I've been hearing complaints all over the internet from users who are having trouble using Twitter. The most common complaint: "I' following a bunch of people I've never heard of, and my real friends never show up on my list of tweets."
The easy answer to that is: put all your real-time friends on a list, and then check their tweets separately. Yes, but . . .
How in the world do you create a list? It is an unnecessarily complicated problem, and tedious as all-get-out, but once you've created a list, I promise that it will make your life easier. Just don't expect shortcuts. Here's what the Twitter Help Page recommends:
How to Use Twitter Lists
Definition: A list is a curated group of Twitter users. When you click to view a list, you'll see a stream of Tweets from only the users included in that group. You don't need to follow another user to add them to a list; you can follow lists themselves without following the individual users in that list.
How to create a list:
1. Navigate to your Lists page. This can be done via the profile drop-down menu in the top navigation bar or by going to your profile page and clicking the Lists tab.
2. Click Create list
3. Enter the name of your list (note: list names cannot exceed 25 characters, nor can they begin with a numerical character), a short description of the list, and whether you want the list to be private (only accessible to you) or public, meaning that anyone can subscribe to or follow the list.
4. Click Save list.
NOTE: You can create any number of lists at this location, but you cannot add anyone to your lists here. Why not? Who knows!
How to add or remove people from your lists:
Note : You have to know the person's name or their username. [MWSA Members: Use the name list found among our files on our Facebook page.] Then you have to go to each person's profile, one at a time, and follow the procedure below. Why not be able to add a whole list? Beats me!
1. Click the person icon on a user's profile. This brings up a drop-down menu
2. Select Add or remove from lists.
3. A pop-up will appear displaying your created lists. Check the lists you would like to add the user to, or uncheck the lists you'd like to remove the user from
NOTE: It doesn't say to hit a button or anything. You have to just check the right box and keep your fingers crossed. I usually go ahead and hit enter anyhow, but it only makes me feel better. It doesn't do anything, as far as I can tell.
4. To check to see if the user you wanted to add was successfully included in that list, navigate to the Lists tab on your Profile page. Click the desired list, then click Members. The person will appear in the list of members.
Note: It is currently not possible to add yourself to a list.
How to view Tweets from a list:
1. Go to your profile page.
2. Click the Lists tab on the left panel of the screen.
3. Choose which list you'd like to view.
4. Right away, you'll see a stream of Tweets from the users included in that list.
