Craigslist is the largest classified website and has viewership of more than four million per month and has established itself in more than four hundred and fifty cities. Although it is basically a website to advertise for buying and selling things online, there are many classified sections such as personal, housing, business and so on, where the discussion forum occupies a prominent place.

People, who have similar interests, thoughts and views and would like to share them with others, can make use of the discussion forum on Craigslist. The range of subjects is very large- anything from amoeba to dinosaur- that can be found to be discussed online, by people from remote places of the earth. If not, you can yourself initiate by asking some questions or making a statement and it is certain to bring in some response almost immediately.

There are postings on a particular subject that may interest a person and this would pave way for further conversation with the writer. This is made possible through the contact e mail address of the person who made the post and it can be either a private email address or an anonymous e mail address provided by the Craigslist.

The opportunity of meeting people is also being used for dating and the ad appears in the personal section of Craigslist. But, Craigslist has placed some extra limitations on advertising like requiring the persons to have completed eighteen years of age and preventing people from impersonating others in their advertisements. This caution is exercised since there is some amount of potential danger that may be caused to someone who might be the victim of physical assault. When such restrictions are placed, the problem can be reduced to a great extent.

Without the internet, it would not be possible to come to know of the various views of people all over the world by just staring at the computer screen. Craigslist has made it possible and acts as a window to know what is happening around the world, without stepping out of the house and getting acquaintance with people of all countries and ages. Certainly, networking has shrunk the boundaries of the world and yes, it is a small world after all!

Related posts

• The Craigslist Community (0)
• Promoting your Business Through Craigslist (0)
• Craigslist from Ant Farms to Zookeepers (0)
• Craigslist Changed, Why Don’t You? Have Craigslist Changes Hurt Your Business? Read This! (0)
• Contract Positions Available through Craigslist (0)

Finding Jobs on Craigslist

One of the most well known uses of Craigslist is to find a job. These jobs can be permanent full time jobs, temporary jobs, contract positions and even telecommute positions. Those who are interested in finding a new and exciting career opportunity can browse through Craigslist and search for potential matches in a number of different categories and locations. In addition to browsing through the different categories included on Craigslist, job seekers can also use the search function to search through all of the categories for jobs which may have been placed in categories the job seeker did not consider browsing.

Community members can also find potential jobs by posting their resume through Craigslist. There is a section dedicated to resumes in Craigslist and those who are interested in posting their resume can do so for any desired location. One secret to posting a resume that will gain attention is to include a descriptive headline for your resume. For example an administrative assistant looking for work in the medical field might consider posting a headline that reads, “Administrative Assistant in Medical Field” as opposed to “My Resume”. This is helpful because those who are browsing the resumes in search of an administrative assistant are more likely to click on the first resume than the second because the aforementioned headline is more descriptive.

Meeting Friends on Craigslist

Craigslist can also provide a great opportunity for networking. Whether individuals are looking to meet a platonic friend or a romantic partner or simply looking for a roommate, there is a place on Craigslist for them to post an appropriate advertisement or view existing advertisements. Advertisements for roommates can be placed in the housing section of Craigslist while advertisements seeking friends or romantic partner may be placed in the appropriate category of the personals section. As with any posting on Craigslist, care should be taken to follow all guidelines and restrictions when posting in the personals section of the community.

Buying or Selling Items on Craigslist

Those who are looking to buy or sell items may also turn to Craigslist for assistance. Craigslist has a for sale section which is divided into sections such as bikes, furniture, musical instruments, computers, clothes, household items and even motorcycles and boats. There is even a section for those who are offering items free of charge and those who are seeking the opportunity to barter with others. There is also a wanted section for those who are seeking a specific item they cannot find offered for sale elsewhere on Craigslist. Care should be taken when purchasing any item online to ensure the item is in the condition reported in the advertisement. Craigslist offers a page dealing with scams to provide users with useful information which can help to ensure their transactions operate smoothly.

Discuss the Issues on Craigslist

Members of the Craigslist community can also discuss important local and national issues with other community members. There is a discussion forum with a number of different categories for users to exchange information or debate important issues. When participating in these forums it is wise to follow the guidelines set forth by Craigslist.

Additionally, there is a category in the personals sections called rants and raves for community members to sound off about issues which they feel are wrong. This section is restricted to community members over the age of 18 and all other visitors are cautioned that this section may contain offensive or otherwise objectionable material and should not be visited by those who are easily offended.

