Twitter Changes the Suggested User Default List – Goes Halfway

Per Robert Scoble and Louis Gray, it appears Twitter is finally rolling out changes to the way they handle what I call “default users” (known elsewhere as the Suggested User List. The new list goes halfway to the suggestions I’ve made over the past two years. Update: Twitter has officially posted regarding the changes.

There is now a directory by category rather than one big ‘ole list. There is also no more mass following. Two great moves towards creating a better way for new users.

I wonder what will happen to the “paid tweet ecosystem” when those on the list don’t receive the big bumps anymore. Will Kim Kardashian have to get a real job if she can’t get $10k for a post?

Late last year I wrote a post titled, “Welcome New Twitter User, Now Get Lost!”. In the post I spent a bit of time talking about the user experience for a new user and why the now-old suggested user list was a big mistake if they wanted to keep users active.

Some notes:

• it looks like some of the defaults are listed in multiple categories (e.g. Mashable is listed in at least 2)
• some users are listed multiple times in the same category (e.g. Tim O’Reilly, Mashable listed twice in Tech)
• one of the most outspoken people regarding the suggested user list, Dave Winer, is now a default
• New user Bill Gates is a default – interesting here is that tech blogs reported just days ago that Gates grew his numbers without the artificial pumping of a suggested user placement

I’d still prefer to see a list that shows a wider variety of users than just the people Twitter wants to pimp. Let a user enter their 2-3 interests and location and then provide a list of users that match. But today’s change is a good first step towards better new user adoption. It’s interesting that they made today’s announcement on the same day that Seesmic launches a tool that they claim is designed for new users.

Alex Wilhelm from Next Web has additional information about today’s change (note: Next Web is a suggested user).

Update: Robert Scoble has a post comparing the old list, new list and his favorite list tool, Listorius. I think Twitter lists were big for about 3 weeks. Twitter Lists are the 2009 version of a blog roll – you know the thing you add when you start a blog and then never touch again.