The Arjay Conception

If you have never heard of Craigslist, or if you have heard of it, and haven’t utilized it–Get On It! You don’t want to miss this virtually free bus and you need to get your ticket before technology forces it into another direction.

I was first introduced to Craigslist, aka CL, by a friend of mine in California in 2003. She knew I was looking for an apartment on the east coast. She mentioned Craigslist as a good resource for “underground rentals” and said she was unsure if it had listings for my area at that time. I believe it did, but the structure was so basic it was hard to believe that anything was accurate.

A few years later, I was reintroduced to Craigslist. On a social networking website, someone contacted me and asked if I wanted to make money. He gave me a spiel about women having “the key” and asked if I knew about Craigslist. I surprised him and told I knew of it, and that it originated in California. We then proceeded to browse posting after posting of women and what I learned to be escort services.

I was impressed with how these women went to great lengths to post advertisements for themselves, and links to their fabulous websites….well, some not so fabulous. There were many women on there trying to make $50 off a quick, dirty fuck, with any Tom, or Harry Dick. Their pictures were trailer-trashy with that notorious cheap flower print hotel comforter in the background. Police were trying to crack down on this but with the internet and Craigslist, the job become a bit more complex.

More recently I have used Craigslist to sell a few large items before I moved. My friend bought a few items when she moved. It is free to look and free to post (and include pictures, even a little html) whereas for the local newspapers there is a small fee. We are broke and need every extra dollar to put in the gas tank. Presently, I have started using Craigslist to do job and housing searches (since I am unemployed and homeless). It is so simple to use and the interface is still quite basic.

Hundreds of cities and foreign countries have been added to Craiglist. I noticed a couple of new things like forums, the Craigslist blog, and a fee for companies to post in a few major cities. Originally, a person had to create an account to post something. Now, you can just create a post and verify it through your e-mail (I still suggest creating an account so that you can manage all your items in one place). It seems that the job and gig listings are heavily populated by internet companies looking for that random, vulnerable Joe to prey on; so, be careful when giving out your information. Real business haven’t caught on so I still have to use Monster and Career Builder.

So, if you’re looking for a house, a job, social companionship/a hook-up, or blow-job for $20, get on Craigslist. Hopefully Craig Newmark (the creator) and Jim Buckmaster (CEO) don’t bulge much as they face the pressure from media and other sources (ie. Ebay). They know competition is fierce and wish they could repeat his success. Craig, tell them to stop hatin’ and just Get On It!