a. all these companies waste corporate dollars on consulting companies
b. consultants have to recommend these “big buys” to “do something” in social networking; because the consultants read what’s hot on the blogs
c. “do something” usually includes a M&A recommendation with a Small-to-medium size independent social networking company, like plaxo or zyb or [name 100 others].
d. there is always some Corporate VP who takes the bait, drives the acquisitions, works for six month on the new team integration, then quickly realizes it’s a failure alltogether.
e. by that time, the consultants have moved on to other projects anyway…and are recommending some other M&A

do you think apple uses these extensively ?

Plaxo is a global service provider, trying to capture a global service market. It will have to do this by working globally, but also bringing in national offerings to advertisers etc. There is no fit between Comcasts organization and all those national offices that Plaxo needs. Comcast doesn’t open any doors in Europe or Asia. It’s internal procedures are geared towards selling cable subscriptions, not to supporting advertising space in a very specific marktet.

Even a merger with Gigaom would have been a better strategic fit. Sounds like Endemol and Telefonica or AOL and Time Warner all over again.