China Expert Networking Group. Join It Or The Kid Gets It.

As many of you know, we recently formed a China Law Blog Group on LinkedIn as a forum for open discussion on China law and business issues. That group has been thriving with nearly 600 members already and a ton of fascinating and enlightening discussions under its belt, including the following:

-- Do Chinese professionals have better phone ethics? (with 33 comments)

-- Chinese companies can't build brands? Think again. (with 52 comments)

-- Google declaring war on China's GFW? I knew it was just a matter of time, but how will this event play out? (22 comments)

-- What are the best English language books you have read on China business over the last ten years? (45 comments)

-- Why should an American court recognize a Chinese judgment? (29 comments)

-- Western attitudes towards China - can we change them? Should we? (24 comments)

So things are thriving in our little patch of the LinkedIn World, at least for the most part.

We have a child who has been diagnosed as failing to thrive. And to be brutally honest, I never really wanted it in the first place. It's name is China Expert Networking and it is officially a subgroup of China Law Blog. Its genesis has a somewhat sketchy past. I did an announcement on how I really wanted to keep the discussion section free of anything that hints at self-promotion. I talked about how it is fine to post your own China related articles on the group site, but that such postings should go into the News section, not the Discussion section. This led some members to opine on how they would like to see the Group become a source for China people to find each other to help on projects and the like. In other words, a place for members to do a little of the pitchy thing (I cannot help but think of American Idol's Randy Jackson whenever I use this word) and for members to find those doing the pitching. So a few weeks ago, I reluctantly created the subgroup with that purpose in mind.

Well guess what? We have a grand total of four members (not counting me as the manager), which is not even close to critical mass. And so let it be said right here, right now. If that group does not hit 50 people within the next few weeks, I'm going to pull the plug on it.