The options to choose from are

1. ossn_extend_view('ossn/site/head', 'js/topbarfocusizer');
   in order to get your script separated and uncached in the head area of the html

2. ossn_extend_view('js/ossn.site', 'js/topbarfocusizer');
   in order to get your script merged with other component's javascript and being minified and cached (with Ossn cache=enabled)

Indeed, that is the difference. Any thoughts on what I should change to get this component working to spec? I see a few alterations i can make...

ossn_extend_view('ossn/site/head', 'js/imagesinmessage_head');
ossn_extend_view('js/ossn/site/head', 'js/topbarfocusizer');

That's a major difference, isn't it?
And yes, the CSS part is working

Can someone please let me know if this component works on OSSN 6.1 or not?

V2.0 has it on line 163 of ossn_com.php

running v2.0 of ImagesInMessage here,
mine doesn't have a line like that

It was taken from ImagesInMessage component. From the ossn_com.php file of it.

" I gleaned that from another fully functional component..."
which one exactly?

Sorry Z Man, but the first version in my opinion needed to be a working version without bugs or error codes. So, I switched it out for the communities sake. Not going to have any version of any component I produce causing problems if I can help it. As for the change in the ossn_com.php file, I gleaned that from another fully functional component as a well working code snippet. The component still needs development to get it to function the way I want it. Right now it holds the topbar in focus, but will eventually have the topbar scroll up and away when you scroll down and present the topbar whenever you scroll up. This is a nice innovation to have for any OSSN installation and hope the community helps to make it happen.

Hmm, I don't find it very helpful that you deleted the code I commented earlier today. My basic idea is always to let the whole community participate, because there's a good chance that others will make similar mistakes and can learn how to do it right this way.
Aside from that: releasing different code under the same version number is just a no-go.

Okay, but let's talk about

ossn_extend_view('js/ossn/site/head', 'js/topbarfocusizer');

in your latest code. How do you come up with a line like that? I mean, you won't find such an instruction anywhere else, that's why I'm a little surprised...