Facebook is rolling out a new feature called Facebook Mentions that is designed to get more celebrities involved with more people. The new service is targeting athletes, musicians, actors and other influencers and is, “a new Facebook Creative Labs app that makes it easy for public figures to talk with their fans and each other on the go.”
Mentions lets people with ‘verified Pages’ in the U.S. to “See what fans are saying about you and join the conversation. Share your story by posting updates, sharing photos or videos, or hosting a live Q&A. Join popular conversations on Facebook and see the latest posts from people you follow,” and “Get streamlined notifications about your posts, including mentions from other influencers or the media.”
Currently the app is only available for iPhones. If you are an admin of a verified Page, you can request access to Mentions directly. If you are a public figure, you can also download the iPhone app to request access.
Facebook plans to roll out the service to more countries and verified Profiles in the future.
Now if you were wondering what exactly is a ‘verified Profile’ it’s a little vague. The Facebook Desktop Help page only says:
Some well-known public figures and Pages with large followings are verified by Facebook as having an authentic identity. You’ll see a blue badge next to a verified profile or Page’s name. These profiles and Pages may include:
- Celebrities
- Journalists
- Government officials
- Popular brands and businesses
We verify profiles or Pages to help you be sure that they are who they claim to be. Keep in mind that not all authentic profiles and Pages are verified and that you can’t request to have your profile or Page verified.
So apparently only Facebook can determine if you have an authentic identity (and not just some random person’s identity). And, I guess a brand or business can have its own authentic identity (like Xerox or…um…Xerox).
But at least now we’ll be able to find out what Mila Kunis and Larry the cable guy really think about the international trade deficit.
