Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Cloud
    • Cloud
    • Development
    • IT Management

    How Twitter Lists Brings Back Human-Curated Directories and Reveals Influence

    By
    Clint Boulton
    -
    November 2, 2009
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      When Twitter Lists began rolling out to the bulk of the microblog service’s 60 million users the week of Oct. 26, eWEEK opined about the impact of the feature, which lets users group Twitter contacts into specific lists.

      Because other users can view the lists of those they are following and subscribe to them, or join lists that people put them in, it has been generally concluded that Lists will help users find more valuable contacts. High-tech observers have since come forward to explore the opportunities in more detail.

      In a blog post Oct. 30, blogging celebrity Anil Dash examined Twitter Lists as a way to tag real-time Web feeds, while the Bivings Report said getting added to a Twitter list is more of an endorsement than a arbitrary “follow.”

      Noting that Twitter Lists is also available for other applications to use, modify and share–Seesmic will soon add Lists to its desktop client–Dash pointed to early efforts of human-edited directories such as the Open Directory Project, Wikipedia and Yahoo. He said Lists is a winner because users must be signed in, creating an authentication and relationship requirement that reduces spam.

      Using Lists, Dash said, people can create and exchange curated collections of feeds, create tag clouds about specific feeds and then “organize the collections into a hierarchy by inheriting the category structure of sites like Wikipedia.” In the post, Dash wrote:

      ““We’re used to exploring photographs or individual Web pages by clicking on tags that were assigned by the creators or their community, and it will be just as valuable and useful to be able to explore entire feeds the same way. Open formats and APIs for exchanging this data already exist, so I can’t wait to see a few enterprising hackers build the tools that let us revisit the idea of Web directories.”“

      Additionally, Todd Zeigler of the Bivings Report noted in a blog post Oct. 31 that Lists could bring a beacon of light to one of the dark sides of Twitter: the stat padding that Twitterers engage in to gain more followers, thereby appearing important or influential.

      Noting that a Twitter account with 100 engaged followers is much more influential than one followed by thousands of disengaged users, Zeigler said getting added to a list is a bigger deal than simply getting someone to follow you. Zeigler wrote:

      ““People follow folks for lots of reasons. Out of courtesy. Because they like their avatar. To get them to follow them back. Adding someone to a list is more of an endorsement-you are saying this person is someone worth listening to. While I’m sure people will now work to game their ‘lists’ number, in the short term I think it provides a really interesting insight into how respected Twitter users are.”“

      eWEEK believes Zeigler’s analysis is spot on, but we also think that in separating the wheat from the chaff, lots of Twitter users will be alienated and left out.

      Twitter-using snobs may rejoice in this, but this seems to be a case where Twitter is letting users put up their own walled gardens, challenging the traditionally open spirit of the service.

      Anyway, we want to take an informal poll. It’s early days still for the mass adoption of Lists, but we want to know what you think of it. Specifically, how is Lists affecting your Twitter experience: a lot, a little or not at all, and why?

      Meanwhile, read Seesmic CEO Loic Le Meur’s predictions on the future of Twitter here.

      Clint Boulton

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Big Data and Analytics

      Alteryx’s Suresh Vittal on the Democratization of...

      James Maguire - May 31, 2022 0
      I spoke with Suresh Vittal, Chief Product Officer at Alteryx, about the industry mega-shift toward making data analytics tools accessible to a company’s complete...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×