RIP Blue Check 🪦

Publish Date: Apr 21 '23

160 62

It's a sad occasion on this 21st of April: due to our decision not to purchase a Twitter Blue subscription for our main Twitter account, we've lost our blue check. 😭

The Story of DEV's Blue Check

We earned our verification badge in 2020. This was a huge honor, as DEV started as a humble Twitter profile way back in 2014 before becoming the platform and company that it is today. The growth we experienced on Twitter in those first six years was crucial—we never could have established the community we now have without the engagement, visibility, and connection that Twitter provided in our early days. 💙

Our blue check remained undisturbed for two incredible years until late 2022, when it endured a few rapid-fire design changes and eventually became a "legacy check" indicating that we may or may not be notable.

We think we're notable!! 🥲

And today...it's gone for good. Thankfully, our community on Twitter is more than 300k strong, so we're not easily imitated. 😉

How do I know I'm connecting with the real dev.to?

Our main Twitter account is DEV Community @ThePracticalDev, and that's not going to change.

We also maintain a Twittersphere of satellite accounts based on specific languages, frameworks, and interests. They're a little more specific than our main account, so we recommend following the accounts related to your interests!

And if you're done with the Bird App entirely, you can find us in the Fediverse @thepracticaldev@fosstodon.org, where we have a fancy green check verifying our identity.

#DEVCommunity (@thepracticaldev@fosstodon.org) - Fosstodon

8.46K Posts, 87 Following, 6.95K Followers · A community of software developers sharing coding resources and general commentary. Built on Forem, an OSS for building online community 🌱

fosstodon.org

Why not keep the blue check by paying for Twitter Blue?

Here at Forem, the company behind DEV, we're on a mission to build safe, modern, and independent communities on open source software. We understand as well as anyone that the social media landscape is always evolving, changing, and growing—and that we need to do the same.

We made the decision not to reinvest in the past/current social media landscape in order to focus on building the future.

Won't you join us? 😁

Comments 62 total

Michael TharringtonApr 21, 2023
While it's a bummer to lose the blue check mark, I am really glad that @ThePracticalDev is not paying for it. I can't get down with the idea of paid verification... It's the principle.
- Peter HarrisonApr 21, 2023
  What principle? A local newspaper put a paywall up and I stopped using them. Elon turned this into a "I'm supporting the platform I use" symbol. Now, twitter is about the same as it was; a pointless waste of time, for me anyway, but I'm curious about why people don't want to pay to help support a platform they apparently liked right up until being asked to help support it. Do you support dev.to by paying? Or are you opposed to paying them on principle too?
  - André MatulionisApr 21, 2023
    
    "Now, twitter is about the same as it was".
    
    It is not, and no one is pretending it is.
    
    "a pointless waste of time".
    
    In the post it actually said the opposite:
    
    "We never could have established the community we now have without the engagement, visibility, and connection that Twitter provided in our early days. 💙"
    - Peter HarrisonApr 21, 2023
      Wow, that's bad form. Immediately after I said "a pointless waste of time" I said "for me anyway". It isn't a community, and I think the illusion of community is at the heart of this.
      - André MatulionisApr 21, 2023
        You said you were curious to understand. I replied showing you how some of your assumptions were wrong, hoping to clarify why people are not so inclined to pay for the blue badge now
        
        Luís AssunçãoApr 23, 2023
        Just don't bother to answer him. I think the guy has no clue of what are you talking about.
  - Michael TharringtonApr 21, 2023
    The principle of having to pay month to month for a checkmark that verifies your Twitter account is indeed you is what feels off to me. I think people should be verified on the validity of who they are and not on if they got the cash to pay — I suppose I'm more of a fan of the old way. To be clear, I'm not totally against Twitter having some sort of paid membership option or coming up with some way for folks to support them monetarily, though I'm not sure what that'd be like... luckily, I don't have to think about it. But, I don't really like the idea of paid verification on a system like Twitter.
    - Steve P.Apr 30, 2023
      Twitter's new management honors cash & currency and it's always been that for the new management. Whether it's the dollar or crypto, the only thing important other than their egomaniacal selves is how much you fill their bank accounts.
      
      Making a billion or more selling zero-carbon electric cars is not the end in itself. Fighting against climate change is not the end in itself. These are just means to get fabulously rich...means no one else was exploiting.
  - Rafael PereiraApr 22, 2023
    By comparing twitter to a local newspaper, your argument just went down the sink.
    
    The mark was also about being verified, an authentic user or representative. It's now a no man's land with no interest of protecting information from fake news and all the sh*t we have to cover our heads from.
    
    Also, it uses the same symbol, further misguiding what it once was.
    
    It's very naive to compare to a local newspaper paywall. It's a lot more than that and I believe you know it. In that specific subject, a paywall is a choice for their business. Better media will come with different business choices if people don't support that specific one.
    
    Also, twitter is not only a news medium, not it was supposed to be. It may change by the wish of it current owner but that doesn't change what people consumed so far. That limited vision is what is causing twitter to lose 89% of its advertisers - or I may be wrong, who knows? I can't wait to see how it turns out.
    - TonyTheTonyToneToneApr 27, 2023
      That's simply not true.
      
