LegalAdda.com (I guess Adda is getting synonymous with networking sites i.e. BigAdda, Blogadda.) is an initiative supported and promoted by the MD of Microsoft Neelam Dhawan who feels that enforcing IPR laws was a “challenge” and that the industry, as per studies, was losing almost 72 per cent of its revenue due to circulation of pirated software. Keeping the same issues in mind they seem to have taken the initiative of launching a professional networking platform for legal professionals in India to discuss, share and learn on issues regarding IPR.
At first look the site does look like a poor effort both in terms of design and in terms of content (whats with plugging the live search results?). But its still early days and I guess as time goes on Microsoft will have multiple versions of the site as they usually do with their desktop software.
Microsoft is also encouraging education efforts in the field of IPR by offering scholarships to law students to encourage them to specialise in the IT and Intellectual Property field known as the ‘Microsoft Intellectual Property Scholar Programme’.
On a macro perspective vertical social networks are in vogue when it comes to evolved markets like the US which has social networking sites for moms, financial professional, gays and even dogs! In India the trend has been restricted to generic social and business networks and only recently vertical tech networks like techtribe and study abroad networks like uniguru and bharatstudent have sprung up.
Given the huge population of educated professionals in India and the upsurge of the internet penetration in the next five year vertical social networks is surely a space to watch out for!
I agree that adda seems to have become the word now for networking. But as you mentioned, Microsoft seems to have done a lousy job when it comes to design and content of the site now. Out of the lot (bigadda, blogadda and now, legaladda), I guess blogadda has superb design. Have you seen it? Rajiv, I tried looking for more adda domains and saw that someone has funadda and even sexadda, that is registered 3 days back!!
While the opening page offers much hope and success, it hardly seems to have gained any popularity (upon which it relies for its successful functioning) for the entire effort seems to be based upon a peer-to-peer support structure with law students helping each other by sharing their project works, papers etc. rather than a content provider supported by the organising team.
More at
http://legalperspectives.blogspot.com/2008/01/legal-adda-another-online-portal.html