Google Profiles Adding Twitter-Style Verification Badges for Identified Users; Backdoor Solution to the Pseudonym Mess?

Google is starting to roll out verification badges to users of its Plus social network, one of their engineers announced last Friday, which look like those "Verified Account" badges that Twitter bestows its real world celebrity users. (Like the Google Profile of country star Dolly Parton, who has that badge next to her name, when you mouse over it.) And indeed, other well-known Plus users will be able to use this first:

For now, we’re focused on verifying public figures, celebrities, and people who have been added to a large number of Circles, but we’re working on expanding this to more folks.

In case you missed that last part, Google's Wen-Ai Yu repeats it again:

[K]eep in mind that this is just the beginning. We’re working on expanding this to include more people in the future, so hang tight!

No word on how far they plan to expand it, but I think this suggests a great solution to Google's ongoing mismanagement over pseudonyms. Or at the very least, should be. Here's why:

Up to now, Google has been trying to force its users to accept a real name account policy apparently modeled after the one used by Facebook -- which unlike Google Profiles, was launched as a way of connecting college students, for whom real names would be important and relevant. However, I think it's very likely most social network users don't care all that much if their account is "verified" as a real name, one way or the other. They use it to connect with people they already know, and can find them through other means (and names) besides looking up their official "wallet name". But if Google ultimately allows anyone to verify their profile, this would turn real name identification into an opt-in process.

This would be a great solution to address most of the controversies around the current pseudonym policy. In that model, those who want a profile that's pseudonymous could keep their profile, but just couldn't have it "verified". This probably means their profile will be seen as less credible to casual users, but then, that's how it should be.

Meanwhile, those who want to establish their real name bonafides online -- say, someone like me -- could do so as well. Google could even monetize the verification process, and make money on the deal. Win for the company, win for people who want to bring their real world credibility online, and win for everyone else, who doesn't care one way or the other.

GigaOM's Mathew Ingram (who directed me to the Google news), has a slightly different solution that I'd also be happy with:

Here’s a suggestion for Google: allow anyone to use the pseudonym of their choice, but offer verification to anyone who wants to take advantage of it. In other words, allow anyone to do what Lady Gaga has done. There’s no reason why Skud or anyone else who has been using a persistent pseudonym online for years — in both their personal and professional lives — shouldn’t be able to do this on Google+ as well. In this scenario, Google would know the person’s “real” or legal name, but others would not.

In fact, why not do both? Verify real names, and verify pseudonyms. I can only hope something like this is in the Google pseudonym features the company has been promising.

Comments

[Senban Babii]

What's the point, it's dead. Go back to Facebook. Nothing to see here.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/insertcoin/2011/08/15/a-eulogy-for-google-plus/

[Wizard Gynoid]

Badges? We don't need to show you any stinking badges! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaxURLFn6jU

[Hamlet Au]

Senban, I'd be really skeptical of a link that begins "It may not be dead, and it’s entirely possible I’m shoveling dirt on something that’s still writhing around", and then doesn't offer much evidence for its thesis (if any.) That's what we call link bait.

[Danielle]

It's not even out of beta yet, nor open to everyone to register without an invite, so it's premature to call it dead.

One thing it beats both Facebook and Twitter on is ease of posting articles (rather than short messages). Now if they stop being asses about the "real names" policy I would be happy to use it.

[Nightbird Glineux]

Sorry, I've already started burning my bridges with Google, switching mail accounts to Yahoo! Mail.

[Tateru Nino]

At least one SL user has been suspended, unsuspended, and now is 'verified' under their SL pseudonym. So, still no sign of coherency from Google.

[Nexii Malthus]

@Tateru Nino, they are using automatic verification for popular g+ profiles atm as well. So that means automatic verification for popular pseudonyms.

Which means that verification doesn't exempt pseudonyms, it is still used against their original attempt to prevent 'fake profiles'.

[Senban Babii]

@Hamlet

Fair point but you can't discount the points that link makes. Yes, it's just an opinion but it still provides food for thought based upon anecdote.

In all fairness, I think social networking has reached (or is close to reaching) a saturation point. It's already scooped up the majority of the population who are inclined to be involved and any new products are really only reaching out to that same population. And as that link discusses, there is only so much spare time in a day for social networking so beyond a few die hard networkers who absolutely *have* to have an active account on everything because web visibility holds perceived meaning for them, people largely already have the functionality they need and won't keep adding more sites in any way than to perhaps open an account so as to protect their web presence.

As much as I hate Facebook I hate Google more. But I think that Facebook has ruled the roost for too long and stagnated as a result. If nothing else, Google+ will hopefully push it into cleaning up its act and raising its game to the benefit of its users.

[Arcadia Codesmith]

The Forbes piece consists of Paul Tassi whining because his "friends" have nothing to say.

There's plenty of room for Google to distinguish itself in this market, and handling pseudonyms in a smart, responsible fashion is a huge one.

And yes, it would be great if you could have a verified pseudonym! One of the problems with pseudonyms is that they're so easily spoofed. Having an accessible channel to establish your bona fides without revealing your rl identity would be a wonderful boon.