      To pay for it, you have to verify that you're a real person.
      
      Therefore you are VERIFIED.
      
      Bots don't pay for checkmarks.
      - Steve P.Apr 30, 2023
        I don't know who was not thinking things through at Twitter HQ--although those with bright ideas had probably been given severance the first week under new pathetic management.
        
        The color scheme should have been carried through. VIP media (e.g. NYTime, WashPost, WSJ, etc) were given the gold checkmarks, government officials the silver or gray. Legacies with a certain number of followers (say, 100-500K, 500K-1M, 1-2M, and >2M) should have been given something like other web-safe colors, both paying and unpaying legacies with different colors, maybe dark color with light checkmark and light color with black checkmark.
        
        If the military can come up with dozens of rank insignia, why can't Twitter?
        
        TonyTheTonyToneToneMay 2, 2023
        Because they don't need to. You're either verified or you're not.
        
        Steve P.May 2, 2023
        There was only one purpose and role for verification under previous management: establishment of an influential identity.
        
        Now there are two types. The one that existed under old (and respectable) management. And the new one, who is the person willing to help Elon at $8 per month try to recover to his facepalming decision to use $44 billion to acquire a property worth $5, maybe $10 billion now, and declining even more as "customers" leave the platform under dreadful management.
        
        TonyTheTonyToneToneMay 2, 2023
        No doubt much to your annoyance, I think you're going to find that Elon will make Twitter an viable, profitable company. That began with dropping the dead weight, which is the action of good management.
        
        Twitter doesn't need 450m freeloaders, it just needs 400m decent people with 200m who pay.
        
        Which is where it's headed.
        
        Ashley SheridanJul 12, 2023
        A blue checkmark now absolutely does not mean that the account is verified as it once was.
        
        Take dev.to as an example. It's not a single person, so the blue check never meant the account was verified as a single person (which you've said it does if it's paid for). Account verification was more than just about identifying non-bots.
        
        To put it into context, if I so wished, I could sign up for one of those throw-away payment methods online (the kind used to default fraudsters and spammers) and then create a new Twitter account right now complete with a blue check. Has it validated I am who I say I am? No, it's validated only that I've paid for an account.
        
        Further muddying the water, Elon Musk himself has admitted to paying (or just administering) the blue check to accounts that specifically did not want to pay for it, like the Author Stephen King. This means that even if an account didn't pay, it could still be granted the tick on an apparent whim.
        
        It's disingenuous to still claim that the current blue check system is about verifying users.
        
        TonyTheTonyToneToneSep 9, 2024
        Twitter, like most social media, was not made for corporations; it was made for people.
        
        The blue check system is about verifying users.
- Christine Belzie Apr 22, 2023
  I thought the payment requirement was a fluke until I saw this article . Now you know it’s bad when Beyoncé is among the folks who lost it.
Thomas BntApr 21, 2023

We made the decision not to reinvest in the past/current social media landscape in order to focus on building the future.

Yes! 🕺🏼

I give you the blue check don't worry 🌱
- Erin BensingerApr 21, 2023
  Thanks Thomas! Your blue check is all the validation we need 😁
  - Thomas BntApr 21, 2023
    You deserve any check, but... Does it have to be a check?
    I could have put a coffee instead ☕
    
    Because coffee/cappuccino > blue check
    - Griff PolkApr 25, 2023
      Mmmmmmmmm… cappucino. STARBUCKS HERE I COME!!!! LOOK OUT!!!! (Proceeds to place order online for 300 cappucinos)
      - Thomas BntApr 25, 2023
        300 cappuccinos for us, no problem ☕
        
        Griff PolkApr 25, 2023
        Honestly, I might have an unhealthy addiction but its worth it.
  - Ben HalpernApr 21, 2023
    Absolutely
Bill💡Apr 21, 2023
The blue check is meaningless now. Most of the ones I see are random people with... "hot takes". I agree with your decision to not pay for it!
Rachel FazioApr 21, 2023

We made the decision not to reinvest in the past/current social media landscape in order to focus on building the future.

YES
RumNCodeApr 21, 2023
well you will get more visibility with a checkmark, and it cuts down on the bot problem. though i personally do not pay for a checkmark, i also do not run try to manage a professional social media platform, looks like this is kinda the way they are trending, facebook is considering doing the same.
Andy PiperApr 21, 2023
Now, add link rel="me" to DEV profile pages, and we can verify ourselves on Mastodon!
- Erin BensingerApr 21, 2023
  Added this to a Discussion in our public repo! Great suggestion 🥳
- Thomas BntApr 21, 2023
  So a good idea from Mastodon!
Jon Randy 🎖️Apr 21, 2023
This whole thing is completely bizarre. Blue tick, shmu tick - who cares? Do you really derive meaning or notability from having some blue pixels arranged in a tick next to your username? It's as dumb as posting clickbait content just to get likes. Are people's egos really that fragile?

As for determining the authenticity of an account - do you really need a checkmark for that? Isn't it better you determine that for yourself? Or do you want everything done for you?

