Lists of good follows for twitter have been floating around lately. There have been many discussions about the validity of these lists, whether a list of followers does anyone any good, and even the motivations behind creating a list. And it is funny how twitter has evolved to be so different from Facebook; I looked to see if there were any lists of suggested followers, and could find none. I understand the difference in protocol, but I wonder if FB lite ever gets going if this will change.

One thing is true: when you are new on twitter, it takes a toll on you to wait to build up a list of friends. It’s like going to a cocktail party where everyone knows everyone already. The conversations, laughter and champagne are flying all of over the place, and you can’t even get the waiter’s attention. Not only that, but so many people have crashed this party that people are a little suspicious of newcomers. You aren’t really sure of the rules of the party- and they don’t seem to be posted anywhere; you can see bouncers all over the place and they are quick and blunt in pointing out if you screw up. I mean, for a long time my list of followers was @realtyman, one other person, and someone whose avatar was o_O.

A list seems like a lifeline.

I had been planning to make a list of TwitterQueens just because it would be that much easier on #FollowFriday. Most of the most engaging and interesting people that I know are there, and a lot of these people are newish themselves, and can remember what it’s like to be the new one at the party.

Then I saw another one of my followers doing the same thing on #FollowFriday- and he had an interesting looking list, too. A lot were people that I was already following, but there were some who looked like fun. *Click*

Here are a few lists that I think are interesting. There will be overlap, and that’s to be expected. But first, if you are new: consider why you are on twitter. Is it for fun? Are you here to improve your business? If the former, that makes it easy.If the latter is your reason, then be wise. This is work. You would not make up a business plan and engineer it around your hobbies. You need to build a list of followers around your target consumer.

• Roost has a monthly list of 50 interesting RE people who are, well- interesting. Good mix, good people; list is put together by @doverbey, who is a great follow. There have been 3 lists so far for a total of 150 people.
• Twitterholic publishes a top 100 list. These are mostly celebs and newsfeeds, and I follow maybe 3 or 4. @Mashable I really like- lots of good info, but this list is made of users with a large number of followers. You aren’t likely to get any engagement here.
• Into WordPress? Here is a WordPress-centric list; it is from last year which is eons ago in twitter-years, but still has some good picks. Add your name to it.
• @donttrythis – Adam Savage from MythBusters, just because if he jumped off a bridge, yes, I would probably try it
• Out of work, or looking? Check out Resume Bear’s 50 People on Twitter Job Seekers Should Follow. Also see The Ultimate List of Employers Recruiting on Twitter by @twitjobsearch, and 150+ Experts on Twitter ALL Job Seekers MUST Follow on Career Rocketeer.
• MommyBloggers by @bendtheweb.
• Need a laugh? Funny People by @skinbro

And my absolute favorite list. One of the first lists that I had ever heard of, by one of the best follows on twitter: @alex.

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