Are you using Twitter Lists? Here is how The Bear uses Twitter Lists to follow and keep in touch with many more people around the world than I’d ever be able to in-real-life.
There’s a pic of all my Twitter Lists — you can probably tell by the titles what each list is about. If you look at my profile on Twitter, you’ll discover that only two of these lists are public. (They are: “smart minds” and “my mentors.”) All the rest are private lists I use to group people I follow into various categories. Here are a few notes to give you an idea how I use these lists…
- Quotes – Quotations are big on Twitter; this list gets me the latest from my favorite quote-tweeters.
- Science – Actual scientists, science reporters, science bloggers, science enthusiasts, science media, Fringe and meta science tweeters. Heavily weighted towards physics.
- Funny – A few consistently funny tweeters, for when I’ve gotten a little too serious and need to lighten up.
- Tech Pundits – Leo Laporte and other podcasters, journalists, Apple/Mac fanatics, tech bloggers, hackers, gadget sites.
- The Money – One of my bigger lists; all the friends I’ve made and do business with through various kinds of online marketing, traffic exchanges, CTP, teaching and tools.
- Conversations – Anyone I have a back-and-forth conversation with on Twitter, who is not already in one of my other lists.
- Locals – People (both strangers and friends) in my local geographic area of Goshen and thereabouts in Northern Indiana.
- Speaking French – Yes I follow some French-speakers in order to keep practicing my French. (One of these days I’ll spend a year in France and really get to know the language and people.)
- Worth of Follow – Many many others I am following but have not yet sorted into these other lists.
- Biggies – Celebs, movie and music stars, great public speakers, anyone with over 150,000 followers.
- ACIM – People whose passion is “A Course in Miracles.” I’m slowly working my way through the course, reading maybe one lesson every few days. Has it changed my life? Time will tell.
- Spirit Guides – There are many wise teachers on Twitter; I can read and interact with them here.
- Treesh – A list of one – my sweetie! So I can be sure and read everything she ever says on Twitter.
Keep in mind you can put people in more than one list, and that helps not miss the ones you most want to read because maybe you haven’t dipped into a particular list in a while.
Meaningful, interesting and fun conversations can happen any time — I use TwitBird on my iPhone so I can catch the latest tweets where ever I am.
Once you’re following more than about 150 people on Twitter, you’ll really need a way to categorize them and dip into their streams regularly in order to keep in touch. Twitter Lists are the way to do that. And all or most of your lists can be PRIVATE so you can be free to sort people any way you like without anyone else bothering you about being in or out.
Got your own magic ideas about how to use Twitter Lists? Post your awesome brilliance, and share it here.
Tags: conversations, flow, followers, lists, Twitter
