For many years at Inc., we've wondered how we could improve the state of accurate information about private companies. Private companies want to be known for their accomplishments and they want to connect with one another. But unless they go public, there isn't a whole lot of reliable information about them to be had.

Since for almost three decades, we've created the most authoritative list of fast-growth private companies in the United States, we know first hand that available information is often scarce or inaccurate.

It takes a small army of researchers to find the Inc. 5,000 (it took about two dozen people a full year to complete this project). We knew that a traditional research approach to creating a comprehensive national B2B directory, with really rich company profiles, would take a staff of hundreds. And even with a staff that big, keeping busines profiles truly up to date on a daily basis -- with new press releases, product release information, executive hires, the latest marketing materials and more -- couldn't be accomplished at any price.

But then Web 2.0 came along. And the impossible became possible.  Buzz words like "crowd sourcing" and "wisdom of the crowds" and "user-generated content" started floating around. People started generating profiles for themselves of MySpace and Facebook every bit as rich as ordinary websites. Some bands found their MySpace page was so popular and filled with functionality, that it was getting them more traction than their own websites.

We began work on IncBizNet.com a year ago. Now that it's launched in beta, we invite you to take a look around to see our contribution toward solving the problem of the lack of reliable information about private companies. And helping us connect with one another. 

While it's populated to start with this year's Inc 5,000 class, at present, it's a just a tool. For it to work properly, we need to entice you to participate -- since we know that only the people actually working at private companies can provide accurate and complete information about themselves.

Dig in. Send us suggestions. (And I hope you bear with us as we fix the bugs you may encounter). If you'd like to be a moderator of a community group in your region or industry, all the better. Give me a holler, or just go ahead and set one up after you register.

It's going to be a great year as we get IncBizNet up to speed. Stay tuned.