Founded in 1995 by Craig Newmark in San Francisco, craigslist is an unconventional, down-to-earth web site with a mission of providing a trustworthy, efficient, relatively non-commerical place for people to find all the basics in their local area. The site offers local community classifieds and forums free to individuals. It handles more than 5 million classified ads and 1 million forums postings each month in 175 local craigslist sites throughout the US and 34 countries worldwide. In August 2004, eBay acquired a 25 percent ownership stake in craigslist. [Source: craigslist, August 2005]
Things to read:
- About craigslist
- craigslist facts and figures
- A Talk with craigslist’s Keeper by Jessi Hempel
- Interview with Craig Newmark by Nathan Kaiser
- Mr. Craigslist, Master of the Nerdiverse by Josh McHugh
- Online Classifieds by Sydney Jones | 05.22.2009
Questions to consider:
- What factors contribute to the growth in popularity of craigslist?
- How does criagslist differ from the eBay marketplace?
- What is the business model for craigslist?
- How can traditional newspaper classifieds complete with craigslist?
- The design of craigslist has changed seemingly little in the last decade. What impact has this had on the overall usability and popularity of the site?
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
Selected trademarks:
- CRAIGSLIST ®
- Search real-time for U.S. trademarks.