Meet John Colucci, the social media guy for Engadget. He's really happy because they've just broken a million Twitter followers.
OMGOMGOMGOMGOMG #Engadget1M
William Shatner randomly gets tagged into the celebrations by another social media person.
@johncolucci I had the same moment yesterday when @WilliamShatner RT'd me ... well more like me as @MandalayBay...
But Shatner isn't happy for John. No. Shatner wants to talk about John's little blue tick.
And Twitter doesn't like it.
@WilliamShatner @johncolucci Heads up, Shatner, the force is no longer with you. This is the internet, where geeks rule, not bad singers.
Although this is a very valid point.
@evleaks @johncolucci Quiet Evan. @WilliamShatner's cover of "Common People" is fucking awesome.
(Reminder: his version of Rocket Man is also amazing).
This is now beginning to escalate.
...and escalate.
.@WilliamShatner Are you kidding me? @TMZ loves stuff like this. "Celebs -- or their idiot social media reps -- Being Jerks on Twitter".
The original tweeter has now been told by the Captain of the USS Enterprise that he's on a "power trip", which seems a bit harsh.
Now a whole bunch of other tech types are diving in.
But Shatner is concerned about verification, and the thorny issue of whether people are who they say they are.
Here he is musing more on the capricious nature of the blue tick and how it's awarded to a lucky few.
Nicely done.
@MSalt69 @Numeson @verified @WilliamShatner he’ll dress you in red and send you with an away team so fast
Basic rule of life: when a celebrity uses the word "nobodies", it never goes down well.
@DashaPohoral @Numeson @verified @twitter and nobodies should not be verified because it shows a huge flaw in the Twitter system.
@WilliamShatner All relative. To some of us, whose only familiarity with yr work involves a space movie starring a whale, YOU are the nobody
Nobodies? Who are you to dictate someone's relevance? You turned douche quick @WilliamShatner @DashaPohoral @Numeson @verified @twitter
Meanwhile, Shatner continues to muse on why some people actually need verificiation.
@robertmclaws @verified Editorial Assts are like Production Assts. Who is going to spoof that account?
And we're done.
I need to run. I'll be thinking sweet unverified dreams...
Actually we're not. Shatner has given an interview to Mashable on the subject. He expounds at great length on the subject and it's advised you click through to see his thoughts, but the salient line is: "If a person is someone that the public listens to (news anchor, reporter, major blogger, author, etc.) then they should have a verified account to prevent an impostor. Someone who works behind the scenes, assists folks in the public eye, etc… I don’t think Twitter had them in mind for verification."
He also flags up this exchange and says: "So here we have an editor at a tech magazine who just acknowledged my worst Twitter fears — people who have the power to verify are verifying as a reward not as a necessity. Plus, this guy’s job is to hassle me?"