Erica's Choice

my twitter lists

Since its launch in 2006 Twitter has exploded to become one of the most popular websites visited daily by people around the globe.  The number of users accessing Twitter increases daily and along with the increase in usage the site becomes more congested with good and bad tweets. It is inevitable that as the number of users grow so do the number of people that follow and that are worthy to follow. In fact, over the past year the number of people that I follow have increased significantly, with reason – for the first time in my life I have been able to connect to people that share my love in certain specialized areas. This has also however been a significant cause of frustration. It is impossible to keep up to speed with all good tweets posted on a daily basis! I love the Twitter idea and I love what it has brought to my life: a wealth of knowledge of those things that I love namely wine, good food and travel, among other, yet it has also proven an impossible task to keep track of these tweets on a daily basis.  Inherently I lose interesting, noteworthy tweets in the process which is not only a loss to me but also a loss to those that follow me.

Twitter lists represent the first step to provide a solution to this problem.  For the first time one can categorize tweets based on a specific focus. The lists  allow one to streamline information provided via Twitter in a more efficient manner. The beauty of it is that these lists are truly personal collections of people that one finds worthy.  You name the list, you select the people to be included on the list and you chose whether this list is for personal use only or whether it should be shared with the world. Over the past week I’ve created my own Twitter lists and I’ve already noted a markable difference in the efficiency to access knowledge. Even better is the fact that anyone can follow another person’s lists. My lists, as long as I’ve categorized these as ‘public’ on Twitter, can be followed by any of you and similarly I can follow any of your lists as well!

My Twitter lists have enabled me to track my interests by classification based on who I believe is worthy to follow by subject area.  I’ve highlighted a few of these lists below.

Twitter list 1 – Wine Lovers

This list includes anyone, like myself, that share a passion for wine. This is an all inclusive list of wine merchants, wine farms, wine bars, among other and will provide you with the ability to identify anyone and anything about or related specifically to wine. The people that are included in this list I consider worthy to follow as they provide informative information such as well researched wine reviews, excellent wine sales & discounts, or general information related to wine. If you’re more interested in lists that categorize wine lovers by category, just continue reading this blog as I address this below.

Twitter list 2 – Beer Lovers

I love beer. Even though I don’t really write about beer I still am interested in new beer releases, new information and interesting, note worthy tweets related specifically to beer. This list includes my favorite breweries around the world as well as beer connoisseurs that I find provide interesting tweets related to beer.

Twitter list 3 – Foodies

This list includes everything and everyone that loves good food as much as I do. It includes those that know how to make meals from scratch, well known chefs and also identifies restaurants around the world and other interesting information related to food.

Twitter list 4 – My favorite wine tweeps

The name says it all. These are the tweeps that I have found to provide valuable tweets with interesting information about the world of wine.  I usually read the blogs referenced in these tweets as almost all the time I learn something new or significant related to the ever increasing wine culture around us. I encourage you to follow these

Twitter list 5 – Golf

I am a golfer and I like to keep up to date on golf tips, golf news, basically everything about golf.  This lists highlights some of my favorite golf geeks on twitter.

Twitter list 6 – Travel

The lists specifically identifies travelers, travel merchants or travel agencies around the world. You may want to follow this list if you are planning a trip or if you are addicted to travel as I am.

Twitter list 7 – Good living & Running

Those of you that follow me on Twitter know that I am an avid running and promote general healthy living. These two lists include people that value these beliefs and that live by these criteria on a daily basis. It includes constructive quotes and advice to improve your general overall health and/or running performance.

Twitter list 8 – Chicago/Miwaukee/Madison

This lists is a summary of all the local tweeps that I have come to know over the past year and a half and further an extensive summary of activities, restaurants, hotels, museums and bars in the Chicago, Milwaukee and Madison, WI areas.  If you are a fellow tweep from Milwaukee, live in either Chicago or Madison, or alternatively if you plan to travel to these areas this lists will provide extensive detail on local tweeps, bars, restaurants and activities in the area.

And I have more lists. Check them out  – they’re posted on my Twitter page.

Final notes…

None of the lists above will ever be perfect. As I further explore Twitter and get to know more interesting people and businesses through this valuable tool so will my Twitter lists grow, become more streamlined, specialized and accurate. What an exciting challenge! Make sure you don’t get left behind..