ANAHEIM, Calif. — As Twitter begins to roll out its new subscription-based verification model, Orange County cities, police and government organizations grapple with whether to pay the steep monthly price.
For many Orange County cities, Twitter is an essential communication channel for residents and the public.
What You Need To Know
- Several Orange County cities are monitoring Twitter’s upcoming subscription-based $1,000 verification model
- Starting April 1, Twitter will begin winding down its former verification system or blue check mark next to the handler’s name in favor of a paid subscription to the social media’s new Verified Organizations program
- The change comes several months after SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk purchased Twitter for $44 billion
- At least one city, Santa Ana, isn’t worried about the changes coming to Twitter since they get more community engagement on other social media channels
For example, every day in Anaheim, city officials post public service announcements of upcoming severe weather, street sweeping reminders or cancellations, and messages from the mayor to its nearly 20,000 followers on Twitter.
Meanwhile, the Anaheim police department’s Twitter account, which has 36,000 followers, shares silver, adult, and missing children alerts, road closures, photos of criminal suspects and emergency information.
Both accounts have blue check marks next to its name, meaning they are verified. The check mark gives a sense of credibility and that the city truly owns the account.
“We value Twitter and will continue to use the platform,” said Mike Lyster, an Anaheim spokesman to Spectrum News. “We use Twitter to share timely information with our community, including on real-time events.”
However, come April 1, those blue verified check marks are going away unless those users — individuals, nonprofits, businesses and government organizations — cough up some dough.
Twitter, founded in 2006, is a social media company that allows users to quickly and succinctly message one another initially with a 280-character limit. The character limit has since gone up.
As Twitter grew and became more popular – and misinformation more prominent – th
