Reuters: "will there be a craigslist of news?"

... "Alan, wisely - threw the question to Craig Newmark who was in the audience. Long silence, and then craig said - 'not from us.' That was all he's say - turning the conversation to the 'ducks on the lawn.' Funny."

I wouldn't be so quick to laugh... makes me wonder whether Craig's got something up his sleeve again... (I wouldn't be surprised, for instance, if at some point he would lend craigslist's infrastructure to some other entity for new gathering purposes... -- if you are interested in this line of thinking just search for his previous statements on the issue, it seems to me that he has at least considered the option in the past, in the context of Daylife if I'm not mistaken...) D.

and what's ... *craigslist's* profit margin?

Craig: "Start viewing themselves more as a community service and forget about 20-percent profit margins. And start speaking truth to power."

Craig is a fine one to talk! craigslist's profit margin appears to be astronomic and getting more so by the day... as to "speaking truth"... it's high time Craig told people the truth about craigslist! (such as how much he profits from craigslist)

Delia

P.S. how can these people listen to him without cracking-up?

Craig must be hypnotizing people!

MORE: notice how the media's "forgetting to mention" what really took place acts as very effective craigslist PR (aka "Craig's own press")

re: "[craigslist] has never paid to advertise itself"

how is it possible that otherwise respectable publications such as Christian Science Monitor don't do their research when they write about craigslist?

Delia

P.S. right! they figured they could just "pay" their "employees" in pages and recommendations and everybody would forget about it... D.

perhaps it's just spin?

MORE:

Well... let's assume he actually meant it... so the newspapers are fat cats that need to go on a diet -- we are just doing them a favor by stealing their food! (or something like that...:). Sounds pretty unfounded to me... that what the newspapers need at a time when they face serious problems (which need plenty of money to be fixed) is... less money!

Delia

P.S. I'd have to track it down but I remember that at some point in the past Craig said that newspapers may need financial support from the government (I agree...); if that's the case it's hard to see how Jim's statements could be anything *but* silly PR... D.


Hi Jean Ives!

re: "Perhaps he is looking at a broader conception of “newspaper journalism” as a duty and ideal, and comparing it to the corporate face forced upon some big newspaper chains today?" (Jim: "Anything that's taking money from newspaper chains in the long run may very well be the most healthy thing that can happen, as far as newspaper journalism is concerned")

perhaps you are reading too much into it.... perhaps it's just spin? (sound like easy PR to me: craigslist is NOT hurting newspaper journalism -- in *fact*, we are helping them out!)

Delia

P.S. notice that he is not talking FACTS *at all*, just speculation... D.

No, Craig is NOT a CEO...

not that it matters much... D.

"This guy is rich"

EVEN MORE re: "the world needs more free things to keep spinning!"

Ha, ha... this guy will be in for a big surprise! (when his local market matures and Craig will charge as much as he can get away with -- it's just not ripe for the picking right now...) D.

MORE: again... notice how Craig "drops in" to do damage control (statements like "this guy is rich" or "[all that prostitution on craigslist] should make Craig Newmark feel so proud" damage his image... but he can't afford to address the issues straight on (he would lose!)... so what does he do? he just insinuates that's not the case ("am I rich?" -- as though he doesn't own a big chunk of craigslist and has profited from it for years; "giving someone a break who really needs it" -- as thought the huge number of women who end up becoming craigslist prostitutes really need the kind of "break" he is providing) and takes off before people realize what he's done... it's a cheap trick and it can't work forever... (people are going to figure him out, eventually...) D.

UPDATE: Good God! looks like I found another Chris Abraham... (a word from Craig -- *any* word at all -- turns them into groupies! and this one doesn't even have the I-just-want-to-sell-my-wares excuse; oh, well... they'll wake up eventually, unless they are brain washed beyond repair...)

re: "As for rich or not, I don’t know, and it’s none of our business :) - I guess we threw the phrase around without too much thought…"

Delia

P.S. Oh and... of course he didn't post my reply... (pussy...)


Hi! (to whoever wrote this -- who was it, BTW? hard to tell...)

re: "This guy is rich"

yep! I think so too! (as a result of profiting from craigslist for years...) yet he continues to insinuate he's just a regular Joe...

Delia

P.S. people are going to wake up eventually, see right through his goofy PR and see him for what he really is... D.

What's with the "craigslist.org" bullshit?

Re: What is Craigslist.org? really

Hi Stephen,

Good question! If they want to keep calling themselves "craigslist.org" – if you try to access craigslist.com it automatically redirects you to craigslist.org – they should voluntarily disclose their profits!

Delia

P.S. are they worthy of the “org” designation or are they just talking the grand talk and… quietly pocketing the money? D.