

The Problem with Twitter Lists - wakeless
http://terroir.me/blog/twitter-lists

======
m_eiman
The author seems to think that lists should be their own accounts (with
multiple owners), but the purpose of lists is different: they allow a user to
organize their (too busy to make sense of) feed into subfeeds that are more
manageable.

My main problem with the current implementation is that I can't view all my
lists at the same time, side by side (so I still use my own quick-and-dirty
Python app to do that).

The author's point about being put in lists named "big fat hairy men" is quite
valid though, I think the lists should be private (or at least not visible on
the listed user's info page).

~~~
bjelkeman-again
I think that if you block a user and then unblock them you will be removed
from their list, but they can still follow you. And if you really get annoyed
by being on their "big fait hairy men" list, then you can always block them.

I wonder what will happen when someone starts listing people as "Criminals"?
Is it libel to brand someone with a list? :)

~~~
m_eiman
_Is it libel to brand someone with a list?_

I should think so. Not sure how it works with more or less anonymous accounts
though, I guess it's not libel unless it can be linked to a specific person by
those reading the list.

------
the_real_r2d2
I agree with some of the statements of the blog. However it misses one
important point in how people use lists. For example I follow around 300
people, some of them are very noisy some times but eventually they post
something interesting, so I feel that the noisy is an acceptable price to pay.
Nevertheless, because of the overflow of information, many times I miss posts
of quiet people that generally have something important to say. Then, lists
come to the rescue. I just put those very interesting people in a list that I
can check for time to time. If people follow my list(s), they give the
authority that I created it(them)or whatever I do not really care. For me that
is just marketing trying to convince of the value of twitter. For me, the
value is finding good content with less effort; and I think the lists are
helping on it.

Note: I use also tweetdeck that has a similar concept, which I found very
useful. Perhaps that is why I liked the lists concept.

------
tptacek
Why should people be allowed to remove themselves from other people's lists?

~~~
Psyonic
Perhaps they shouldn't, but those lists shouldn't be immediately visible from
their profile. I don't think anyone wants to have "Giant Douchebags" listed on
their lists page.

------
benatkin
I'm guessing that most people check which lists they're in. I do. (I'm only in
11 lists so it was easy for me.) If so, the point about the viral loop doesn't
stand.

