Your Twitter is a mess!
At least that is what your mother would say if she saw how many tweets were flying around in your Twitter stream right now.
The problem might be that you are following way too many people, right? Well, you are certainly not alone.
So what is the solution to all your woes?
Twitter Lists.
Twitter Lists will, first and foremost, help you clean up your Twitter mess.
They also have a bunch of other great uses, but first let's take a look at how you can create and work with them.
How to use Twitter Lists
We are going to take this step by step, and make sure you know all you need to know about creating and working with Twitter Lists.
Finding Twitter Lists
First, if you want to get to your lists, you can go to your “Me” tab and then on the left click on “Lists”. Easy, right?
If you prefer shortcuts click the following like to get to your lists https://twitter.com/lists
The other possibility is to go directly to your lists UR:
https://twitter.com/[yourname]/lists  (replace the [yourname] with your twitter handle)
e.g. Mine is https://twitter.com/madlemmingz/lists
Once you do that, below your profile picture, you will see all your lists.
Working With Twitter Lists
If you want to create a new list it is pretty easy. Just click on the Create List button which you can see on the top right of the image above. That will pop up a new window like this:
The fields you need to fill in are quite straight forward, however be aware that the public/private radio button determines whether the list is only seen by you (private) or the world (public) so keep that in mind. There are also couple of limits on the field lengths:
- Names can only be 25 characters
- Descriptions are 100 characters or less
TIP: Make names and descriptions of your Twitter Lists very keyword rich, especially if they are public. It helps, as people might start subscribing to your lists and you might become famous (more on that later).
Adding People to Your Lists
Of course now you probably want to add some people to your lists. Don't worry, there are a bunch of ways you can do that.
When your list is first created, you will see this page where you can search for people to add to your new list:
You can also head to your Following page and add people from there (there is a link below the search field if you need it).
That brings us to the main way to add people to lists – via the little person icon on any profile (or the following page). Take a look at Ileane's profile below to see what I mean:
Once you have clicked on Add or remove from lists you will get a pop up showing all the lists you have and a check/tick next to the lists this person is in:
Of course, Ms. Ileane is an Influencer, so I have her in that particular list. You can also add someone to multiple lists just by clicking the checkbox next to each list.
Generous List Limits
The limit on how many lists and members of lists you can have used to be quite small, but in mid-2013 Twitter increased these limits. Â According to The Next Web:
…users can now have up to 1,000 lists with a maximum of 5,000 accounts in each one.
So no need to be shy now, you can go crazy on lists without worrying about the Twitter police knocking on your door late at night! (Excuse me sir, we hear you have been filling Twitter with lists!!).
Tools to manage Lists
Given how slow and painful it is to add people to lists (you need to do it one by one), I decided to go on a hunt for some cool Twitter tools.
You know that I strive to bring you the best information and the coolest tools when it comes to my blog posts, but unfortunately where Twitter Lists are concerned, there is a real lack of tools.
All I found were a few outdated posts and links to tools. Signing up for one of these tools almost got me locked out of my Twitter account – the things I do for you guys!
In the end, the only working and reliable tool I found was this: Twitter List Manager
It did not blow me away (I have high standards as I am a web developer myself), but it does allow you to add and remove people to lists more easily than on Twitter itself.
If you need to work extensively with lists it is worth checking out. But keep in mind, it is not going to rock your world!
Otherwise, my main tip to you:
add people to lists when you first discover/follow them
That way, it saves you from messing with your lists all the time.
Reasons to use Twitter Lists – let me count the ways…
If you are already familiar with lists, or perhaps wondering at this stage why they are so cool, it's time to keep reading…
Organizing your Twitter mess
We all know your Twitter stream is a mess, with thousands of tweets flying by at the speed of light (ok, that is an exaggeration, but you know what I mean).
That is where lists come to the rescue (imagine a Twitter-like Superman flying in to help!).
By adding people to categorized lists, you can sort out the people you follow and more easily watch what they are tweeting.
To see the tweets of people in your lists – simply click on the list itself. That will take you to a filtered stream of tweets from those users.
You can always bookmark those links too, if you want a little more Twitter convenience.
Here are some ideas for the kinds of lists you can create:
- people sorted by niche
- influencers in your niche
- people in your local area
- people going to (or recently met) at conferences
There are obviously plenty of other ideas and strategies for lists, and if you want even more of them –Â Mashable seems to be one of the most creative in this area, or you can see this really awesome Twitter list tip from Aaron Lee.
