Conversation is an easy word to say, more difficult to describe. Mapping ideas against search over time shows how the social dialogue evolves. But anyone – not just journalists – can become influential, and they often do not identify as topic enthusiasts. It’s no longer journalists who are influential. Again, analytics allows us to identify and rank the influencers that matter to you (see diagram). It follows that none of this can be undertaken lightly. The “community manager” has changed beyond recognition, and the premium on his/her skills is considerable. This is not a role to economize on! Their hi-touch is needed, not just to manage the original idea of a community as a group of people you somehow own, but to join in