I have mixed feelings about craigslist.  On the one hand, i love the informality of it.  I love being able to post stuff for free, and take it off whenever i feel like it.  Unlike ebay, i don’t have to worry about fees, or shipping anything as soon as the item sells.  I guess i’m kind of a laid back sort of guy, so this kind of setup suits me well.

On the other hand, i also hate the informality of it.  Anyone can put stuff on there.  People will call about your ad, and never show up to pick it up.  Or you may see an ad for something you want.  So you call the number on the ad, leave a message, and no one ever calls you back.  So in a sense, the site is kinda sloppy.

I wonder what it would be like if craigslist incorporated some sort of barrier to entry.  In other words, filter out the rif-raf so that not just anyone can put ads on the site.  I think this might help make the site more user friendly.

I heard about LinkedIn a while ago, but never seriously considered joining.  A few weeks ago, I “joined the network” and started playing around.  The first thing I did was gather together as many business cards as I could from my desk drawers and start sending out invitations.  After only a few days, I had a dozen or so contacts, a few of whom I have engaged in conversation with already.  After thinking, it seems strange that something like this did not come about sooner.  Businesses are built on networks, and personal contacts are a vital part to any career.  LinkedIn automates this process.  As businesses move more towards the internet, sites such as this will have no choice but to thrive.

Let me say one thing from the start. I have an apartment. I know where I am going to live, and I do not plan on moving any time soon. Even so, I have seen just about every apartment listed for Shadyside, Squirrel Hill, Lawrenceville, Friendship and Bloomfield under Pittsburgh’s Craigslist page. I don’t know why, but it is addicting. I can’t help but visit again. Craigslist has such an intuitive user interface you can’t help but get exactly what you want. It is so simple that it seem like you are just chatting with neighbors about renting an apartment, or buying a couch, and not conducting some business transaction. This casual feel of the site adds a great deal to its attractiveness. Even if I don’t end up taking that cool 3rd floor on the busline with a balcony, I promise you I will always know it is out there.

In reading articles, over and over again I would come to this word: Community. The purpose of Craig’s list is to create an online community for swapping items, ideas, job opportunities, etc.. In the mid 90s, founder Craig Newmark would give talks about the internet, saying that “this is how we should do business someday.” Perhaps someday was sooner than he thought and perhaps he was also made more of a contribution to that reality than he would have expected. It started as a small email chain that grew more and more with demands. He believes that “What [he does] is give people a voice and that’s powerful.” I believe it also started with just a focus on techie jobs and opportunities out of the San Francisco Bay Area. The current business model is $25 for job ads ($75 in San Francisco) and everything else is free. So from a profit stand point, he makes money off of job listings but by having everything else he drives an incredible amount of traffic to the site. He intends to “humanize and democratize the internet” by connecting people in an easier and more efficient way. It has grown to be worth $80 million in 2008 revenue and to be worth $5 billion overall. Not bad for starting out as a small contact list.

I tend to find myself scavenging craigslist, during my favorite classes.  Humanities classes for instance, or perhaps even business management, where the one time my facial expression changes is when I find that breakthrough deal.   I’ve bought Red Sox playoff tickets, washing machines, bikes, and even week long stays in resorts on islands.  Craigslist is the ultimate online meeting place.  Where fees are unheard of, and users browse, and Web 2.0 is something that’s gone by unnoticed.

Craigslist’s ability to stay relevant has been a testament to its loyal user base.  Valuation of the company is often difficult to pinpoint, and despite requests to sell out, its original owners maintain control.  Unlike ebay, where fees strip profit margins, Craigslist, does an excellent job of organizing by region and bringing buyers and sellers together.