All of this ultimately makes no difference to Twitter accounts that are actually well run and produce quality content. Twitter was, and is, in a precarious position financially (not profitable before, and now in trouble)... and obviously needs to find ways to pay the bills. If people value blue pixels so much, why not make them pay for them? It's ultimately just vanity.

Ever since the company was taken over - I have honestly seen almost no notable change in Twitter whatsoever. I use it the same way I always have, see the same amount of crap - and also the same amount of great stuff. The core functionality of it is still there, and there are as many d**kheads around as ever - and equally many ways to ignore them and not engage with them.
- Andy PiperApr 21, 2023
  Twitter was not in a precarious financial position prior to the acquisition, which saddled the company with massive debt.
  - TonyTheTonyToneToneApr 27, 2023
    Twitter has always been in a precarious financial position. They made money for three years in the last decade. They lost money in 2020 and 2021. They've been saddled with debt since before they were launched.
    - Steve P.Apr 30, 2023
      Voldemort of Twitter even put a valuation of Twitter at less than half of what he paid for it: $20 billion. Not a chance: I put it at $5 billion, maybe $10 billion at most.
Joe MainwaringApr 21, 2023
Paid verification is a marginal value-add today but I'm betting that in 5 years, it will be commonplace for creators/promoters/influencers to have at least one paid verification on a major service.
AmandaApr 21, 2023
Support this decision!
Akande JoshuaApr 21, 2023
Twitter ain't the same anymore.
Regardless we move!
bdbchApr 21, 2023
I think dev.to will be my place to got for now. I'll miss the more general discussions over realtime events and news, but I'll dodge the site for good. The "For you" view is unusable right now because I only see unrelated Twitter Blue users. :/
Andrew Brown 🇨🇦Apr 21, 2023
When will DEV role out unicorn purple checkmark?
I need to be verified lol
Jonathan GambleApr 22, 2023
I think you can do both: support all platforms you use, and help build new ones.
Nick AbramApr 22, 2023
Why does anyone really care about a blue check?
Ben SinclairApr 22, 2023
To be fair, the "legacy" blue ticks were pretty toxic anyway. Sure, there's likely to be only one Barack Obama claiming to have been in charge of a country, but there's more than one "notable" person called John Smith floating around, and why should one be valid and the others not?

Over the years, a lot of hyper-famous celebrities didn't get a blue tick, but some complete randos did (like my old housemate, for example).

As time went on, it started becoming less and less "blue tick" and more and more "red flag" to the point where I would often bail on a thread if a blue tick turned up.
Rafael PereiraApr 22, 2023
Like many here, I fully support the position to not buy the blue checkmark. It'd be weird to me to watch you support this nonsense. Thanks for sharing it!
Michael SynanApr 22, 2023
I prefer mastodon these days :)
Hello BroApr 23, 2023
Hello
Eduard ConstantinApr 23, 2023
maybe Elon will pay for Twitter Blue

twitter.com/charliesheen/status/16...
JeDeasApr 23, 2023
How to get a blue check by myself, please?
TheaApr 23, 2023
The blue check got meaningless, 'cos if everyone can pay for it, what exactly is it verifying?
- TonyTheTonyToneToneApr 27, 2023
  It's verifying that the person is a real person. Bots don't have credit cards.
  - Andy PiperApr 27, 2023
    people who make bots have credit cards.
    - TonyTheTonyToneToneApr 27, 2023
      Perhaps, but that identifies them as a person and they get banned.
      - Andy PiperApr 27, 2023
        citation needed.
        
        TonyTheTonyToneToneApr 27, 2023
        *required
        
        You just need to absorb reality. To pay by credit card you need to have a credit card, so that you can fill in the credit card details, including your name and address. It literally identifies you as a person, and also as a person over the age of 18.
        
        If you do something nefarious, they can stop you coming back to the platform. Unless you can get a credit card in a different name at a different address. Which is fraud. That's a crime.
George WLApr 23, 2023
Good riddance
Martina WaissmaApr 24, 2023
Never had one, never will /shrug
MartinJApr 24, 2023
Part of me feels you should be prepared to pay for something you value. Part of me shudders at the thought of having to pay for the logical consequence - eg a paywall on dev.to.

I think this all started to slide when GDPR holed the old advertising model below the waterline. Oh for the good old days...
AlvaroApr 25, 2023
Awesome to see you en mastodon, so much better app and healthy community
Andrea De MassariApr 25, 2023
Hello everyone
Marco FerrariApr 25, 2023
Hi
auctApr 27, 2023
i would say rip twitter

if you don't want to even visit twitter, use my tool twitter2nitter dev.to/auct/redirect-twitter-to-ni...
Steve P.Apr 30, 2023
No one and no organization needs the acknowledgement or recognition of the Voldemort of Twitter to be worthy or honorable.

I had my regular no-checkmark/verified Twitter account since Jan 2009 and it remains in lockdown for political reasons and for my personal criticism of new management, which has ruined the platform actually. The new owner is no friend of web devs: he has his personal circle of web devs and thinks all others are beneath him and his circle. The first character trait of a web dev should be humility and gregariousness, not imperious egomania. He is NOT a team player. The team is important.

You get my checkmark.

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Erin Bensinger @erinposting