MaestroJ - digital strategy & new media

WHAT IS IT?

Twitter lists is a new feature which lets you organise users you’re following into lists. The feature allows you to compile the Twitter streams of selected users into your own categories. The groupings are of your own choosing. For example I’m in one called “special” - which needs to be taken with a grain of salt, I’m sure. You can create lists for your company, high school friends, thought leaders, hobbyists, essentially any category of your choosing. Some examples of how organisations are using it are here.

THE GOOD

Meaningful categories. The feature is essentially a huge filter for the increasingly populated Twitterverse. By organising users into meaningful categories, it’s a lot easier to navigate and make sense of their tweets in the context of each category.

Less egocentric. Creating groups puts less emphasis on individualised self-promotion. You can follow a list of interest without following individual personalities. For example, I’ve never followed Ashton Kutcher, because I personally think he’s a bit of a douche, but might follow a “celebrity” list of which he’s a part of.

More trusted directories. Because lists are created by other Twitter users you already follow and probably know or have a relationship with, they can arguably be seen as more trusted. This is different from third party directories like WeFollow which often bases ranking on number of followers. Number of followers will also be given less signifance as users create lists with members that have real value/meaning/context to them. Having said this, other directories for the Twitter lists are already popping up, including Listorious promising the “BEST lists” and “#1 thought leaders” etc.

Discovering new topics and users. With meaningful categories organising Twitter users, it’s a lot easier to look for new areas of interest and interesting people. There are a number of ways you could find new, interesting users prior to Twitter lists; recommendations, third party directories, hashtag based events and topics, #followfriday, which are often focused on specific individuals. Now, lists allows for groups/multiple users to be showcased.

THE BAD

Feature limitations. You can only have 20 lists per account; a list can only have 500 members each. I’m sure these are temporary restrictions however to ensure the new feature is manageable.

“Negative” lists. Because lists can be created for any category, you may end up in one that could have negative connotations. Even if it’s all in jest, a cheeky mate of yours might put you in his “asshole” list, (I’ve seen this) which could be misconstrued by other people, a potential employer perhaps, or is just generally seen as inappropriate. There is also the danger of being in a list that you just don’t want to be affiliated with, or don’t agree with. At the moment, the only way to prevent these is by direct action from the list creator, or by “blocking” the list creator.

Laborious? At least initially. Those that are following thousands of profiles might struggle with indexing and categorising them. My own initial hesitation comes from not wanting to label why I follow certain people and not others.

THE UGLY

More egocentric. In the same way that number of followers as an indication of value is a problematic presumption (think of @kyleandjackieo), there might be those who scramble to get on as many lists as possible, making it nothing but another popularity contest.

Passed over syndrome. Lists have limitations and not everyone can or should be included. Following someone back is an easy enough gesture, but putting a user in a list is an endorsement, a proclamation that the user has some value for you. Not being put in a list, could therefore leave some people feeling, well, left out. Chris Brogan wrote about how this necessary exclusion could be less than ideal. Who is in and who is out may be seen as being divisive and exclusionary. Personally, I think anyone who’d feel this way is just a little silly, but still, validation is a great feeling.