Stuck with sleepless nights, worrying over whether the Dolly Parton on Google Plus is actually the real Dolly Parton? Worry no longer, country-western fan: This example is just one of many that Google is now alleviating through the addition of verified Google Plus profiles. According to Google Plus representatives, the feature is slowly rolling out to a variety of users.
So how can you tell if a particular Google Plus profile page is verified or not? Easy: Look for the addition of a checkmark next to a user's name. This checkmark doesn't appear in comments or news posts the person makes, so you'll have to click through to a user's profile page to find out whether the account actually represents the famous celebrity in question.
But we should add a caveat: Google isn't just confining verified accounts to the rich, famous, and public. If you're a popular Google Plus user, you might soon be asked if you'd like to verify your account as well.
"For now, we're focused on verifying public figures, celebrities, and people who have been added to a large number of Circles," writes Google Plus team member Wen-Ai Yu. "But keep in mind that this is just the beginning. We're working on expanding this to include more people in the future, so hang tight!"
Google hasn't unveiled the official criteria for what constitutes enough of a "celebrity status" to warrant a verified account – we mention that as we do, for it's unclear why people like Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg (469,245 circle additions and counting) have yet to receive the coveted checkmark of truth next to their names.
Perhaps it relates to the verification practice itself which, again, Google has not disclosed. A July CNN article suggested that Google was considering having its verified users submit copies of their drivers licenses in order to verify their accounts. A more likely suggestion is that the negotiation for official Google Plus verification is handled between Google representatives and celebrity representatives.
Assisting the verification process is Google's mandate that Google Plus must use their actual names on the service. Messing around with a pseudonym – or trying to convince users that you, a 23-year-old dude from New Jersey is actually Dolly Parton – will give you a four-day countdown to expulsion from the service, should Google notice.
"During this period, you can continue to use Google+ as usual," wrote Google Plus product manager Saurabh Sharma. "We're hoping that most affected users will be able to quickly change their profile name while continuing to enjoy all that Google+ has to offer."
For more from David, follow his unofficial Google Plus account: David Murphy.