Social Media is time and attention
As I was working on my last post about the ease of Twitter, how it's simple concept and that simplicity has created a whole twitter ecosystem, I was also thinking about Social Media in general.
I've charted out the following social media components.
Longevity is the "shelf life" of a post. How relevant is it based off the current discussion thread or events. Attention or the level of urgency it requires to be relevant and Timeliness is when can you get to the post and still have it be relevant. Social Media has a wonderful flow of information that you can dip into and enjoy. Twitter is right now and Social Sites have a little more stickness to them when it comes to events. Web Search results have a timely quality, for example product search like the "Dell Mini 10", or for news. Email is queued naturally, but doesn't need your attention right now. Forums have longevity which can be searched or deal with issuses in the happening right now. Blogs talk about items happening now (think Engadget) and can be great references like Tess's blog which have a longevity.
Let me know what you think.
Sean