Twitter is in the process of rolling out its new Lists feature and there is a lot of hubub going on about A-List egos, feeling left out, and the ton of Twitter Lists blog posts.
I totally understand the I-got-picked-last-for-kickball feelings that can accompany being left off “top lists” of any kind. I sympathize but don’t think we need to live there. This posts takes a step back and looks at Twitter Lists as a software feature that we can use to serve our needs, in nice ways.
These are the 6 ways I am using Twitter lists to meet my needs.
1. Thank your Followers/Friends
Make a “Great Tweeps” or a “Thank You” list and put the people you talk to most, support/promote most, who reply to you and retweet you most. If you have 1000’s on your list then you are blessed! Twitter only allows 500 people on a list though so you may have to create multiple lists.
2. Curate a Niche Knowledge List or Directory
For example, I am developing a online learning-to-blog-with-Wordpress class so I will create a list of people, businesses, and even feeds that focus on Worpress blogging. I can use this list to retweet excellent content to my students, to learn from the information, and to allow my students to follow without having to create their own list.
3. Create your own Twitter “Channel”
You can create your own channel of funny tweeters, sports heroes, or celebs. A “funny tweeter” once complained about “normal life and news tweets” interrupting his “funny site.” He almost exclusively follows other funny tweeters so his Twitter timeline reads like the Sunday comics. You could do the same with sports figures, writers, foodies, fashionistas, etc., and have your friends tune in if they like.
And since you don’t have to follow accounts to add them to your lists, you don’t have to worry about whether or not they will follow back.
4. Brand Yourself
Do you wish your Twitter followers had included you in their Marketing, Top Gardeners, or Expert Chefs lists but instead only added you to their Funny Tweeter list? If so, then you may want to take charge of your brand and create your own list. You don’t have to go in for the full ego stroke and create a “Top Marketers on Twitter” list (featuring you) but you can create a “Marketers I Listen To” list. When people see your Marketing or Gardener list then they will be more likely to add you to their list under that category.
5. Segment by Business or Professional Relationship
I have a business account on Twitter (@CDI) and it is very focused around my B2B Marketing “supply chain.” I primarily follow engineers, serious tech heads, PR/Tech Bloggers/Marketers, and electronics industry companies and service providers.
6. Build a Local Tweep Directory
If you work together with other Twitter followers in your region, you can create a comprehensive directory. I live in a smaller population county so this will be useful. We’re only at 100 people so far but once we quilt the different lists together, we could get up to 500 peeps on the list. This could also be useful in large metropolitan areas to create neighborhood or community-based lists
So there you have it, 6 ways to use Twitter lists that can benefit you, your tweeps, and your community in nice ways. Remember, the Lists feature is a just a tool, use it well.
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Photo Credit: koalazymonkey