Comcast wants to bring social networking to a set-top box near you…

I am a networking junkie. I’ve learned over the past couple of years that what you know isn’t always as important as who you know.  While social networking can be fun, in many ways I see it as just a quicker way of showering the people you know and love with those forwarded jokes you’ve been deleting from your inbox…at least, that’s been my experience. Social networking…not so much.  Professional networking..?  Oh yeah, I’m all over that.

One of the best online networking tools I know of is Plaxo. It integrates with Outlook and Outlook Express on the Windows side, and with Mac Mail, iCal and Entourage on the Mac side, I’ve used it in a number of organizations to bring down all 1200+ contacts I have in just about 3 different places – Work, and the two OS’ on my MBP.

Plaxo is very excited about it (naturally), and see’s the move as a win-win for everyone involved, including customers of both companies. While financial terms were not disclosed TechCrunch puts the deal in the $150-$170M range.  Plaxo joins movie site Fandango in the Comcast stable.

Plaxo is supposed to remain an independent operation, and will report into Comcast’s Interactive Media division.  Plaxo gets to keep all 50 of its employees. The game plan is to weave Plaxo into Comcast.net, Fancast and Fandango as well as television. Plaxo provides the universal address book for Comcast’s SmartZone communications center and hosts webmail.

I have no idea how Comcast really sees these two services coming together, but it will be interesting to see if it works, or if its just a passing fancy.  I don’t want to do much with my set other than zone out while I’m watching TV.

What about you? How do you see this whole thing coming together? Why don’t you join in the discussion and tell us what you think?