To follow or not to follow?
Although Shakespeare is obviously not on Twitter, he may have asked this question if he were alive today!
So do you have to follow everyone? No!
But, sometimes you want to watch someone's tweets and you don't want to follow them. I won't question your motives here (or mine), but there are many reasons this might happen.
So let's assume you are in that situation. What can you do?
By adding someone to your lists, you can avoid following them but still keep an eye on their tweets!
Yes, you read that correctly.
You don't have to follow people for them to be in your Twitter Lists.
Problem solved.
Keeping your Twitter Lists private
I get it. You might not want everyone to see your lists, especially if you are using them for keeping in touch with  friends or other personal matters.
That is where setting a list to private comes in handy. No one can see them but you!
Some other great ideas for private (or secret if you prefer) lists are:
- Keep an eye on your competition
- Watch your customers to see if they need help
- Specific lists for close friends or family (like Google Circles)
- List of employees (if you own a company)
- Interesting people you are not sure if you want to follow yet
The world of influencers
You all know influencers in your niche can be great people to follow and get to know.
What you might not have known: You can also subscribe to the lists of influencers in order to get a boost in your niche. Subscribing to a list will:
- place all those people's tweets in your Twitter stream (without following them)
- place their list in your lists (an easy way to grow your lists)
A note on subscribing to other people's lists: It is obviously not your list, so you cannot edit it. Therefore, you may want to use it as a reference for creating your own list.
Importantly, following someone's list is not a secret and neither is putting someone on your lists.
People are specifically notified when they are put on lists, much like when you have been followed.
So if you want to “tip your hat” to someone (an influencer perhaps) this is a great way to do it. Your lists needs to be public of course, which they are by default.
Investigating Lists
There are a couple of other kind of random things I wanted to let you know about lists, just to complete the guide!
1. You can see who is subscribing to your Twitter lists (it is inside the list, on the left)
2. You can see what lists you are a member of (maybe you are really popular!)
Summary
Lists are a great way of organising your Twitter followers and getting a better overview of all their tweets!
On top of that there are many tricks to using lists which can really improve your Twitter experience.
If you have not started using lists, why not give it a go. They really are one of the power-features of Twitter.
And don't forget to let us know in the comments how you are using lists! We'd love to know.
Come join me on Twitter too!
Recommended Reading:
- The Tao of Twitter, Revised and Expanded New Edition: Changing Your Life and Business 140 Characters at a Time
 by Mark Schaefer
- The Art of Social Media: Power Tips for Power Users
 by Guy Kawasaki and Peg Fitzpatrick
- Social Media Analytics – The 5 Best Tools for Online Retailers by Barrie Smith
No doubt excellent strategies. Twitter is not just microblogging platform, but powerful social network, if right strings are pushed and proper tools are used.
Hey Kaloyan
Thanks for the comment!
Indeed Twitter is so much more than just a place to post. There is interaction and engagement to think of, and having lists is one of the best ways to do that properly
have a great day
ashley
Hello Ashley Faulkes,
Seems very comprehensive post and to be honest I never knew of this twitter list though I’m using twitter from a long time. I guess it’s time to rock the twitter list.
Thanks for share
Hi Robert
That is the funny thing with any program you use. You get used to what you know, and rarely learn anything new. It is natural!
But I did a lot of research for my Twitter Pro Course and for this post and found out some really interesting stuff about lists
enjoy
ashley
I love Twitter lists and I was excited when I saw that they allowed more than 25 lists. I have a list for EVERYTHING that is important to me. And it is best to add people when you start following them because it is so much easier.
Thanks Marcie
I have to be more disciplined myself, and with Twitter too (haha)
But indeed the “when you follow someone” seems to be the best and easiest way to add someone to a list
thanks for your comment
Excellent post, Ashley – exhaustive even!
I am not a fan of Twitter and not very active but in the past, when i had to manage twittr handles for a few clients, lists were the ONLY thing keeping me sane (and organized) there – you have covered the topic superbly! Sending some social media love to both you and your host, Ileane 🙂
Thanks Diana
I love the lists and how deep the rabbit hole goes. With subscribing, not following and so on. It makes the Twitter experience have so much more potential!
have a great weekend
ashley
Hey Ashley,
Great post, I am going to start calling you the twitter expert ( which you are )
I came across the list section one day but had no idea what it was or how it worked. I know now and intend on using.
Thanks again, great stuff
David
Pleasure David
I have been immersing myself in Twitterland for a whle!
