Twitter Lists and How to Use Them

I was compelled to write a post about Twitter, one of my favourite social networks, and its feature 'lists' after talking to many tweeters and discovering they don't utilise this simple feature at all! The 140-character micro-blogging site updated their list feature back in May so it's interesting to see that people still aren't fully using them.

What are Twitter Lists?

According to Twitter 'a list is a curated group of Twitter users.' Lists enable you to categorise your followers into lists that you create so you can easily see tweets from specific groups, meaning less scrolling through thousands of tweets on your feed!

For example, if you jump onto Twitter in the morning and want to catch up on the news rather than reading what your friends are having for breakfast, simply flick to your 'news' list! Organising friends from topical tweeters is a basic (but useful!) way to use Twitter lists.

You can also follow other people's Twitter lists which is great for building relationships online and it makes it easier to search tweets around topics you love on the platform.

How to Use Lists

Lists are easy to create... all you need to do is go onto your profile and click 'Lists' on the left-hand side to view, manage and create new lists. For a run-through from Twitter see their official instructions here.

There are two types of list; public and private. Just remember that if you make a list public (meaning other people can follow that list too), the users you add receives a notification that they have been placed on your list. This may make people view your profile and follow you back so, again, it's great for networking.

I Love a Good List!

I use lists as it makes my time spent on Twitter much more simple, quick and organised (and I love being organised!). I have around 15 lists organised into different subject areas I'm passionate about (social media, wellbeing, running and celebrities are my most frequented lists!). My lists mean whatever mood I'm in, I don't need to scroll through my newsfeed to find some great information whether it be for relaxing, inspiring me or finding some news for work.

TwitterCounter is a site which tracks the statistics of Twitter users and lists and has an interesting '100 most popular Twitter lists' feature which is refreshed daily so it's a good idea to take a look at that when you're starting out using lists.

Initially, get involved in lists by following a few and then creating your own. Twitter can be overwhelming at times - if you follow more than 100 people, your newsfeed can easily reach thousands of tweets a day! With all that information, it does become difficult to read the tweets that really matter to you... with Twitter's most under-used feature, it's simple!

If you'd like to get added to one of my lists (and why wouldn't you!?), follow me @janiexx

Jane x