I was thinking about the “complexity” and time commitment required to stay involved with and on top of social media these days.  There are so many different ways to be part of the conversation out there, but only so many hours in the day – especially for those of us who are not professional bloggers. 

I thought about my own behaviour, and wondered how much of that was reflective of how others are operating these days.  The big thing I was thinking about was whether the infamous Twitter “RT” (re-Tweet) was taking over the old “comment” feature associated with blogs.  Is RT the new comment?  I know in my case I tend to RT blogs I read which I think are of value, and append a short “comment” in my RT.  Most blogs make it very easy to do this, including the RT/share feature.  What I don’t tend to do – and which I know drives Chris Brogan crazy based on what I read in a recent blog of his – is comment much on blogs.  Instead, my RT is a sort proxy for what would be a “comment” but made available to a much broader audience.  At the same time, I’m also extending the reach of the original content, and I’m still part of the conversation.  But for me it involves one less step, or action I have to take because I’m not commenting first and then doing an RT.  In some ways, the RT is even more powerful than the comment because of the reach and exposure it generates. 

There’s so much to do in social media these days – update on Facebook, tweet, RT, blog, read blogs, etc. that whatever you can do to streamline your activity is a bonus.  What do you think?  Is RT the new “comment” in social media, or is it just me?