A few weeks ago, something magical happened: I got my own nifty blue check mark beside my name on Facebook.

The badge means I’ve been verified, and it’s Facebook’s way of letting people know my account is my authentic account.

According to the site, select people, sports, media, entertainment and government pages may be eligible for verification if they can show their authenticity and meet Facebook’s requirements for having a Verified Badge.

Now I’ve always considered myself to be authentic, but proving my authenticity to Facebook proved to be a little more difficult.

I was instructed to upload a copy of my driver’s license, passport or birth certificate to prove I am who I claim to be. This initiated a strand of back-and-forth emails that I really saw no point in, but ended with a congratulatory email in my support inbox.

“Congrats! Your account has been reviewed and verified,” the message read. “There’ll be a blue checkmark next to your name so people know that it’s your official presence on Facebook.”

What was less cut and dry was meeting Facebook’s requirements for having the blue badge.

I’ve had a few colleagues seek the badge to no avail. However, a friend of mine working for a television station in Tupelo received a check mark.

There doesn’t seem to be a great deal of explanation along with the rejection letters other than informing applicants they do not currently meet Facebook’s requirements.

Perhaps the most interesting part of becoming verified was gaining access to a separate app for using Facebook, Mentions.

Mentions allows you to browse your newsfeed like the regular Facebook app, but its namesake comes from the feature that allows you to set up alerts for mentions of keywords. I’ve got notifications set up for my account as well as The Vicksburg Post and Vicksburg Living, our magazine.

The app also gives a few more options to posting a status update, including streaming live video or hosting a question and answer event. I’ve not yet used either of these features, but I can certainly see merit for a working journalist.

So what’s the point? The point is, I’m thrilled to be able to connect with readers via yet another avenue.

Readers can follow my page in the same way it’s already possible to follow The Vicksburg Post online. This may not be for everyone, but if you enjoy keeping up with me once a week, I encourage you to give it a try.

You’ll find tidbits about what I’m doing for work, pictures of my adorable pup and fun things going on around town.

Plus, thanks to the little blue check, you’ll know it’s all coming directly from me.

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Austin Vining is a staff writer for The Vicksburg Post. You may reach him at austin.vining@vicksburgpost.com.