What is Craigslist?

Introduction

Craigslist is a website for the posting of advertisements. It has advertisements for almost every job, housing, sale, and purchase of anything. Craigslist also has discussion forums where you can discuss almost every topic with the world. It Functions just like a newspaper’s advertising section. It is a free-of-cost website. It was established in the year 1995 by Craig Newmark, which makes this website 26 years old. The CEO of craigslist is Jim Buckmaster, who has been fulfilling the responsibility of CEO since 2000. Its headquarters are located in the USA, San Francisco, and California. In 2016, its annual revenue was said to be 294 US million dollars. It has 50 employees who are running its business. It provides its information in various languages like English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, and Portuguese. This website covers 570 cities and 70 countries. The full URL is www.craigslist.org.

Craigslist was started as an email distribution list to family and close friends in 1995 to cover some San Francisco Bay area occasions. Gradually it increased its area, and now it covers seventy countries. In 2008, craigslist introduced various languages apart from English for its users. For bigger cities like San Francisco, it offers the facility to concentrate on smaller areas in that particular state. It is one of the extensive viewed websites in the community.

The website has simple graphics and is very easy to use. Its CEO claims to provide one of the noncommercial ways of connection to the people. It verifies email and addresses from its users. However, all the information of the user is hidden to protect its privacy. All trade is between buyers and sellers. The website is not involved unless there is some problem.

Posting an ad on craigslist or participating in discussions is quite easy. For this, you have to sign up on the website. Creating an account on the website is very easy. You just require to have an email address. After providing an email address, you will be given a verification link in your provided email id. After clicking on that link, you are verified, and your account is created. Now you are good to post or respond to advertisements, participate in discussions, or simply explore the website.

Flagging

You can also mark some posts flags which you like or don’t like. Or you can add tags to the posts. For example, the best of craigslist for funny posts, Miscategorized for the post in the wrong section of the website, Spam or over post-for a post which is reposted again and again, or prohibited-for a post that disobeys the terms and conditions of the website. Also, you don’t need to have an official account or log in to the site for flagging someone. This can be done while hiding your identity as well.

Personals

Craigslist was also emerging as a dating network. The personal section of the website allows for dating and casual encounters. The LGBT community used this site very often. However, in 2018 out discontinued its section in response to the passing of SESTA. Advertisement for adults had a special place on-site, but now it is closed. Craigslist strives to prevent sex trafficking and prostitution.

Craigslist Cleveland

In craigslist Cleveland, you have got sections for sale, job, housing, community, services, gigs, resumes, and discussion forums. It also has an event calendar. Craigslist Cleveland also provides a mobile app for Android as well as Apple users. It also has a search option.

The gig section is further divided into subcategories like computer, event, labor, talent, and writing, etc. And on clicking on each category, you land on a page that offers different writing jobs in your area or a particular area you are searching for.

In the service section, you are offered various services like pets, computer repair, beauty, financial, gardening, automotive, etc. Or you can offer the same services if you have talent.

You can check the resumes of people to be hired in the resume section or upload your resume if you are in search of work. You can make gigs in the gig section so that employers may approach you.

The job section in craigslist Cleveland is divided into various subsections. It has parts of almost every job and every type, whether you want full-time, part-time, or freelancing. You can find every type of job. You just need to explore craigslist Cleveland.

In the craigslist Cleveland pet section, there are various services available for pets. You can purchase a painting of your pet. You can go for pet grooming. Even make your pet work in tv commercials, movies, or magazines.

Craigslist Cleveland Ohio

Ohio is the 34 largest state in the USA. Craigslist Cleveland Ohio is specified for Ohio. If you want to find a job in Ohio or connect with nearby people in the area, Craigslist Cleveland Ohio is for you. It is further divided into areas of the state. You can click on your nearest site of Ohio in Craigslist, Cleveland, Ohio or the area you live in and find the job, post the job, get your services done or offer your services, participate in the discussion forums to connect with the nearby people.

Craigslist Cleveland cars

Craigslist Cleveland cars are dedicated to car lovers. One can buy and sell cars here. In the Craigslist Cleveland cars section, you can see almost every type of car. You can add photos of cars and also explain their various qualities. You can buy and sell new as well as second-hand cars here. In the Craigslist Cleveland Cars section, you can also trade your cars along with buying and selling.

Posting an ad on Craigslist

Posting an ad on craigslist is quite simple. First, you have to visit the main page of the website. The site will automatically take you to the column of your city if your GPS is on. Otherwise, you can easily search your city. Click on the post to classifieds. When you click, many different types of varieties will appear.  Click on the name of the variety in which your ad falls. After that, select your subcategory. Now you can publish your ad. Enter all the details and click on the continue button. Click on continue and select the are you want to show your ad to. You can also add images and pictures of the product you are selling. Click on publish, and you are done. If you want to edit your post, craigslist provides you with this facility also.

The Craigslist Network

The site is dedicated to various communities. Initially, it only offered advertisements within San Francisco.  However, gradually its popularity increased, and it started adding more cities. After San Francisco, Boston was the first city that was added to the site in 2000. After some months, other cities like Chicago, Portland, Washington D.C, and New York were also added. The moderators of the website are its members. They can report, flag the spam or persons violating the rules. Therefore, the staff of Craigslist is always available for helping its members in case of any problem. If community members were not allowed to moderate the website, then employees of the site would be severely exhausted from work.

According to the report, every month, the site has more than 25 million advertisements, more than 1.5 million jobs, more than 10 million pictures uploaded, and 30 million users visit a website from the USA regularly. The founder and CEO of craigslist try their best to avoid unnecessary advertising.

