Comcast is attempting to leverage social networking data and technology for its internet and cable TV operations by purchasing Plaxo, one of the first social networking sites.
Plaxo has already been hosting a large percentage of the address books of Comcast web mail users, and with this purchase, Comcast hopes to integrate Plaxo's Pulse social network into Comcast services across its whole range of services, including TV.
The basic idea, based on a post on the Plaxo blog, is this:
Together, we intend to deliver on a vision of making "social media" a natural part of the lives of regular people, not just early-adopters. For example, you should be able to securely post family photos online in Pulse, and have them viewable by any of your family members, whether they are online, at work, on their mobile device, or in their living room watching TV. And you should be able to discover new shows to watch, based on what your friends and coworkers have recommended.
Plaxo's headquarters will remain in Silicon Valley.
