"Ambient awareness", or, I was just thinking that...

[Alex]

Originally Posted by LSPoorEeyorick

Now I know what my friends are up to, a garnered from very short bursts of communication, and it gives me the opportunity to start conversations (or be asked) about intriguing little tidbits of life that require more explanation. They're like tiny little mysteries and it's up to me to inquire more about them.

I guess that might be one key difference. I don't see my online friends in real life all that often. So a tiny little mystery is going to remain a tiny little mystery.