Seems to pay off.
didn’t realize you can put someone on a list without actually following the account. Thanks for the tip..
It comes in handy for sure!
A very helpful guide I must say! I have not really taken not of how to apply the list before, but I now know better. Thanks Ashely for your post. It was awesome!
Hi there Ashley,
This post came at the perfect time for me. I was on thinking about Twitter lists and wondering how it would benefit me. You just answered all my questions here :)!
Of all the Social Media networks out there Twitter is my favorite so I want to use it to its fullest capacity.
Thanks for this post Ashley! You’re my new favorite person LOL 🙂
Happy Friday, enjoy the weekend!
Hey Corina.
Twitter lists are really handy. Otherwise Twitter becomes a mess.
Not to mention the reasons listed, and many more!
Glad you have learnt a lot like me
ashley
I’m still learning more about lists as I delve into the realm of Twitter. Thanks for sharing this post, Ashley. Great tips and info here! 🙂
Pleasure Lorraine
have a great weekend
The more my following count grows the more I rely on my lists. I sometimes think I spend as much time tweaking and managing my lists as I spend reading and responding to the tweets themselves. I don’t know how anyone effectively culls through the vast amounts of data without them.
Hi Mallie
Indeed there is just too much data and tweets to read. Even with lists.
You can only do your best and hope to learn from friends and influencers
have a great weekend
ashleyu
hi… nice post… i was really unaware about the facts of twitter lists. Thanks for educating me… 🙂
Pleasure Vinobha!
For some social-media-conscious business owners, discussing the importance of Twitter might be akin to swapping thoughts about the importance of breathing. so, Listing will be so helpful for good use of twitter, thanks for the information.
Hey Twisha
Twitter is a very important platform for sure. And the lists will only make your life easier! enjoy
ashley
Awesome post…!!! Really I was unaware of the fact that twitter is so much powerful…!!!!
Using twitter can boost up your your traffic so much that you can never think off…!!!!
Thanks for providing such an awesome article
Cheers
Rohit
Thanks Rohit
Hope to see you on Twitter!
Ashley, very comprehensive post on lists. To be honest, I never even knew lists existed on Twitter. Seems like a pretty awesome tool. Thanks for all your insights and I am going to mess with it now.
Hey Steve
Glad I enlightened so many people.
It is amazing what we all ignore right in front of our noses, me included.
Hope you get a lot out of it
see you on Twitter
ashley
Twitter lists are very helpful, maybe not for someone who have only few followers because then you haven’t mess on your stream, but when you have a lot of followers you need to organizate somehow, and twitter list can be in big help.
This article can be in big help, I want to read this article when I created my first list.
Hey Robert
Of course Twitter lists are great for cleaning up your Twitter, but also for cataloguing influencers and similar people in your niche too. You can do that from day one. And I actually recommend it
Let me know if you have any questions
ashley
Great to see you here Ashley and this post came at the right time.
I called a prospect yesterday and bless his heart he got kicked off Twitter because he was doing things all wrong. So he was able to activate his account again and I was trying to explain to him about lists. I have another appointment with him tomorrow and I’m going to send him this link so that it will better help him understand how to use them because I think me trying to explain it was not exactly working out well.
I love my lists and I guess I’ve been creating them for so long that it’s second nature but for those who have never done this then they don’t understand how convenient they all are.
Thank you for such a thorough post my friend. You and Ileane have a fabulous week okay.
~Adrienne
Thank you Ashley for this very useful feature of lists in twitter that I always ignored and never tried to explore what use of it is. By organizing the people in lists will make my twitter life much easier.
Ashley, I was looking for some way to search for a tweet through keyword of a specific twitter account. Is there a way to do it?
Hey Moshin
Lists should help you out for sure!
Twitter Advanced search – I also wrote a post on that a few weeks ago :>
http://madlemmings.com/2013/12/18/twitter-advanced-search-find-hidden-gems/
You can take a look at that post, but in the meantime search: @username keyword
in the search field at the top
ashley
thank you Ashley for the tip. 🙂
This makes so much sense, why have I never tried this!?! This was a part of Twitter I’ve never used but plan on it now, it’s just going to take a while to sort through everyone.
Hi Stephen
Glad it click for you!
Sorting through your existing followers! what a task
ashley
Oh, same here Stephen!
Honestly that’s a great tip. I wonder how people are managing their twitter account by following that many people! Your post just answered that…
Hey Adrienne
Kicked off Twitter. Happened to me once last year too. Following too many people too fast.
