Twitter Lists

I don't think my topic for today's blog will come as a big surprise to anyone who knows how much I'm into Twitter: Twitter lists are the next big thing to hit the service (can I call it the Tweetosphere? Like the blogosphere? That would be fun.).

Here's a basic breakdown on the functions of Twitter lists:

• Any Twitter user can create a list.
• Lists can be made public or private; that is, you can choose to share your list with others or to keep it to yourself.
• Lists require a title, and are then linked as part of your homepage (example: http://twitter.com/#/list/jordanlangdon/texas-tower-pr)
• Once you've followed a list, your homepage will show you all the lists following you (aka people who've listed you) and the lists you're following. What I mean is that following a list doesn't interrupt your usual stream of tweets. You can seek out that list whenever you're interested in viewing what's going on there.
• You cannot list yourself. [UPDATE: Apparently you can! I listed myself today, but hadn't been able to do that a few days ago. Interesting.]

So far, the Tweeters in my stream have created lists that categorize people in a whole bunch of different ways. I've seen lists created based on location (example: Austinites, NYC), by topic or interest (example: ATXFoodies, Social Media/Marketing) and by company or firm (example: Fleishman-Hillard employees, Texas Tower PR).

Sarah Evans (known for her blog on PR and social media, and as a Mashable contributor) wrote a great article exploring the future for Twitter lists last week. She suggested some new scenarios in which lists could be helpful tools, such as before events, during a political campaign, or when categorizing experts in a profession. I've been trying to think of a new example and can't seem to come up with one that doesn't fall under one of her 10 categories.

What do you all think? Are any of you using Twitter lists yet and if so what do you think of them?