Related posts

• Craigslist from Ant Farms to Zookeepers (0)
• Build Your Business with the Help of Craigslist Community (0)
• What Is A Craigslist Proxy? (0)
• Utilzing Craigslist for Affiliate Marketing (0)
• Using Craigslist to Network (0)

Craigslist’s founder Craig Newmark and CEO Jim Buckmaster aim to provide users with a helpful, noncommercial way to connect with other people in their communities [source: New York Times]. Posting for most classifieds categories on craigslist is free, and it’s also free to browse and respond to ads. The Web site doesn’t have any flashy animation or graphics — its value comes from its utilitarian design and the contributions of its users.

If all you want to do is browse the site, you can just visit craigslist.org and click away. The site has a range of broad categories, and each category has several subcategories, making it easy to navigate to the appropriate section quickly. For example, the “for sale” category features subcategories like computer, books, electronics, sporting, motorcycles and collectibles, among others.

Most ads include the member’s e-mail address. Craigslist offers a function that masks e-mail so that members don’t have to worry about their address being openly available. All transactions are between the person who posted the ad and the person responding to it. Craigslist’s employees don’t get involved in any transactions or discussions unless someone reports a problem.

If you want to participate in forum discussions or post your own classifieds, you need to create a craigslist account. The only thing you need to become a member is a valid e-mail address. The signup process is short and painless — after entering your e-mail and filling in a verification word (which helps prevent programs called bots from creating accounts to post ads automatically), you’ll receive an e-mail that includes a link you’ll need to click on to verify your account and log in. Once you’ve done that, you’ve officially joined the craigslist community.

Craigslist users act like the site’s watchdogs by monitoring the content that gets posted. Users flag posts to draw attention to those that are particularly interesting and those that detract from the site. The tags that can be applied to posts are best of craigslist (a funny or effective post), miscategorized (a post placed in the wrong section of the site), spam/overpost (a generic post or one that has been posted multiple times) and prohibited (a post that directly violates the site’s terms of use).

In this article, we’ll look at craigslist’s impact on the Internet, the corporate structure of the company and some of the controversies involving the Web site.

Related posts

• The Craigslist Community (0)
• Craigslist from Ant Farms to Zookeepers (0)
• Build Your Business with the Help of Craigslist Community (0)
• Around the World with Craigslist (0)
• Answering Advertisements on Craigslist (0)

The History of Craigslist

Craigslist begin in 1995, essentially as an email list run by Craig Newmark for the purpose of keeping his friends informed of interesting events occurring in the San Francisco Bay Area. This system spread through word of mouth and the list grew. After sometime others began using the list to respond to the entire list with information about other events or as a way to make requests or exchange information. Those who began responding on Craigslist began posting items such as jobs, for sale items, apartment openings and other pieces of information. Newmark wrote software to enable participants to post this information onto the website which became known as Craigslist.org. Although Newmark was approached in 1997 about the possibility of running banner advertisements on his website, he declined this opportunity.

Finding Items for Sale on Craigslist

The for sale section of Craigslist is the place to find items which are for sale. This section is divided into a variety of different categories. Users can browse through appropriate categories to find other users offering items for sale which may be of interest to them. Those who cannot find an item they are seeking can take advantage of the wanted section to post an advertisement seeking a particular item as well as the price they are willing to pay for this item. When purchasing an item on Craigslist there is always the potential for receiving an item that is not in the condition described in the advertisement. Asking many questions is the best way to avoid this type of problem when making a purchase.

Finding Jobs on Craigslist

One of the most popular sections of Craigslist is the jobs section. Job seekers prefer Craigslist over other websites designed specifically for finding jobs because Craigslist offers those posting the job the opportunity to include information such as whether telecommuting is an option or the position is a contract position in addition to whether it is full time or part time. This is significant because many other websites do not include this information and job seekers who rely on the Internet are likely to be more interested in these options that offer greater flexibility.

Browsing through Craigslist for potential jobs is surprisingly easy. Job seekers simply enter the Craigslist website for the desired geographical region and select a category from the jobs section that describes their desired field of employment. Alternately job seekers can use the search feature to find their dream job.

Related posts

• Around the World with Craigslist (0)
• Answering Advertisements on Craigslist (0)
• The Craigslist Community (0)
• Finding Jobs Through Craigslist (0)
• Craigslist Precautions (0)

Working Abroad

For many the appeal of working abroad may be very alluring. This is especially appealing to those who are young and do not have any commitments such as family keeping them from taking a risk and attempting to find a job abroad. Additionally, those who are financially secure and approaching retirement may be enticed to consider a foreign job. Although the possibility of working in another country may seem intimidating to some, there are others who may enjoy the opportunity to take on this type of adventure.

