the founder of craigslist said...

[N.N.]

BBC World Service is running an interview

with Craig Newmark of craigslist.org. (See

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/programmes/the_interview.shtml

until Friday July 28.)

 

It includes this question and answer (starting at 22:44):

__________________________

interviewer: What about the people who are using the

site to make money for example from prostitution rings,

you've had a problem with that I think, people using

the site for that. Does that bother you?

 

Craig: Oh it does bother me. Anything illegal on the

site is just something we want to get rid of, and we do

need to help with the community. We just don't tolerate

it, but we need to hear about it. If somebody sends in a

report, we'll respond to it, and if somebody sends it to

me I go after it, and I've removed, oh, a lot of bad stuff.

___________________________

 

Craig is playing a cute little game here. He says

"we just don't tolerate it," even though craigslist

maintains a category for prostitution and the like.

(I know the question mentioned "prostitution rings",

and most of the ads are from individuals--but he

says he wants to get rid of anything illegal.)

 

Does anyone believe that it bothers Craig when

people use his site's "erotic services" category

to offer... erotic services?

 

The burden is on users to play the role of monitors.

To get to those ads, you have to consent to terms

including 'I agree to flag as "prohibited" any posting

i see that is illegal.'

[bigguyinpasadena]

The"erotic services"section is full of ads for female hookers and porn links.

The snippy li'l queens who flag the hooker ads should just mind their own beeswax-what horrid little no-lifes they must be.

Then there are the kooks-they do get flagged.

And now that ebay owns 1/3 enjoy it while it lasts.

[+ LIguy]

I use Craigslist to advertise for guys to pose nude for me usually stripping from a suit and tie or in and out of white briefs while I photograph and video.NO SEX and I don't sell or post them anywhere so it's not a business nor is it an illegal activity yet my postings are constantly flagged and deleted.In the Long Island section 99% of the ads in erotic services are from women.The very few guys who post do it in the M4M or Casual Encounters section but rarely get flagged or deleted.

[+ deej]

As I understand it, the lion's share of craigslist's profit (and traffic) comes from paid real estate advertising. The entire rest of the site is a mere drop in the bucket and receives proportionate attention.

 

Any time he talks about "the site", he's talking about the part that makes money.

[Lookin]

< In the Long Island section 99% of the ads in erotic services are from women. >

 

You may already know this, but you can type m4m in the search box, and filter out all the ads from women. At least in the Bay Area, the guys usually put m4m in the headline. So I've been told. :-)

[RM]

Typing M4M filters out most of the female ads, but not all of them.

[Lookin]

< Typing M4M filters out most of the female ads, but not all of them. >

 

That sounds scary. Remind me not to call any of them . . . :o