I think we're going to see a lot more CCO's. Community is going to become an even bigger role in new companies, and continue to work their way up the chain in existing companies.

I think two things are going to happen, one more more quickly than the other:

1. Community folks striking out on their own.
I saw this a lot in 2012, and I think this trend will continue. There isn't enough room to grow within current roles and companies, particularly for experienced hires, so we're doing our own things and building those roles for ourselves.

2. C-Level Roles for Community
Once companies come to terms, they will begin to shift resources and organizational structure. Companies who know that they need community in their DNA will make more room to capture this type of talent with better compensation and recognition.

One trend I've been watching is the "plugin execs" model of scaling early stage companies, and I think community is an interesting implementation of the model. I'm noticing more investors taking initiative to give their portfolio companies access to top-notch talent/teams in certain areas that may not be in place at certain stages of the businesses they invest in. It's a spin on traditional consultants; in-house design teams at the service of an entire portfolio, growth-stage CFO's, marketing and community teams with experience in launch & early building. Megan Berry's LiftFive was an early community model in this space, and I know a few others working on projects like it. I think this'll become more prevalent in 2013.

@Derek - I'd LOVE to see more of this. Speaking from first hand experience, this is a very challenging model from a business perspective, because community in one company can be dramatically different in another, young companies' needs change so fast, and these types of companies have low budgets. However, within the context/support/education of an investor portfolio, this could become much more sustainable.

Quick side note cmtycollege.com is on the edge of this space and doing *very* well.

But, as for trends, I believe we are finally going to see more brands give more than lip-service to the value they place on customer relationships.
* They will finally figure out that they can place some real KPIs on investment in community activities.
* They will finally stop thinking about social media marketing as the primary activity of community building.
* They will move teams out of marketing, and into a new department responsible for customer retention and growth.
* They will hire outside consultants to come into the business and train cross-departmental teams how to think about the customer and their relationships with one another and the brand.

That is what I *hope* happens. Actual prediction is more of the same. (but, still crosses fingers)