Twitter lists can actually be useful
By Molly FlattTwenty days in, and I was already getting disillusioned with Twitter lists. Their main function seemed to be as a game of one-upmanship for self-promoting marketers to prove just how darn cool and well connected they are. However, Mashable have cheered me up with this tale of how the NHL are crowdsourcing lists of fans’ favourite teams, thereby helping to build specialised supporter social networks.
It’s true that lists can restore that sense of relevance and discovery that Twitter generated in the early days, by creating micro-communities based around shared passions and contacts. They can be truly valuable to brands, who can help their key advocates band together and cross-pollinate ideas and WOM; news organisations have been quick to harness their potential and the folks at SocialStudiesBlog have some nice ideas around using them for local activation. But the best approach, as the NHL have demonstrated, is to get your consumers to guide the creation of the brand-focused groups they want to see. That way the lists will have organic life and longevity, rather than acting as a meaningless lasso.
