My friend Matt McCall, the guru of Chicago early-stage investing for Draper Fisher Jurvetson/Portage Ventures, just posted an interesting piece on Web 2.0 and searching, and how people are beginning to become overwhelmed with information.

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I was having a cup o’ Joe with a good friend of mine yesterday (after moderating a panel on business blogging over at the 400 Technology Connection), and the subject of B2B exchanges came up. Since we had just attended a discussion around blogging, we wondered whether or not the new iteration of the web (so-called Web 2.0) could provide the much needed ingredient for the continued resurgence of the online exchange model.

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The other day I was enjoying a pint or two at lunch with a friend of mine. That is one of the biggest benefits of being “in between executive assignments.” He regaled me with the details of a rather interesting phone call he received about a month ago from a recruiter sourcing an executive opportunity with a large publicly-traded firm.

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Recently I received an email broadcast from an networking contact promoting an executive position for a software company here in Atlanta. The position was for a VP of Services, and by all accounts, it seems like an interesting role. However, once I realized who this person would report to, I immediately deleted the email.

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What is the single most expensive thing you’ve ever bought? A house? A car? A dream vacation? What about in the business world? What is the most expensive thing you or your company has ever purchased? A building? A fabrication system? A technology platform? An acquisition of a rival firm? All of those things are expensive, big-ticket items, but they all have value associated with them.

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As much as it pains me to say this, there are some software firms out there who openly shun professional services work. Oh, they may have a small “services group”, and offer a few basic services to their clients, but they don’t really embrace the concept of professional services. Ignoring services, or not providing a focus on it, is both financially irresponsible and a strategic mistake. In Frank L. Baum’s 1900 classic tale, The Wizard of Oz, the lead character, Dorothy, was afraid of things she couldn’t see: the lions, tigers, and bears in the forest. But as you will see, there is no reason to be afraid of integrating services into your revenue streams.

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What do Atlanta-based MfgQuote.com and upstart RFQWork.com have in common? One is highly capitalized, the other is not. One has a robust transaction platform, the other does not. One is the proverbial Goliath, the other his potential David. Both have communities behind them, but as you’ll see in this article, a “community” can mean a lot of things.

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