# Group people with static and smart lists

Make a static list you fill by hand or a smart list that keeps itself up to date from a filter, for contacts or for users, one console screen at a time.

A list is a group of people you send to or act on together: a campaign goes
to a list, a workflow adds people to one, a user flag can be on for one. A
**static list** holds the people you put in it. A **smart list** is a filter,
and holds whoever matches it. Audience contacts and users each have their own
lists, which work the same way. This guide makes them for Acme Analytics.

> **Note:**
  A console role that can create lists, and room in your plan: it sets how many
  lists you may keep, and how many of them may be smart.

## 1. Open Lists

[Open Audience lists in the console](https://console.buildbase.app/dashboard/admin/audience/lists)

In the left rail choose **Audience**, then **Lists**. **Audience lists** shows
each list with its **Type** and how many **Members** it has. Press **Create
list**.

![The Audience lists page, with the Lists menu item highlighted as step 1 and the Create list button as step 2, and All lists with Webinar attendees below](/images/users/lists/audience-lists.webp)

## 2. Choose the type and name it

Under **List type**, choose **Static list** (you add and remove members) or
**Smart list** (members follow a filter). Under **Details**, fill **List name**
and **Description**.

![The Create page: List type with Smart list highlighted as step 3, and Details with List name Imported contacts highlighted as step 4 and its description](/images/users/lists/list-type.webp)

## 3. A smart list: build its filter

**Smart list filter** matches on name, email, **Source**, **Tag**,
**Unsubscribed**, **Language**, **Country**, **Created At** and more, and
**Advanced filters** add a rule on an **Email Campaign**, an **Email
Template** or another **Audience List**. Below
it, the console counts who the filter takes in now, and lists them. Press
**Create list** at the top to save it.

![The Smart list filter: Source set to Import highlighted as step 5, the other filters, Advanced filters, and Current filter will include 3 members in the smart list](/images/users/lists/smart-filter.webp)

A smart list recomputes on its own every hour. To refresh it now, open it and
press **Sync smart list**; **Edit filter** changes what it matches.

## 4. A static list: add members

Open the list from **All lists**. Its **Details** tab shows its name, a
**Summary** with how many members it has, and **Members**. Press **Add
members**.

![The Webinar attendees list: List details, Summary with 4 members, Members by country, and the Add members button highlighted as step 6](/images/users/lists/list-detail.webp)

In **Add members to list**, tick each person, filtering by name, email or date
to find them, and press **Select**.

![The Add members to list dialog: the contacts not in the list yet, Hana Sato ticked and highlighted as step 7, and the Select (1) button](/images/users/lists/add-members.webp)

Then press **Add selected members**.

![Clear selection and Select (1), and below them the Add selected members (1) button highlighted as step 8](/images/users/lists/add-selected.webp)

## 5. See who joined and left

The **Change log** tab shows **List history** and **Members over time** as
charts, and **Change log**: each change, how many were added or removed, who
made it and when. Search it by name or email.

![The Change log tab highlighted as step 9: List history, Members over time, and the entry 4 added, Total 4, by Alex Morgan](/images/users/lists/change-log.webp)

## 6. Lists of users

Users have their own lists, for targeting a [user flag](/feature-flags/overview)
or a workflow at a group of your app's users. In the left rail choose **Users**,
then **Lists** under **Users**. **Create list** works the same way: a static
list takes users with **Add users**, and a smart list follows a filter on
users.

![The Lists page under User management, with the Lists menu item highlighted as step 10](/images/users/lists/user-lists.webp)

## Check it works

After **Sync smart list**, the smart list's member count matches the count
the filter showed. On a static list, the person you added is under
**Members**, and **Change log** shows the addition.

## Things to watch out for

- **Only a static list takes members.** Adding contacts to a smart list, by hand or from an import, is refused with "Contacts can only be added to a static list".
- **A smart list is up to an hour behind.** It recomputes hourly; press **Sync smart list** when you need it current.
- **Deleting a user list cannot be undone.** The users stay, but every feature and workflow scoped to the list stops matching anyone.

## Next Steps

- [Audience and lists](/users/audience-and-lists) - contacts, tags and the API for lists.
- [Importing contacts](/email/importing-contacts) - fill a static list from a CSV.
- [Sending campaigns](/email/sending-campaigns) - send to a list.