifiable, more transportable, and less wasteful than traditional construction methods. The method could transform construction, which, despite being one of the world's biggest sectors, is one of the slowest growing in terms of labor productivity and digitization.
One modular construction firm aiming to bring the sector into the 21st century is iMod Structures, which builds shipping container-sized modules that can be assembled into buildings. The modules can then be disassembled to modify the existing structure or transported to a different site to build a new one.
Freethink recently visited iMod Structures to get an up-close look at its unique spin on modular construction.
Do buildings have to be permanent? | Hard Reset by Freethink www.youtube.com
Techniques like this could help bring construction into the 21st century. But despite its futuristic and transformative appeal, modular construction is far from a new idea. In fact, the history of prefabrication — the broader category of construction to which modular belongs — goes back centuries.
Prefabrication: From 17th-century cottages to diners to skyscrapers
One of the earliest examples of prefabrication came in 1624, when a colonial American fisherman commissioned an English construction company to fabricate components of a building and ship them overseas to the fishing village of Cap Anne.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, English firms also shipped prefabricated structures — storehouses, cottages, and hospitals — to Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand. In the U.S., prefabricated homes became popular during the Gold Rush when California towns had too many people but too few houses.
In the early 20th century, mass-production made modular construction more practical and, sometimes, more popular. From 1908 to 1940, Sears sold about 70,000 kit homes across the country; some of the cheapest models started around $160. (Kit homes were like IKEA products: the manufacturer builds and precuts the parts, and the buyer assembles them.)
Still, prefabricated homes weren't particularly popular in the first half of the 20th century; homebuyers generally viewed the structures — especially the metal and experimental ones — as strange and undesirable.
Pre fabricated house shipped via boxcarThe Aladdin Company via Wikipedia
But appearance wasn't a major concern during World War II. Facing huge demand for cheap and simple housing for soldiers in the early 1940s, the U.S. produced hundreds of thousands of Quonset huts — prefabricated, semi-cylindrical structures made of corrugated galvanized steel — which about six unskilled laborers could construct in a day.
A Quonset hut being put in place at the 598th Engineer Base Depot in Japan, post-World War IIUS Army Corps of Engineers via Wikipedia
After the war, millions of U.S. soldiers returned home, and the nation faced a housing shortage crisis. Hundreds of companies entered the prefabricated housing market, with several receiving support from the federal government. One of the most iconic models was the enameled-steel Lustron house, which cost $7,000 to $10,000, took two weeks to assemble, and promised to "defy weather, wear, and time."
Lustron HouseAdirondack Architectural Heritage
By 1958, roughly 10 percent of all homes in the U.S. were prefabricated. In addition to homes, the prefabrication industry also built thousands of diners throughout the 20th century, especially after World War II when owning a prefabricated diner was a decent small-business opportunity. Popular in New Jersey, the narrow diners could easily be shipped to buyers by rail.
Interior of a 1938 Sterling manufactured diner, with curved ceiling, in Wellsboro, PennsylvaniaI, Ruhrfisch via Wikipedia
Despite the post-war boom, modular construction never really caught on in most parts of the world, though many architects and builders have long been attracted to the method. Some of the reasons include consumer perception that modular homes are unattractive, technological constraints, and the high costs of researching and developing new building techniques.
These challenges can be prohibitive, especially for large-scale projects.
"Building anything over 10 stories in modular is something no one has wanted to do because you have to invest in research and development," Susi Yu, executive vice president of residential development for the Forest City Ratner Corporation, told Fast Company. "There's science behind it that you need to figure out."
But attitudes on modular buildings may be shifting.
"Today, modular construction is experiencing a new wave of attention and investment, and several factors suggest it may have renewed staying power," noted a 2019 report from the consulting firm McKinsey & Company. "The maturing of digital tools has radically changed the modular-construction proposition — for instance, by facilitating the design of modules and optimizing delivery logistics. Consumer perceptions of prefab housing are beginning to change, particularly as new, more varied material choices improve the visual appeal of prefab buildings."
