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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 (pictured below).
  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.

How to add or remove people from your lists:

  1. Click the person icon on a user's profile. This brings up a drop-down menu (see Image 1 below).
  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 (see Image 2).
  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 see lists that you are on:

On your Lists page, click on Member of. This will bring up a list of what lists you are on. 

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.

How to edit or delete lists:

  1. Go to your profile page.
  2. Click the Lists tab on the left panel of the screen.
  3. You will see lists you've created and other people's lists you follow.
  4. Select which list you'd like to edit or delete from the lists you've created. Click Edit to update your list credentials or click Delete to remove the list entirely.
  5. You cannot add or remove people from your list on this page – you must do that from the profile pages of each individual you wish to add or delete. (See above.)

How to subscribe to/follow other people's lists:

  1. Click on the Lists tab when viewing someone's profile.
  2. Select which list you'd like to subscribe to. 
  3. From the list page, click Subscribe to follow the list.

You can also remove yourself from a list by blocking the creator of the list.

Note: If the owner of a list that you're following includes a public user that you've blocked, you will still see the updates of the blocked user. This behavior is similar to visiting the profile page of a public user that you've blocked: you're still able to read their Tweets.

Having Trouble?

Check out I'm Having Trouble With Lists for more troubleshooting tips and information.

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