Networking for paralegals

It seems like the Great-Courtroom-in-the-Ether is quickly becoming crowded. But the latest online legal venture just might receive a unanimous affirmation, at least from the paralegal industry.

I'm referring to MyParalegalSpace, the newest venture by paralegal - and new media entrepreneur - Jeannie Johnston, creator of Paralegal Gateway. Johnston's first creation, born in 2001, serves largely as an information portal.

Not so for MyParalegalSpace, Johnston tells Law Crossing:

"I wanted to have the members put a face to the name and become less quick to get hostile ... I had a vision of [our site] to be more personable. [MyParalegalSpace] creates more of a community feel."

And that community has grown to almost 400 members (all verified as paralegals) in just two months.

Johnston goes on to comment that one of her goals is to help paralegals progress in their careers.

Will MyParalegalSpace accomplish this? Among paralegals, is networking a significant advantage?

What are some other ideas for industry-specific social networking portals?

-JACKIE SAUTER, Multimedia Editor