Twitter has rolled out a new feature that is going to be a game changer – “lists”. Put simply, Twitter lists are groups of Twitter users created by others, categorized by an identifying title. For example, here is my list of personal branding favorites. Being included within a list is now the ultimate Twitter compliment.
You might be thinking, “How is this a game changer? Tweetdeck and Seesmic have been doing this forever.” This is true, I’ve had lists like this (columns) within Tweetdeck since Day 1. BUT, these new Twitter lists have one distinct quality that will make them so important: public visibility.
For many, Twitter is an authority building tool. But with the bots, spammers, and pay-for-followers systems out there today, one’s follower count is no longer a fool-proof measure of authority. This leads me to my ultimate point: Once lists fully catch on, the most effective metric to measure a tweeter’s worth will be their follower/list “respect ratio”:
(Follower count) / (# of lists one is on) = Respect Ratio.
Check out a prime example using two tweeters you will certainly recognize, @britneyspears and @alyssa_milano. As of this post, the ratios are as follows: (lists are so new that all these figures will have changed dramatically by the time you read this)
Britney Spears: 3,650,000 Followers / 4,100 Lists = 890
Alyssa Milano: 313,800 Followers / 1,920 Lists = 163
1 in 163 followers thinks Alyssa Milano is worthy of inclusion in a specialized list of favorites (and, this # is sure to shrink as users become aware of lists). By comparing these two ratios, it is easy to surmise that @alyssa_milano must be delivering way more worthwhile content (she is!).
A few other Twitter users with already solid “respect ratios”:
@danschawbel: 171 - @jason_pollock: 160 - @scobleizer: 68
By this point, you’ve probably checked to see how many lists you’ve made – if the answer if few or none, don’t despair! Here a few key ways to make yourself worthy of someone’s Twitter list:
- Tweet with focus. If you have a particular niche or field of expertise, stick close to that topic.
- Engage in conversation. Twitter is great for “one-to-many” communication, but it is still the “one-to-one” conversations that will make you the most memorable. Send @replies and DM’s on a regular basis.
- Ensure that your profile really tells your story. If your profile and subject matter match one another, others will figure you out much quicker.
- Provide value…and a lot of it.
One final point I want to add: the reason I recommend this metric as a ratio is that it allows for lesser known Twitter users to be graded fairly against the big guns. If you have 100 followers and are on 60 lists, it shows that your select group of followers really values what you have to say.
What do you think? Have you created any lists yet, or has your name appeared on any lists? Do you think these lists will truly be a game-changer?
Update: Read more about the subject of Twitter lists and authority in these posts by SkepticGeek and Andrew Swenson.
Calculator image by breakmold.
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