New Twitter Verification System Launched To Limit Fake Accounts

Twitter's New Verification System Trying to Quell Proliferation Of Fake Accounts

Twitter's beta version of "verified accounts went live last week," in a move that "should quell the proliferation of fake Twitter accounts named after athletes and personalities who aren't behind the keyboard or cell phone," according to Ryan Corazza in a special to ESPN.com. The move comes after MLB Cardinals manager Tony La Russa sued Twitter after someone using his name began posting bogus entries. While Twitter's verification logo is "nothing more than a small seal on a person of note's account ... and Twitter points out that not every legitimate account run by an actual athlete will have this seal out of the gate, it's a step in the right direction." It also signals Twitter's "shift from a Wild West free-for-all." While Facebook "heavily polices fake accounts, Twitter has lagged behind, leading to confusion by active users on the service and the news media," as those who "didn't have the means to contact the athlete in question to verify if it was them or not just took the info and ran with it." Corazza: "This does the general populace no good." Corazza noted some athletes on Twitter are "beyond boring," and "clearly not all athletes are tweeting as themselves on all their updates." But the updates in some cases are "from inside a player's camp, giving fans direct insight into a player's life or mind" (ESPN.com, 6/17).

Love Tweets T'Wolves Coach McHale Not Returning Before Official Team Announcement

ALL THE WORLD'S ATWITTER: In L.A., Diane Pucin notes Twitter has "turned the sports world inside out with the suddenness of a Kobe Bryant backdoor pass." We now know instantly what "athletes are thinking, what owners are doing and how coaches are recruiting." Sports Media Challenge President Kathleen Hessert said too many athletes "start Twittering with no purpose in mind," whereas athletes such as Suns C Shaquille O'Neal and cyclist Lance Armstrong in utilizing Twitter "have specific goals." Hessert: "Twitter won't replace traditional media. It is more a tool to let people know the real you. And the people who succeed are the ones willing to put themselves out there." But she notes Twitter is "immediate and without filters." Hessert: "There will be an athlete or coach who posts immediately in anger or in haste and gets himself in trouble. That will happen." Pucin notes T'Wolves F Kevin Love Tuesday night posted on Twitter that coach Kevin McHale was not returning before the team made an official announcement. However T'Wolves President of Basketball Operations David Kahn said, "I don't want Kevin to feel badly about that." Kahn: "We live in a very different world than all of us grew up in. I don't think it's a big deal" (L.A. TIMES, 6/18). L.A. Times columnist Bill Plaschke said, "Tweets are the future. I tweet. I'll break news on Twitter" ("Around The Horn," ESPN, 6/17). ESPN Radio' Mike Greenberg: "This Twitter thing is really starting to become a factor in sports" ("Mike and Mike in the Morning," ESPN2, 6/18).

GOPHER IT: Univ. of Minnesota football coach Tim Brewster said that "some, but not all, of his 'Tweets' actually come from him," while the "rest are from staff members." Brewster said of his use of Twitter, "We try to stay ahead of the curve. ... What we're trying to do is sell our program. I don't know that Minnesota football and Gopher sports have been as publicized or sold as well as they can be" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 6/18).

TOO MUCH INFORMATION: In Providence, Jim Donaldson writes, "Only a twit would Twitter." Donaldson: "How big an ego, I wonder, does someone have to have to think other people are interested in their every move? An even larger question is: How huge a dweeb do you have to be to care about any of the drivel these sporting celebrities are putting out there for public consumption?" (PROVIDENCE JOURNAL, 6/18). Boston Globe columnist Bob Ryan: "Twits are here to stay and so, apparently, are tweets" ("Around The Horn," ESPN, 6/17).