When the Twitter lists feature was introduced, I was super-excited.  Before that day, I would use the search feature and save a column on Hootsuite. (Actually, I was using Tweetdeck at the time, but that’s a useless bit of info.) So anyway, Twitter lists were introduced last year, and are limited to 500 twitter users per list.  Each Twitter user is limited to making 20 lists but can follow an unlimited number of other’s lists.  I have found that there are five very different ways to use lists:

1. Filter - Lists come in handy to me to filter the people I follow.  I am currently following over 18,000 people.  This makes it a little difficult to read every tweet! Lists give me a way to filter in any way I want: by location, by interests, etc.
2. Get a user to follow you back –  I don’t have any of these lists, but I am included on them often.  And each time, I follow that user back.  You are more likely to catch the attention of a high-profile user by putting them on a list then just following them.
3. Give props to a user – Also known as kissing ass and another way to get a user to follow you back.  For example: “Awesome tweeps”, “Best Twitter users”, “Most beautiful”…you get the idea.
4. Thank a user for listing you – Some people don’t understand the use of these lists, and it’s not that I actually check it often, but I’ve always had good manners.  This is a quick and easy way to thank users for including you on their lists.
5. Conversationlist – When I first saw my name popping up on these lists, I thought it said “conversationAList”, which would make sense for me, since we all know I like to talk.  Then I noticed that they were popping up ALL over the place, and they all had the same description: “A dynamic list rebuilt daily of the people you are talking to and about.”  So, I decided to Google it.  And I found Conversationlist.com, a site that will rebuild your list every day for you based on your Twitter conversations! GENIUS.

Below is a screenshot of my lists, so you can see how I use them:

I also have one protected list of my closest friends on Twitter:

***IMPORTANT TIP: Add yourself to every list you have!!!  To some, this may seem silly, but it’s a way to meet new people on Twitter.  If someone who isn’t following you follows your list through someone else, they will never get to see your tweets.  If you add yourself, you will be included in the stream and be seen by more users.  There are exceptions to this rule: Pet lists, brands and celebrities, because lets face it, you don’t want to be the only human among a bunch of dogs and cats, and you certainly aren’t a brand or celebrity, are you?

How do you use Twitter lists? I love comments, so please share!