If I may be so bold, I’d also add social tagging as an important part of social media for tech comm. Sites like digg.com can “future proof” a reference URL, such as this one http://del.icio.us/annegentle/socialmedia
where I’m tagging everything that I find interesting in social media. Every time I tag a new URL, the URL above is still valid, but contains more info. I can have a network that shares with me. I’d like for more people to share URLs in the tech comm world using del.icio.us, so please add me to your network and I’ll do the same.

Mashups and virtual worlds are more and more a part of Web 2.0, and perhaps as an extension, part of social media. An example of a mashup that is social is on Nikeplus.com, where I can map out running routes using Google maps. The “mashing” is defined by me, a user, using Google maps to customize the running routes around my neighborhood, and sharing them with others in the Nikeplus community. (By the way, I wish I could have joined in on the run that Lindsey twittered about in Philly!)

And virtual worlds, such as Second Life, are already part of tech comm in some ways. Training organizations are already finding the value in offering training programs on Second Life, where people can gather with avatars that represent their personalities online. Machinima is a recording of Second Life’s environment and avatars can be used to do corporate training - apparently John Hartman has experimented with this idea a few years ago. (http://scobleizer.com/2006/08/21/second-life-corporate-training-with-john-hartman/)

And lastly, put your really really future forward thinking cap on, and take a look at chorewars.com. It’s a great example of how real life social and computing are merging. And if you are parenting teenagers or growing a startup, it just might work well in your life.

Thanks for posting this. I’ve only been a vistor (earning my ears) for a couple of months on the Dis boards, but I’ve enjoyed Bawb’s contributions. (especially the Kaht Kam!) My prayers are with his family.