The Value of Social Networking.

Saw this article today by David Maizenberg titled, "A Lawyer's Guide to Reed's Law and the Power of Networks." According to Maizenberg, "Reed's law simply states that the value of a social network (an open peer-to-peer information exchange) scales exponentially with the size of the network. Straightforward and intuitive, Reed's law explains why allowing people to interact and group-form freely benefits everyone, eventually." The author continues:

Why does all this matter to lawyers? Well, with all the various forums and groups everywhere beckoning for attention, some lawyers might be asking themselves: Is it a worthwhile use of my time to participate in volunteer, uncompensated knowledge sharing? Reed's Law suggests that the answer is yes. Of course, one still needs to be selective. Network peer groups with no real purpose, or groups with weak participation, or groups that simply become too large, may not necessarily return maximum value. Nevertheless, here's a good rule of thumb: don't be stingy. If a peer group or forum is interesting and useful enough for you to follow on a regular basis, then for the health of the group, as well as your own standing within it, you should probably contribute as well.

I belong to the ABA's Solosez discussion group and can vouch for the truth in this statement. Solosez has over 1000 lawyer members from around the world. Nearly all practice alone or in a small-office setting. I have received an unbelievable amount of value from the list.