How would you like to do your social networking from the couch? See your blog posts on TV? Maybe even chat with your friends on that big screen in the living room? Although it won't happen tomorrow - it's one step closer.
Today, Plaxo announced they are being acquired by Comcast Interactive. Here's an excerpt from the press release:
"We are developing an exciting roadmap with Comcast that includes socially enabling the media experience in places such as Comcast's high traffic portal (Comcast.net),CIM's popular interactive entertainment properties (such as Fancast and Fandango), and the television." Plaxo Press Release "Comcast to Acquire Plaxo" May 14, 2008
I just joined Plaxo a few weeks ago. The layout reminded me a lot of Facebook. In my typical fashion of discovery for a new site like this - I like to run out and join, then come back later and play around. I have to admit - until today, I hadn't been back to Plaxo since signing up.
During the initial signup process, one of the tools I took advantage of was the "Share RSS Feeds". I put in all the info for my real estate blog and then left. I was a bit surprised today when I logged in and saw ALL MY BLOG POSTS. My first reaction was.....should I do this? Am I diluting my google juice by having duplicate information out there? Would Comcast now have rights to my blog content? Even though these are valid concerns - I like to live life on the edge. So I won't change anything for now. I did find a bit of comfort in the Plaxo "About Us" section:
"We are dedicated to the notion that your address book, your friends list, and your content belong to you, not to us."
I think this signals exciting things for social networking. Comcast already has channel 888 in most markets that allow viewers to see Real Estate Listings. Imagine feeding your listings or Real Estate Video to Plaxo - which automatically makes them available ON DEMAND for consumers to watch on TV. Makes me want to run out and start shooting videos of my listings!