Get started with Listly - A beginners guide to social list making

How do you get started with Listly

What is a social list? Why and how do you begin creating social lists

This is a simple guide to getting going with the basics of Listly

1. Getting started
with Listly

2. First things first
•Create Your Account (via http://list.ly/ )
•Pick one network to signup for Listly
•Connect your other Social Networks
•To save you mislaying your lists (duplicate
accounts are confusing)
•Connecting G+ is important as this is 1st step to
having your avatar appear in Google searches
for your lists. The 2nd step is add Listly as a site
you contribute to via your G+ about page.
!
!
!
•Connecting Facebook is valuable people will see
your activity & then be more likely to contribute
to your lists
•Bookmark Listly
•Also install our Bookmarklet (more on that soon)

3. EXPLORE the culture
•Lists are like Blogs. Listmakers are like Bloggers
•The first thing you should do on Listly is observe
other people’s content
•See what lists people make
•Follow other people & their lists
•Vote on lists that are on topics you care about
•Contribute & share other people’s lists
•If blog, consider embedding other people’s lists on
blog posts. Lists make great blog content
•This is standard blogging / social networking advice
•Listly is a social content network just like Slideshare /
Youtube. Each platform has its own culture
•Embrace & support the community in a way you’d
like them to embrace you & your lists
•There is no anonymity - all votes & contribution are
traceable - this is not Reddit

4. Lists for WORK&PLAY
•Listly is a social crowdsourcing platform
•It’s about people & their passions
•Collect & list stuff you find useful, funny or
informative
•Let other people help. Think collaboration
•Lists can be personal or for a business/brand/
blog or publisher.
•Ultimately lists are made & consumed by people
•People find Listly because of a list someone made
•First people read & share lists
•Then people return to create their own content
for things they are passionate about
•We don’t suggest duplicating lists on the same topic
•If someone has already made a great list,
contribute to that list. This is not Pinterest
•Teamwork lets us all get more from less effort

5. Share: Lists & Items
•We don’t Tweet anything automatically
•You are always in control
•Smart URLS
•Each list/item has a unique short URL
•Embedded list have unique list / item urls, so
when your share, people will find the
highlighted context inside a blog post or list
•Sharing via Share icons
1.In the header for the list
2.Next to each item

6. Invite Friends
•List Making is Social
•Your friends like the
stuff you like , that’s
why they are your
friends (most of them
anyway)
•So invite them to Listly
& ask for their help
•http://list.ly/settings/
invitations
•Get 100 friends to join
Listly & you’ll get a free
year’s subscription to
Listly Premium

7. Searching & Being found
•Discoverability is big part of Listly
•60% of Listly traffic is via organic search
•50% of our traffic is from embedded lists
•People find you via your lists
•So make it easy for them.
•Name your lists based on questions people
ask when searching
•Make your list title descriptive
•Make your list interesting, fun or useful
•Number your lists = Top !0… , 17 Best …
•Sharing via Facebook, Twitter, G+ & LinkedIn
will help your lists get found in the future

8. Desktops,phones & Tablets
•Responsive Design
•Listly is built to offer what’s called
“responsive design”
•This means the content & layout adjust
dynamically to works on
•Desktops
•Smartphones
•Tablets

9. Listy: Built to Embed
•Listly was built to be embeddable
•We make it easy both on Wordpress & blogs
supporting Javascript (which is most)
•If you get stuck search for help here
•https://listly.tenderapp.com/kb
•If you embed lists on a platform we haven’t
documented we’d love to hear from you, so we can
extend our documentation
•Lists are Responsive
•List layout / content adjust to available space, so you
can easily embed a list on the sidebar or in a post
•Pick a unique layout for each embedded a list
•When the list changes, so does the embedded content
•Your lists keep evolving over time, which makes them
more valuable
•Where to Grab the Embed Code
•Every lists has an embed icon

10. Got A WORDPRESS BLOG?
•Is it Self Hosted?
•Great, so you can use our Wordpress Plugin
•This makes it even easier to paste short
embed codes into your posts
•http://wordpress.org/plugins/listly/
•Lots of people use it
•More people install it every day

11. GETTING HELP FROM LISTLY
•Our Help / Support Site
•https://listly.tenderapp.com/kb
•This is the best place to contact us as
multiple people see & read emails sent to our
support system
•You can ping us on Twitter. That’s great. You
may even find other Listly users jumping in to
help
•We love the social dialog
•Do share your lists & your blog posts
•Add the hashtag #listagrams if you’d like us
to feature your list on our weekly Listagram

12. Making Lists #1
•What Make a Great List
•We believe lists become great over time
•We thing the best list are made my many
people.
•Listly is a crowdsourcing platform, but you
still need to entice people to help with your
lists
•Start with
•A great descriptive intriguing title
•A description of what you are looking for &
why
•A headline image
•3-4 items on a list (people need examples)

