I currently follow about 800 people on Twitter. It sounds like a lot, but bear in mind that they live on every corner of the globe (if it had corners) so chances are, there's only ever 50 or so online at one time. The rest are either asleep or out socialising with real human beings (yikes).

There are a million Twitter directories, but anyone and everyone adds themselves to these lists. Just because someone lists themselves as a Web Designer, doesn't mean he actually talks about web design. I often wonder why some of the 'big names' have 5000 followers when all they really talk about are traffic jams and 'oh no, more meetings'. Oh well </jealousy>. Here are the best ways to find like-minded people that talk about the topics that interest you:

Twitter Lists

If you've been listed by someone, it's not only useful for a bit of ego pampering; it also provides you with a great list of other people in the same category the person has listed you in. Have a look through the list, open up each user in a new tab, have a quick read through their messages (remember, if it's an @reply, you'll only see the messages if you follow the recipient - so don't be put off if someone's stream is full of messages to people - you probably won't get most of them). Follow everyone that looks interesting or sends out useful links. Don't be shy, if they only message out drinking coffee and what's happening in The Bold and The Beautiful, you can always unfollow them later.

These fine folks have listed me and by doing so, introduced me to a whole group of people I hadn't come across before... @supertivo @beantin @donofkarma @rasuwk @kylebayliss @tehPaperCut @EdwardRayne @mimojito @emmaboulton @meganmoyer @GamerGirlBK @SoMerryB @derekentringer @MarcHindley @LunaJay @cameronolivier @Serjeniu @fanoftypography @KirstyBurgoine @joeloverton @traceygr

Blog Comments

If you don't already doing it, leaving a little comment on a blog is a great way to get your name out a bit. Not to say the phone is going to start ringing off the hook with freelance work... it's just a bit of networking, kind of introducing yourself to the author. I don't go around spamming blogs, but if I found one really interesting I will leave a comment. If you're drawn to leaving a comment on a blog, then you should probably investigate the other people that are leaving comments. On popular posts this might number into the hundreds, but you could open up 20 or so tabs to see who they are. Not everyone will have a Twitter account (God help us) but the ones that do will probably be in a similar job or have similar interests to you. Have a look-see and start following some people.

RT Love

Some people on Twitter like to thank people that retweeted their links. If you're included in a ReTweet Thanks tweet, have a look through the profiles of the other people that retweeted the link. You'll probably find that half of them are talking about the same things you do. Follow.

Earwigging

For all the varied ways people describe Twitter (micoblogging - yawn) it's basically just earwigging into other people conversations. One thing to look out for is when one of the Twitter bigwigs with a billion followers sends out a message that stirs up a big response. If you see 5,10 or 100 responses to someone's message, then search Twitter/TweetDeck for the original person's username... Have a look at other people that have replied. You'll recognise half the names in the list, but will find a whole heap of people you've never come across before. Get following!

And that's about it. Those are the 4 ways I expand the list of people I follow. Hope that helps! If you have some other way you find people that's really useful, then leave a comment and let me know!

P.S. If you're not already, it's vitally important you follow @paulashton1979.