There are countless plugins for web browsers these days; frankly, most of them aren’t all that exciting. Every now and then, though, one displays awesomeness that really raises eyebrows.

That, my friends, is what we’ve found with RAPPORTIVE.

In just two minutes, you can install and configure RAPPORTIVE in either Google Chrome or Firefox (IE is, according to reports, coming soon) and be up and running.

What does it do? Great question; I’d be delighted to tell you!

You know those endless, pesky rabble of ads that shows up in the sidebar of your Gmail messages? RAPPORTIVE takes those ads … and simply replaces them. And the information that they give you in return? Fantastic. Useful. In short? Awesome.

RAPPORTIVE replaces the pop-up ads with social information about the person with whom you’re corresponding. Information is pulled from each person’s Google profile, links to Facebook, flickr profiles, Twitter accounts … you name it. All publicly available, of course, but the plugin aggregates the information and displays it on-screen when you need it the most — when you’re actually communicating with that person.

The plugin also gives you space to jot down notes about your contacts; quick reminders and stuff you need to remember. There are even plugins for the plugin, called “raplets,” which provide even more CRM functionality.

There’s a huge side benefit to installing RAPPORTIVE, too: you don’t have to look at those aggravating ads anymore. Gone will be offers for teeth as white as Winter in Siberia or ways to turn yourself into a waif in 30 days or less. You’ll actually have something you can use!

It’s still in its infancy, but RAPPORTIVE is onto something really terrific. It does have its downsides: it can be a tad slow in gathering information on a new contact, and right now, it doesn’t support Internet Explorer or Safari, but for the most part, it’s pretty great. And it’s available for the low, low price of free (you can’t beat that with a stick).