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craigslist facts for kids
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Screenshot of the main page on January 26, 2008
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| Type | Private |
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| Foundation date | 1995 (incorporated 1999) |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, California, U.S. |
| Area served | 570 cities in 70 countries |
| Founder(s) | Craig Newmark |
| Key people | Jim Buckmaster (CEO) |
| Services | Web communications |
| Revenue | US$660M |
| Employees | 50 (2017) |
| Written in | Perl |
| Type of site | Classifieds, forums |
| Advertising | None |
| Registration | Optional |
| Available in | English, French, German, Dutch, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese |
| Launched | 1995 |
| Current status | Active |
Craigslist is an American company that runs a popular website. This website is like a huge online bulletin board where people can find or offer many different things. It has sections for jobs, housing, items for sale, things wanted, services, community help, short-term jobs (gigs), resumes, and discussion forums.
Craig Newmark started Craigslist in 1995. At first, it was just an email list for his friends, sharing local events in the San Francisco Bay Area. In 1996, it became a website and grew to include many other types of ads. By 2000, it began to expand to other cities in the U.S. and Canada. Today, Craigslist serves people in 70 countries around the world.
Contents
History
Craig Newmark, the founder of Craigslist, in 2006
Craig Newmark created Craigslist because he saw how people helped each other online. He wanted to make something similar for local events in San Francisco, where he was new. So, in early 1995, he started an email list for his friends. Most of the first messages were from Newmark himself, sharing social events for people working in technology in the San Francisco Bay Area.
More and more people joined the email list quickly. Newmark was surprised when people started using it for things other than events. For example, people looking for tech jobs found the list helpful. This led to adding a "jobs" section. As users asked for more, the list of categories grew. In 1996, Newmark launched the website "craigslist.org" because people wanted an easier way to use the service.
By 1999, the website was growing so fast that Craig Newmark decided to work on Craigslist full-time. In January 2000, Jim Buckmaster joined the company. He helped improve the website a lot, adding features like a search engine and discussion forums. He became the CEO in November 2000.
The website continued to grow, adding new cities each year. In 2004, Craigslist started charging a small fee for job postings in some big cities. They also added a "Gigs" section for free, where people could post about low-cost or unpaid jobs. In 2008, Craigslist began supporting languages other than English, such as Spanish, French, Italian, German, and Portuguese. By 2012, Craigslist had sites in over 700 cities and areas across 70 countries. Some sites cover large regions, while others let you focus on specific parts of a big city.
How Craigslist Works
Craigslist headquarters in the Inner Sunset District of San Francisco prior to 2010
Craigslist is a very busy website, with billions of page views every month. It's one of the most visited websites in the world. In the United States alone, millions of people visit Craigslist each month. It's the biggest classifieds service, with over 80 million new ads posted every month.
In 2009, Craigslist received more than 2 million new job listings each month, making it a top place to find work. The website has a small team, with only about 28 employees in 2009.
Money and Ownership
Craigslist makes most of its money from paid job ads in certain U.S. cities. The company doesn't share its financial details publicly. However, experts have estimated its yearly earnings to be quite large. Craigslist focuses on helping its users find what they need, rather than just trying to make the most money possible.
In 2004, the online auction company eBay bought a part of Craigslist from an early employee. Some Craigslist users worried this might change the website's simple, non-commercial style. But the site has stayed largely the same, without banner ads or many charges for services.
For a while, Craigslist was mainly owned by Craig Newmark, Jim Buckmaster, and eBay. eBay owned about 25% of the company. However, in 2015, eBay sold its share back to Craigslist. This happened as eBay was getting ready to separate its PayPal business and focus on its main online shopping services.
Website Rules
Craigslist has rules about what can be posted. Sometimes, other websites would use Craigslist's data to create their own maps or search tools. In 2012, Craigslist changed its rules to stop this. They wanted to control how their information was used.
Craigslist App
In December 2019, Craigslist launched an official app for iOS (Apple devices) and a test version for Android phones. This made it easier for people to use Craigslist on their mobile devices.
Site Features
Flagging System
Craigslist has a "flagging" system that helps keep the site safe and appropriate. Anyone can report ads that seem illegal or wrong. You don't need an account to do this, and you can do it anonymously. If enough users flag an ad, it can be automatically removed. Craigslist also has its own automated systems that flag and remove posts before they even appear.
Bartering
Craigslist also has a "barter" option in its "for sale" section. This allows people to trade items instead of buying or selling them with money. This way of trading has become popular and has even been featured on TV shows.
Craigslist Foundation
In 2001, Craigslist started a non-profit organization called the Craigslist Foundation. This foundation offered free and low-cost events and online tools to help build communities. Instead of giving money directly to other groups, it focused on bringing people together and providing resources to help local organizations get started.
The Craigslist Foundation closed in 2012. Its charity work then moved to support other charitable funds.