Lists are a bit of a mess too on Twitter. The interface or way to add people to lists could certainly be better. Funny how an rich company like that has no money to improve their features :>
all the best with your customer. I am sure you will put him on track
ashley
This work around would be helpful for corporate discussions too! Interacting with your employees in different department will be made easier, of course if the discussion is not confidential 🙂
Yes Anchit, it might help, but be careful with what you say!
Hello Ashley Faulkes,
This posting teaches a lot of things that I have never read it before. I am a twitter user but I really don’t know about these hidden techniques. Thanks for the share.
In-spite of it that i am regular user of twitter and i use it for my personal tweets as well as for business tweets but i never use twitter lists. Now after read your post i found that it is really helpful way to enhance our presence on twitter via these lists and this enhancement can help a lot to get good traffic and business from this very important social media site.
I had no idea how to use the twitter lists nor did I have a clue what they were for!! this actually makes things a little bit more clearer but better for me to find people in my interested field too!
Thanks! 😀
-Saj
Hello Ashley,
Twitter is a great social platform with numerous features and I guess twitter lists are of great use to take advantage for pros and also experts. I guess I’ll try out to create my own list soon enough.
Twitter is very cool thing if you know how to use it. You can really make it fun from this and enjoy. Thanks for telling about list process to make Twitter more enjoyable and helpful……
Making lists is so smart. I will make some demographic list for the accounts i manage and write special tweets for the lists. Thank you so much.
Great post, and very detailed. I have not used twitter a lot. But, I have an old account with many followers. I will try using the lists on twitter.
I am using twitter from last 1 year and learned a lot of thing from it . It is just a very good platform for everyone and now Ashley gives usefull information about Twitter Lists which i have not used till now .
Thanks Ashley for this usefull post.
Hello Ashley,
I really enjoyed the proper use of twitter to get the maximum followers. I always have a problem when I am using twitter, I followed many people but I have very small list of followers. your information will help me. Thanks for sharing this information.
A very helpful guide I must say! I have not really taken note of how to apply the list before, but I now know better. Thanks Ashely for your post. It was awesome!
Ashley,
Thanks for the Twitter insight! My Twitter account is a mess right now so this will definitely help organize my twitter followers. I had tried using lists in the past but got away from them. This reaffirms how much easier it is to clean up a Twitter account utilizing the lists.
Hey Matt
Twitter does not really lend itself to clean, so don’t worry!
But lists will help you out of the mess for sure. That combined with some good tools like tweet deck.
Enjoy
ashley
Hi Ashley,
This is really awesome, I never knew that you don’t need to follow someone to add him to your list! I always wanted to create lists, but as I didn’t do this from beginning it would take me days to pick the people I already followed and put them into lists, the listmanager tool would be of a great help. Thanks for taking the time and share your tips here.
thank you for the great article. It really helped me but it was really big so took much time to read it :P. Anyways thanks it just cleared every step and made it very easier for me to make twitter lists.
Really you make me to think out of box. A very great post to get engage with people on twitter. Thanks for the valuable post Ashley sir. 🙂
Cheers.
I never thought I could do a list! I’ve been using twitter since 2009 and I just tweet and reply there to my friends and that’s it! Thanks for sharing this Ashley, this is really helpful.
I didn’t realize you can put someone on a list without actually following the account. Thanks for the tip!
Twitter list seems just like facebook groups. Any tips on how to search public twitter lists so that we can join these lists? Thanks for the detailed guide.
What a guide Ashley. I just do RT, follow like minded people and post my tweets thats it but I came to know about the uses of twitter lists properly with this post. I have heard a lot of time about this but never found such interesting write up to read and learn about this. Now I can say I know about the twitter lists and I am gonna play with it. Keep sharing such cool stuffs.
Hello Ashley,
Glad to see here at Ileane’s blog. Plus, you seem to put together a very comprehensive post on Twitter list management my friend! Great work here!
I have used twitter lists for the reasons you mentioned and especially to keep in regular touch with people who matter and who I want to be in regular touch with.
Thanks for sharing.
-Kumar
I have joined twitter about 4 years ago, but I have not thought about the list option.
Actually, I receive more traffic from Twitter and Pinterest. I will follow your guideline to optimize my twitter list 🙂
Great blog post about Twitter lists will def look more at them and start to use them 🙂
I get it. You might not want everyone to see your lists, especially if you are using them for keeping in touch with friends or other personal matters.