140Char

Adding a description field to Twitter list creation is a simple change which has rolled out today, but it’s a useful one.

Not only does it allow you to provide context to people who will view your list (Without creating a list title as long as a book), but presumably it will also be indexed to be searchable, enabling better list discovery. At the moment I’m seeing a huge number of lists created, often with plenty of duplication of topics and titles, and very few followers for each one.

A searchable description field aids this somewhat, although it may mean there’s a land grab to be the first with the best description for a topic – and that there will be consolidation around lists, with a long tail distribution curve in effect.

But it also shows that the evolution of Twitter is continuing, and the team aren’t about to take a break after rolling out Lists and the new Retweet feature (the Beta trial has just reached my account, and I haven’t really reached a conclusion about it yet!)

Given that the Suggested User List is being radically overhauled, user lists and descriptions look set to play a more prominent role in the Twittersphere, and the real-time web it inhabits.