Apparatus and methods for social media networking using devices configured to communicate in a data communications network where exchanged information is organized according to discussion topics. Users may exchange content with selected members of discussion-topic groups. Initiating comments and replies may be posted to a discussion topic for review by participants. Sub-discussion topics may be defined for discussion topics. A user may further flexibly define active tag and associated arguments for the active tags as a relational or linking structure for a discussion topic. Conventional email messages may be converted and ported into the discussion-topic system.