Last week I liked a Facebook Page and while hovering over the like button, I noted a new feature, “Add to lists”. So I decided to create a New List and see what would happen. Turns out, what I did was create an Interest List, a new feature by Facebook that helps make feeds more useful and manageable.

With an interest list I can add people or pages to a group that deals exclusively with a certain topic I am interested in. Then, when on my feed page I can select that Interest List and view only the updates for those in my List.

This functionality was technically already available with the use of Friend Lists, but perhaps Facebook found that users weren’t taking advantage of it and were still overwhelmed with the large amount of information being thrown at them (Speaking from my own experience). Marketing this feature under a new name may just get people to use it. Only time will tell.

How to Use Interest Lists

To begin creating your own Interest List you can start by liking a page (as seen above) or by going to the Interest List landing page (seen below). You can access the Interest List landing page from the bottom left of your feed page. If you have already created an Interest List you’ll be able to add new ones straight from your feed page. From the landing page (below) you can click Add Interests and the process from there is pretty self explanatory, but just in case you like to hold hands, I’ll oblige you with images below.

After clicking on Add Interests you’ll be taken to a screen where you can add new pages, subscriptions or friends to your new list. You can start it off with just one and add new ones to the list over time or if you know your favorite pages you can put them together right now.

When you’ve selected all the updates you want to show in your new list for now, click on the Next button and you’ll be taken to a screen where you can name and set the privacy of your list. Don’t stress so much about the name, you can change it later. Setting the list to public will allow your list to be seen in the public search. If your goal is to be found in Facebook’s internal search, you’ll want to pick a name that has a wide search volume. I don’t think that Facebook shares their search data, but in lieu of that you could use Google’s Keyword Tool to see what phrase is being searched for the most. I’m assuming that Facebook Search numbers are similar to Google ones, in terms of relative volume. If your “Who can see this list” settings to Public or Friends you can share your List and have your friends follow it too.

When you click Done you will see the name of your new list, your name as the creator of the list and the privacy level all at the top of the screen. Below this you will see the stream/feed of your new list. You can see who’s feeds are being displayed to the right under the heading “Featured On This List.” Just under that you can search for new People or Pages to add to the List.

By assembling some lists around topics of interest to you, you can focus on one area at a time. This is helpful if you have a project to do, say research for an article, or you just want to skim some industry news without having to pick through pictures of your friends weekend at the roller derby.

So, there ya have it, Facebook Interest Lists in a nutshell. Try putting some lists together and share with me how you’re using Facebook Interest Lists.