However, itвЂ™s not quite caught on yet for mainstream users, even though recommending good Lists to newcomers might be a way to make Twitter less intimidating when they first sign up. When Twitter revealed its Lists feature, it pitched them as a way to вЂњcurateвЂќ lists of interesting Twitter accounts either privately or publicly: вЂњYou could create a list of the funniest Twitter accounts of all time, athletes, local businesses, friends, or any compilation that makes sense,вЂќ explained the company at the time.ДЇor power users, Twitter Lists have been a useful feature, especially if you follow hundreds of accounts and are prepared to take the time to divide them into separate lists.

Over time, that small feature has become increasingly important to Twitter: for example in its dealings with the television industry, as it tries to persuade broadcasters that it can be their вЂњsynchronised social soundtrackвЂќ. In July 2009, it made hashtags automatically hyperlinked, so that people could click on a hashtag to see other tweets using it. Hashtags werenвЂ™t actually TwitterвЂ™s invention, but the company caught on to the way people were using them to group tweets around specific events and topics. That said, Twitter has occasionally been caught out by imposters who manage to get verified вЂ“ most recently a Morrissey account that fooled Twitter and media outlets alike. It was a good move for those well-known individuals (plus companies and public agencies) to protect against impersonation. Many celebrities caught on to Twitter early in its life, but it was 2009 before their status was recognised with the now-familiar blue вЂVerifiedвЂ™ tick.

Twitter changes