Meghan M. Biro writes: Many of my clients have created community manager roles. In fact, my friend and colleague Tim McDonald (and several other talented, hard working people listed here [1] - take time to read the stories listed here of those who are in the social trenches making this role a reality) is a living, breathing example as a Community Manager for HuffPost Live [2]. I believe this role may be a necessity for any company which relies on the good will and contributions of many people, including those who aren’t employees. Think of the many brands that fall in this category: Apple, TOMS Shoes, The Linux Foundation, too many tech companies to mention (ok, Canonical, local Boston [3] area heroes Google here in Cambridge [4], Black Duck Software, HubSpot and Acquia) and the gazillion other consumer brands who are waking up to the power of collaborating with loosely-coupled online social communities.
More on Forbes.com [5]