How To Create Twitter Lists

Twitter lists are the micro-blogging platform's answer to the 'groups' feature offered by the likes of Yahoo and Google Mail. In effect, it creates a venue for users to organize who they are following on Twitter, according to criteria determined by the user himself. For example, if you want to classify who you're following according to their industry, i.e. Business or Entertainment, you can create a list and assign users to be under these lists, so that one click will bring you to all posts made by these users in one thread. The list titles or names will be according to you discretion and can be as formal or personal as you wish. You can add or remove members of this list anytime you want. Here's an example of a Twitter list called that brings all TV show accounts together.

Why Create A List?

There are several reasons why you'd want to create a list on Twitter.

1. To create a group.

Reading all of other users account in a single timeline can be confusing and can break your train of thought on a certain subject. Your personal linkages are interspersed with posts from newswires, thought leaders, advertisers and anybody else not directly connected to you. By creating a group, you can easily see what specific people are talking about at a certain time and make sure that the conversation or thought is continuous. You can create a group based on your family members, group of friends, or people in your community.

2. To follow those who are not on your Follow list.

On your timeline, you see not just the tweets of the users whom you follow?but also the tweets of users others in your primary network. You can create a Twitter list that allows you to view posts made by others without necessarily having to follow them.

3. To group according to your interests.

This allows you to bring all posts and users from the same industry under one thread. Lists like these will allow you to view all updates on similar subjects without having to jump from the home pages of one user to another.

How To Create A List

To create a list, all you need to do is click the 'Me' icon (the icon that looks like a person) at the top right corner of your home page and click 'Lists' from the drop-down menu. Click 'Create List' and a pop-up window appears asking for the name of your list and a short description on what it's about. Take note that list names should not exceed 25 characters. It will also ask if you want to make your list Public or Private. Save the list.

How To Add or Remove Users From The List

Go to the user's profile page and click the person icon. A drop-down menu will appear if you want to 'Add' the person to a specific list. You don't need to be a follower of this user to be able to add him or her to your list. However, if a user has blocked you, you will not be able to add him or her. You can also add a user to your list/s from your own thread. Just click on the person icon and the same drop-down menu will appear. To check if you have successfully added the user to a specific list, all you need to do is navigate to the Lists tab on your home page, click the list where you had added the user, then click 'Members'. The user you should added should already appear here.

Sharing Your List With Others

You may want to share some of your public lists with other users. For example, you may want to show others what TV shows you're following. All you need to do is navigate to the list itself, copy the URL on the address bar, then paste the URL in a message to anyone with whom you want to show the list. You can also post the link to your public timeline for everyone to see. Read about posting links with your tweets.

Subscribing To Other Users' Lists

Not only can you create lists of your own, you can also subscribe to the lists created by other users. To do this, click on the 'Lists' tab in someone's profile and select which list you'd like to subscribe to. Click 'Subscribe' to follow the list. You can do this even without needing to follow the members of that list.

Viewing Which Lists You're A Part Of

You might have been added to a list by other users. To find out which lists you are a part of, if any, simply click 'Member of' on your Lists page and it will draw up the groups where you are a member. If you want to get out of a list, all you need to do is 'Block' the creator of the list.

Replies and Mentions on the List

@Replies and @Mentions?by members of the list are posted on the list thread for all members to see. This is true if both users are part of the list. However, if only one user is a member and the other is not, the mention or reply will not appear on the list thread.

REMEMBER!

1. Character limit for list names is 25 characters. 2. Users can create a maximum of 20 lists only. 3. List names cannot start with a numerical character. 4. Lists can only accommodate a maximum of 500 members. 5. Users who a protecting their Tweets?may be added to a list, but you can only see what they have posted IF you have been approved to follow them. 6. There is no feature that allows the list owner or user to send a message to all members of the list.