The website is used by people belonging to the age groups. Therefore, it is designed simply. It has a simple and easy-to-use layout. People often comment that they find easily here what they are searching for, whether it is online shopping, finding jobs, or connecting to new people. Even the office of the website is not very flashy. It is quite simple and situated in an old Victorian storefront in San Francisco.

Revenues

Craigslist earns its revenue by charging fees for job and apartment advertisements. The price for San Francisco is 75 dollars, while for New York and other cities, it is 25 US dollars. This is the price for posting an advertisement in a single section. If you want to post in various sections or categories, you have to pay separately for each one. For renting an apartment advertisement, you have to pay 10 US Dollars. For other cities advertising is free for jobs and houses. In this way, it makes enough money to support its staff of fifty employees. Craigslist has never disclosed its revenues. However, it is estimated to be in millions of dollars. In 2003, it was estimated to be worth 7 million US dollars while in 2005 it was estimated to be 20 million US dollars. Apart from charging for classified advertisements, it does not sell advertising places on its official website. There are no pop-up ads or banner ads on Craigslist, and it is said to remain the same way in the future.

The Controversy of Craigslist

As it is a public platform, there are various scams. Occasionally some people provide fake checks or wrong money orders. Sometimes, people may take your personal information and use this information to blackmail you. Sometimes buyers send checks of much larger amounts and demand the rest of the money from the seller by saying that he has sent this larger amount by mistake. But when the seller tries to cash the check, it is fake. There is a ban on selling illegal items, but many sellers on craigslist try to violate this rule.

The site has a separate section to alert the users about scams and their types to solve all these types of issues. Users themselves can report a person who seems to be a scam.

One of the biggest controversies of craigslist made its headlines in the newspaper when a person posted a job for a babysitter and killed the lady who appeared for the interview. The CEO replied to this by saying that the media only highlights negative things about the company, such as the claim that craigslist takes the revenue of print media. Apart from that, in the terms and conditions of the website, it is clearly stated that the website has nothing to do with the contents which users post. In terms and conditions of the company, it is also prohibited to use abusive, unlawful, and harmful language.

Ratings

Craigslist has more than 20 million views per month, making it the 72nd website used worldwide and 11th in the United States of America. It has 49 million visitors per month. It is one of the leading platforms for classified advertisements. It also serves as one of the best places to find a job. In 2009, it had a staff of 28 employees only.

Content Policies

Some mashup companies like pad mapper and housing maps,  in 2012, tried to crisscross craigslist data with google maps and put in their data to boost usage. To resolve this situation, craigslist amended its terms and conditions in June of the same year. Craigslists also sued these companies, which rested in the shutdown of pad mapper.

Domain

Craigslist was founded as a small project, but it developed into one of the biggest companies. The company has purchased the domain cragslist.com so that no one can use it in the wrong way. After that, it is continually growing and improving. It continues to add new states and cities and increase its community members.

Nonprofit organization

Craigslist emerged as a nonprofit organization. It accepts donations as it does not host any advertisement to generate its income.

Craigslist also organizes seminars and conferences to encourage community members and improve their abilities. These Conferences and seminars are called boot camps. These camps help the community members to interact and meet each other.

It has hosted eight Conferences to date.

Trading

In its sale section, Craigslist has included a barter choice. TV program barter kings also documented this growing barter economy. It was also featured in one red paperclip blog.

Criticism

San Francisco Chronicle once criticized that Craigslist promotes the over breeding of bulldogs by allowing advertisement from dog breeders. Craigslist does not allow the sale of pets; however, a change of house over small fees is acceptable.

San Francisco Bay Guardian, in 2006, criticized that craigslist is taking the place of print media. When a large number of users mark a person or post flag, it automatically removes that post from the website. The craigslists staff can also mark flags or remove the person who violated the rules.

Home Page

The home page of craigslist is quite old-fashioned and simple, but that is what makes it simple and easy to use. It is free from any pop-up ads or flashy animations. Its home page has a long list of all the countries and their states where it offers its services.

Terms of use

While using craigslist, it is necessary to follow its rules and terms. It is not available to individuals under the age of 18. It does not allow the selling and purchasing of illegal goods and weapons. While making an account, the user has to agree that he is responsible for all his actions, and the website has nothing to do with it. Moreover, the moderators of the website can ban you perpetually or temporarily if you are found to be indulging in illegal activities or breaking the company’s laws.

Points to keep in mind

While selling and purchasing through craigslist, you are directly dealing with another party. Craigslist is not responsible for the seller’s activities. Therefore, you have to be extra careful. Although the company keeps checking on illegal activities and scams, it is better to be safe than sorry. Do not provide your personal information to other persons. If meeting with clients, make sure it is in a public place. Before buying or selling, double-check the profile of the other party. Do not accept checks and cash. Always demand money transactions. Keep your contact information at least. If you are buying something, never send the money first without seeing or checking the product you have bought.

Cost-effective

Craigslist rates are quite lower for posting advertisements as compared to the print media. It is easy to use as well. This makes it the most popular website for posting ads and finding jobs. This is the reason it is a tough competitor for print media. Quite a time, it had to face controversies and bashing from print media because for this reason.

Craigslist discussion forum

It has a discussion forum where you can discuss everything from music to the latest iPhone. It has a list of threads and discussions. If a topic seems interesting to you, click on that and join the discussion and make new friends. You can also start a new thread of your choice, and other people will join you gradually if the thread is of their interest.