The report goes on: "Perhaps most important, we see a change in mind-set among construction-sector CEOs, as many leaders see technology-based disruptors entering the scene — and realizing it may be time to reposition themselves."
In recent decades, construction firms around the world have built all kinds of modular buildings, including modular skyscrapers in the U.K., U.S., and China; containerized homes in Mexico; and classrooms in rural South Africa.
"In many countries, modular construction is still very much an outlier," McKinsey noted. "But there are strong signs of what could be a genuine broad-scale disruption in the making. It is already drawing in new competitors — and it will most likely create new winners and losers across the entire construction ecosystem."
The benefits of modular construction
Modular construction has the potential to deliver $22 billion in annual savings to U.S. and European markets, mainly because of the inherent benefits of building components in a controlled factory setting. The Modular Building Institute lists a few examples:
- Shorter construction schedule. Because construction of modular buildings can occur simultaneously with the site and foundation work, projects can be completed 30 percent to 50 percent sooner than traditional construction.
- Elimination of weather delays. 60 to 90 percent of the construction is completed inside a factory, which mitigates the risk of weather delays. Buildings are occupied sooner, creating a faster return on investment.
- Improved air quality. Because the modular structure is substantially completed in a factory controlled setting using dry materials, there's virtually no potential for high levels of moisture (which can cause mold growth) to get trapped in the new construction.
- Less material waste. When building in a factory, waste is eliminated by recycling materials, controlling inventory, and protecting building materials.
- Safer construction. The indoor construction environment reduces the risks of accidents and related liabilities for workers.
But perhaps the biggest benefit of modular construction is relocatability and modifiability.
Future-proofing buildings and cities
Buildings are hard to modify and practically impossible to move. That's a problem for many organizations, including the Los Angeles Unified School District. The district currently maintains thousands of decades-old trailers it built to accommodate a fast-growing student population.
Seeking to replace those trailers with structures, the district partnered with iMod Structures to build "future proof" modular classrooms that can be reconfigured and relocated, depending on fluctuating enrollment levels.
"If you have one of our classrooms in a particular location and 5, 10, or 20 years later, you need them across town at another campus within the school district, you simply disassemble, relocate, and reassemble them where they are needed," Craig Severance, Principal with iMod Structures, said in a statement. "And it can be done within a few days, minimizing school [downtime] and disruption of our children's education."
iMod Structures classroomiMod Structures
Founded in 2009 by former real estate investors John Diserens and Craig Severance, iMod Structures takes a hyper-efficient approach to modular construction. Instead of making many types of prefabricated components, the firm makes only one standardized block-shaped frame, each roughly the size of a shipping container. The firm builds the frames in factories and then outfits them with walls, windows, and other custom features the client wants.
Because the frames have the dimensions of a standard shipping container, they can be easily transported to the building site by truck or rail. On site, the frames are connected together or stacked on top of each other. Once the structure is intact, workers finish the job by adding plumbing, electricity, and other final touches.
The process saves a lot of time.
"Typically, it would take nine to 15 months to manufacture a classroom out in the field," said Mike McKibbin, the head of operations for iMod. "We're doing that in twelve days."
Movable neighborhoods
Today, iMod Structures is focusing on future-proofing classrooms in California. But it's not hard to imagine how this kind of modular construction could transform not only the ways we build buildings but also organize cities. For example, if a company wants to set up offices in a new part of town, it could build an office park out of iMod Structures frames.
But what if the company needs to expand? It could attach more modules to its existing structure. If it needs to shut down? Instead of demolishing the office park, the structure could be modified and converted into, say, a hospital or apartment building. Alternatively, the modules could be removed from the site, and reused elsewhere, so the city could construct a park.
Under this kind of framework, cities could become far more flexible and dynamic, able to quickly adapt to changing needs. And with no need to demolish buildings, modular construction could prove far more sustainable than any method the industry uses today.
"We don't want our buildings to ever end up in a landfill. Ever," said Reed Walker, head of production and design at iMod Structures. "We want to take that system and use it again and again and again."