Learn about Cultural Events

Those who are planning a trip to another state or country may find the community section of Craigslist to be especially helpful. Here they can search for events which may be going on during their visit or activities which may be of interest to them during their trip.

In the community section of Craigslist, users can also find information relating to volunteer opportunities or classes of interest. They can also review the local news section of a particular location to learn more about what is going on in that particular area. All of this information can be useful for users who are planning a trip as well as for those who are just interested in learning more about another geographic location.

Make Long Distance Connections

The personals section may also be of interest to those who are planning a vacation to another geographic location. Those who do not know anyone in the area might post an advertisement seeking a tour guide to show them around the city or accompany them to events. Although this may seem like a risky endeavor to those who are less adventurous, it can lead to an excellent opportunity to have a native provide you with insider information on a particular location during your visit. Of course caution should be exercised to ensure the encounter is not potentially harmful. One way to avoid being placed in a potentially harmful situation is to agree to meet those found through a personals advertisement in a busy, public location during daylight hours and to never go to a secluded location with the individual.

Find a Place to Stay

Those who are looking for affordable housing in another location might consider the housing swap category under the housing section for a particular city. Here individuals post information regarding the type of home or apartment they have, the location of their housing and information regarding when and where they would like to find another homeowner to swap homes with for a set period of time. A housing swap may be an affordable way to eliminate lodging from a travel budget but it does come with some inherent problems. The primary problem is you have to first find another homeowner who is willing to offer their housing for a period of time, secondly you have to coordinate with the other owner to find a suitable time for the swap and finally you have to rely on the other individual’s description of their domicile. Additionally, the homeowner has to be willing to allow the other individual to use their own home for a period of time. This may make many feel uneasy because they may be fearful of their possessions being stolen or their house being damaged. However, those who are willing to take this risk may find an affordable solution to lodging costs.

Related posts

• Craigslist from Ant Farms to Zookeepers (0)
• Answering Advertisements on Craigslist (0)
• The Craigslist Community (0)
• How Craigslist Works (0)
• Craigslist Precautions (0)

Answering Personals Advertisements

The personals section of Craigslist can be a great place for individuals to meet platonic friends or potential romantic partners. However, it can also be a location for predators to prey on unsuspecting victims who do not realize the threat of danger which may exist with meeting online partners in person.

One of the simplest ways to avoid potentially harmful situations is to never agreeing to meet someone in a desolate location. Initial meetings should take place in busy, public locations to minimize the potential for danger. Predators are much less likely to attempt to harm you in a public location. Additionally, it is wise to not travel to a secluded location with someone you don’t know until you are positive they do not intend to do you any harm.

Precautions should also be taken to avoid giving out personal information such as your address to those you meet online. The Internet affords a certain degree of anonymousness and some unscrupulous individuals can take advantage of this to mask their true identity.

Answering Housing Advertisements

The housing advertisements on Craigslist offer opportunities for those who are seeking housing situations such as rental of a housing location, roommate opportunities, sublets or house swaps. Care should be taken in all of these opportunities to ensure the person you are working with does not have any ill intentions towards you. This can be done by carefully screening all potential roommates or others who might be using your house or apartment.

When selecting a potential roommate it is important to verify the individual is trustworthy and able to pay the rent. It is also important to seek out an individual with living habits similar to your own to avoid the potential for conflict.

Answering Job Advertisements

Craigslist is an excellent location for finding exciting new career opportunities. There are many different job advertisements in a variety of different categories. These job opportunities include full time, part time, telecommute and contract positions. The downside to answering job advertisements on Craigslist is the advertisements are often placed anonymously. Those who place the advertisements are given the opportunity to either use their own email address for candidates to respond or to have candidates respond through an email address generated by Craigslist. Therefore, candidates do not always know who has placed the advertisements. For this reason care should be taken when responding to these advertisements to avoid supplying specific contact information. Candidates are instead urged to supply only an email address when responding to advertisements.

Related posts

• Craigslist from Ant Farms to Zookeepers (0)
• Around the World with Craigslist (0)
• Affordable Advertising on Craigslist (0)
• Advertising on Craigslist (0)
• The Craigslist Community (0)