Supernova 2007: because technology is everyone's business

Thursday, June 22, 2006

Spotlight Talk: Craig Newmark, Craigslist

Craigslist has become one of the 10 most popular places on the Web. Craig Newmark of Craigslist answers the questions: How do you create that vibrant community? (Text is not verbatim.)

We’re a pretty simple platform, helping people with everyday needs. The marketing terms are user-generated content. I don’t think in those terms. Someone said our site is a marketplace in the ancient model – chaotic, unruly and vividly human.

Our site is like the old roman forum, or like a modern flea market. They go there to buy and sell, but also to talk to other people. As a UGC site, we turn over the responsibility for policing the site to the people who use it. We’ve learned that people are trustworthy. The result is, we have a culture of trust. We work hard to keep it that way.

My title is customer service rep and founder. CSR is what I do with my time.

We turn the site over to the people who use it. In contrast to corporate sites, which are embroiled in failures of trust. We find that there is wisdom in crowds. You give people the chance to exercise power, they will respond well to that. Sometimes, they’re prone to mob rule and panic, so you have to nurture the community.

Every day we fight of spamvertisers, political disinformation gangs, personal attacks.

Right now craigslist is in the center of the media storm. They talk about our effect on newspaper classifieds. We do affect those markets. But, we do it by bringing value to ordinary people. The media landscape is being altered in big ways, e.g., citizen journalism.

Craigslist does things a little differently. We operate on basic values, like the golden rule. Give people a break. Remember what if feels like to be left out, then include other people. These rules drive our online flea market.

We don’t need to monetize everything. We rely on word of mouth to build the community.