Is Craigslist Like Wal-Mart?
from the kinda-puts-a-different-spin-on-things dept
Craigslist has a reputation for being a big, friendly community -- and the newspapers who can't deal with the competition are simply out of touch and slow to react. However, someone from within the (alternative) newspaper business is shooting back and claiming that the idea that Craigslist is all about a cuddly community is "bullshit." Instead, Craigslist is to local newspapers like what Wal-Mart is to local mom-and-pop shops:"In many ways, he's like a Wal-Mart – yeah, landlords get cheaper real estate ads, and consumers find some bargains, but the money all goes out of town. And he puts nothing back into the community: He doesn't, for example, hire reporters or serve as a community watchdog."Definitely an interesting way of looking at things -- though, again, it does come back to being a competitive issue. If that's what people want, is it a problem? Why aren't the local papers already offering similar services in their own communities that pre-empt the demand for Craigslist? In places that Craigslist doesn't serve, it seems like the local newspaper should still have a ton more name recognition than Craigslist (who, in spite of its popularity with the geekset, isn't that well known outside of its core cities).
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Agreed
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Re: No Subject Given
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Re: No Subject Given
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Money going out of town...
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No Subject Given
See, I'm helping to save the planet. There's always some bit of good in a situation...just depends on how you look at it.
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No Subject Given
the mainstream (and even local) press hasn't been that in over a decade.
they jump on bandwagon hype stories and drop them as soon as they're something new and shiny.
I wouldn't trust the press to keep my place in the lunch queue let alone show any integrity when it comes to looking after the community
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Re: No Subject Given
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Sissy
They're just bitter cos they didn't have the sense or vision to make it to market first. Get over it boys.. and quit your sissy whining already.
Yes that's right. Soon you will bow to Craig, your new master.
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No Subject Given
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sad
Lately I moved to a red state. The fucked up thing is that wal-mart is the best store in town. It's sad really. All the other stores are more expensive and have lower selection. What's the point?
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local newspapers?
Nothing is stopping them from putting up their own craigslist-like ad system locally, except the overpaid idiot shortsighted executives running the papers from halfway across the country.
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No Subject Given
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weird...
Question for anyone.. how does craiglist make money? I know they do have backing of ebay, but why does ebay back it when it's clearly a money losing proposition. nobody gets charged for selling. they don't send spam mail to my email.
thought?: maybe something to do with other services they have? anybody know?
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Re: weird...
-San Francisco ($75 a category)
-New York ($25 a category)
-Los Angelos ($25 a category)
Everything else is free, including job postings in other cities.
The article is totally without merit.
CL generates enough revenue to flourish with just job postings. Lastly, CL did not sell out to eBay, but, a former CL employee sold his stock options to eBay; eBay wanted in, not the other way around.
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Re: weird...
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CraigsList / Walmart
What money ? Almost everything you ever do with Craigslist is free.
I'd rather by a sofa from a guy round the corner (craigslist) than China (Walmart).
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That's crap
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Re: That's crap
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Craigslist like Wal-Mart.....step outside the box
Regardless, people will always have birds and hamsters, so newspapers will always serve some kind of function. Unless of course Craig hires someone else to fill out his lists for him, and comes to everyones house to collect guano.
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Craig Newmark of craigslist is a unique and humble
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Paper is not evil
Let's start with saying print is not evil. Many media groups that run a classifieds business are indeed only interested in the volume of paid listings generated by a mass audience. They don't care about the community behind the audience.
On the other hand I have to say European media groups do care about profitability and staying in business. The cost of paper and pre-press is high, and the margin on a $20 listing in a local newspaper is narrow! It is impossible for these media groups to go for a 'free-only' model. Keep also i mind that an 'internet' only model is not optimal, as the coverage of free-local-papers is about 80% in Belgium, while the Internet penetration (broadband) is hardly reaching 50%. With other words, print does get your ad to an audience, and the response rates are high!!! Printed listings also get sometimes 20 to 30 reactions... Try it... Also remember that media groups employ many, many people. Media business is people business, as only people make the news, people create the ad and articles and people run the printing machines... who are paying them?
Secondly, I have been working in new-economy businesses, going out of business, while the media group knows how to stay in business. I am still wondering why 'free' is such a killer word... I prefer the saying 'value for money' and with certain print classifieds editions you get value for money.
Last but not least, Craigslist is not so flexible, adaptive and agile as an new-economy company ought to be. How long did it take Craig Newark to decide Jobs listings had to be paid for... 1 or 2 years, maybe 3 or more. A media group indeed acts as a dinosaur, but thinks in cycles of 2 to 3 years to launch new or paid-for services... I don't see that big difference.
Anyway, I am a big fan of Craig Newark and I wish him the best. I do think tahttechnology is changing the classifieds paradigm, and not the 'free' model as such.
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Fluffy Fluffy Fluffy
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Why does Craiglist Block
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craigslist
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There are better alternatives
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craigslist.
shit...all i ever see is the "casual encounters" section. : )
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Craigslist Alternative
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Problem with craigslist is
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