Thanks for the post!
-matt

I guess (and I know I’m in the minority) that Twitter really does have value in the real world. News stories are broken on Twitter, long before MSM picks them up. Twitter’s realtime search can predict trends in everything from what’s hot in pop culture to possibly even predicting outbreaks of H1N1 in a specific area.

I think you’re absolutely correct that if someone took the time to create a List then it likely has value. For hardcore Twitter users like us I think Lists can be a great resource. My main issue was how they’re impractical for most regular users, the consumer.

Thanks for sharing that List. I’ll be sure to check it out.

Without even taking a swing at the “what’s the *real* value of Twitter” topic, Twitter is still useless to the real world, so of course lists are, too. Let’s keep in mind, what 10% of the US has a Twitter account (and remember, 10% of Twitter users create 90% of the content)?

But, for people who aren’t social media experts, but use Twitter for, well, anything, I’d argue that lists do have value. Why? You said it best:

“Who has limitless time to create lists on Twitter?”

If someone took the time to create a list, which is a manual one by one process, you can rest assured those people are on that list for a reason — assuming you’re only checking the lists of people you trust and respect.

Maybe I’m new to Chicago (I am), and want to find other users with shared interests. If I connect to one person that I value, and they’ve created a list, or are on a list, I can tap into other likeminded folks from Chicago. Same for UX, IX, development, and on and on.

Maybe there’s less value from a marketing application, but strategery was never my strong suit. Then again, if I was @Zappos, I’d probably create a list for my CSRs.

Or if I was @the_nerdery, create a list of Sierra Bravo/Nerdery Interactive employees.
http://twitter.com/tommyoneill/sierra-bravo

-matt