13. Making Lists #2
•To Begin
•Login to Listly
•Click on New List
•Basics
•Give your list a
name & pick a Type
of List
•Twitter Lists have
special powers &
map to an existing
Twitter list
•Fill in the
description & gives
your list Tags to aid
discovery

14. Making Lists #3
•Managing Twitter Lists
•Twitter Lists on Listly can
manage your Twitter lists
•Curate list from Listly
•Consume the list feed via
any Twitter app
•People can contribute
Anyone can embed your list
•Twitter list become
searchable
•Your Twitter lists become
more findable
•More info on
•https://
listly.tenderapp.com/kb/
twitter-lists-managed-by-
listly-invite-only-beta/
twitter-lists-now-
generally-available
A Twitter List button takes
you to your list on Twitter

15. Making Lists #4
•List URLS
•Each list has a unique URL
•The title can change as it is not needed to
uniquely identify your list
•The title helps your list URL in search results
•eg
•Here’s a list of Doctors on Twitter
•These are all equivalent URLS
•http://list.ly/list/4V1-doctors-on-twitter
•http://list.ly/list/4V1
•http://list.ly/4V1

16. Customizing your lists #1
•To Edit a List
•Make sure you are logged in
•Find the list on Listly
•Click on “Settings”

17. Customizing your lists #2
•3 Tabs When you Edit
•Basic, Advanced &
Premium

18. headline images
•Changing Your Headline Image
•Place key elements to the top of the image
as title & description float & rise over the
image, depending on copy length
•Images bigger than 600x250 are cropped
•There are many ways to find a headline
image

19. 4 Ways to Add to Lists
•You
1.Bookmarklet
2.Add Item
•On Listly or a
blog post
(embedded list)
3.Bulk Import
•Import up to 25
URLs
4.Quick Add
•Simple speedy
data entry
!
!
•Other People
•People can
contribute to your
list using the
bookmarklet if
they follow your
list
•They can add to
your list via Add
Item on Listly or
via a blog
•Premium Teams
•Members can bulk
import & quick add
to your lists

20. Bookmarking
•What is a BookMarklet?
•A Bookmarklet works via
the browser menu bar so
you can bookmark as
you surf (no need to visit
Listly to add to your list)
•Installing the Bookmarklet
•Follow the instructions
•http://list.ly/about/
bookmarklet
•Also install on phones &
tablets
•Adding to other people’s
list
•Like any lists to make it
visible via your
bookmarklet

21. Premium Lists
•Go Premium
•In which case all your lists
are premium lists
•https://secure.list.ly/
upgrade
•Or, You Can Make 3 Free
Premium Lists
•Go to your list page
•eg http://list.ly/
NickKellet
•Choose Lists from your
menu when logged in
•Hover over a list and
you’ll see a “Make This
Premium” button.
•Pick carefully! Just 3
wishes

22. asking for help
•Asking for help is a big part of Listly culture
•Ask early & often. Catch people when they have
time to act
•Don’t be afraid to ask again
•Leave room for the first people to help. Leave
obvious gaps in the list
•Getting the first few people to help takes effort
•Once people can see social contributions other
people will be more willing to participate
•Ask friend & request help via Twitter & other
social networks - don’t forget to use hashtags &
keywords so people will find your content
•For people to contribute they need to care
about the topic & your list content
•Tell people why you need. Ask for one thing
•Voting or Contributing

23. moderating your lists
•By default all additions are visible on the list
•You can turn on moderation in list settings in
the advanced tab > Moderate Items
•If you turn on Moderation you need to
approve each item to your list.
•Moderation
•New items are sent to the list queue
•If you want to hide the moderation queue
you need to upgrade to premium Listly
•Best Practice
•Thank people who contribute to your lists

24. Searching & TAGGING LISTS
•Searching
•You can
search inside
a list both on
Listly & on
embedded
lists
!
•Tagging
•You can also
filter a list
based on its
tags

25. ORDERING YOUR LISt
•Default Order
•Crowdsourced
•You can change this
via the advanced
list settings
•Curated Order
•You can curate
your list’s order,
but remember to
set curated order
as the default order
for the list
•You must curate the
order for new items

26. More RESOURCES
•Tips List
•http://list.ly/list/Enp-listly-tips-and-tricks-list?
feature=search
•NewsLetters & Blog
•Explore our newsletters & blog for the latest
•http://blog.list.ly/newsletters/
•http://blog.list.ly/

27. Final Thoughts
•Any Questions
•What’s missing from this getting started
guide?
•Leave comments & we’ll iterate
•Image Credits
•Hopscotch via Ian Muttoo
•http://www.flickr.com/photos/imuttoo/
4504392318/sizes/l/