Membership in an inventor organization connects you to a network of like-minded colleagues, encourages you to exchange ideas and solutions, and gives you access to what’s going on within the inventing community locally and, by extension, nationally.

When you are a member of an inventor organization, you can frequently get free advice and information on virtually any aspect of intellectual property (ip) by contacting other members, people who operate on the “if I can’t answer your question,

I know someone who can” premise. Larger organizations are comprised of memberships that embrace experts in a wide range of specialties, including legal, prototyping, patent searching, drafting, engineering, industrial design, venture capital, Internet, marketing, and so forth.

To meet fellow inventors online, use social networking tools like Twitter, Facebook, and Skype. But these Internet channels should never take the place of meeting people face-to-face and sharing stories over a pizza.

I always remind executives that although on one level independent inventors compete against each other for the placement of product, we are generally very friendly toward each other as a group. We do not perceive each other as competition in the way Walmart considers Target competition or Ford does Toyota. In the toy industry, for example, we inventors help each other with everything from sharing contacts and insights to the best terms available in licensing agreements.

I called a friend one day and asked what kind of a deal he received from a certain company. “Let me fax you my agreement,” he offered. I frequently do similar favors for friends, if sharing is not prohibited by the agreement. It’s one big quid pro quo.