4 reasons to share your ideas

Getty ImagesWe are living in an age where the power of crowds is accomplishing big things. Writers, who used to guard their ideas now hone their thinking through blogs, build and audience, and then publish their books for a group of expectant readers. Every day experts spend their free time contributing to Wikipedia. And lately I've noticed a lot of folks encouraging would-be entrepreneurs to share their ideas.

Of course, there are times to be guarded. If you've got a concept or invention which might be patentable, then the only person you probably want to talk to is a lawyer. There are also times you want to be first to market a product or service (you don't see Coke running to Pepsi about its latest product before it hits the shelves). But in many situations, sharing ideas with people you trust and respect is a good idea and here's why:

1. Original ideas are hard to protect. Most businesses don't qualify for any legal protection and you really have to come up with a novel way of doing something to get a patent. {Kevin Salwen and I recently answered a question about this on Yahoo! Answers.} When I teach writing, students always ask me how they can protect their ideas. I tell them not to bother. Ideas are cheap and it's pretty hard to come up with an idea no other writer has ever thought of. In fact the best writing usually comes out of ideas that everyone has thought of and connects with; the key is to tackle the idea in a way that is fresh, original, or compelling in some other way.

2. Feedback will help your refine your ideas. In an excellent post called "Never too Early (to talk)," venture capitalist Charlie O'Donnell explains why he thinks entrepreneurs should be talking about their ideas even when they are not fully baked. "Ideas need other ideas and feedback to grow," he writes.

3. You'll get buy-in from those who've helped you. What better way to get people excited and willing to spread the word about your latest creation than involving them in the process of bringing it to reality. People who feel invested in your idea will want you to succeed and end up being valuable promoters for you. (Some great advice on this over at the In Good Company Workplaces blog).

4. Execution is what matters. If your idea is easy to replicate and you're not sure you can do it better than anyone else, you probably won't have much success with it even if you manage to be the first to act on it. (That Charlie O'Donnell post offers some great perspective on this as well.)

What's your take? Have you been burned by sharing an idea too soon or have you seen the benefit of sharing your ideas?