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A guy that could be an instant Billionaire if he wanted

by Scott Ames
6 replies
I think Craig Newmark of Craigslist could be an instant billionaire if he either sold the company or ramped up the revenues, then sold.

I shake my head everytime I use Craigslist. Its ugly, it's plain, it looks like something from the early days of computing, but it is extremely popular. Even the big boys have not been able to unseat it.
#billionaire #guy #instant #wanted
  • Profile picture of the author Brad Gosse
    Perhaps the simplicity is what is being overlooked as a reason for success.

    A site that is almost entirely text based loads fast and serves its single purpose.

    Classified people don't care about cosmetics and maybe if it was prettied up with graphics and ads they would lose their appeal.

    Right now it has this granola flavor that appeals to the user base. Why mess with that?
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  • Profile picture of the author Entropy4
    Yeah, you're discounting the power of its branding and ability to stay unique in people's minds.
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  • Profile picture of the author Loren Woirhaye
    Ebay owns a quarter of Craigslist - and fully owns its prettier
    (though much less popular) cousin Kijiji.

    One reason people like to use Craigslist is the strong sense,
    just like here, that it is a community first - not a billboard
    asset in which to cram banner ads down our throats.

    Curiously, people seem to prefer that sort of classifieds
    site. If one were to try to monetize CL it would be treading
    on thin ice. I'm sure the company does pretty well selling
    paid listings in major markets... but if it were to assert its
    right to charge in all markets it would quickly turn into
    a ghost-town I bet.
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  • Profile picture of the author Hamish Jones
    Originally Posted by Scott Ames View Post

    Even the big boys have not been able to unseat it.
    Craig Newmark is one of the big boys. There is a benefit from being first. Now you just have to be different.
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  • Profile picture of the author Sean Donahoe
    It does amaze me how popular it became considering the lack of design. That being said, there is a lot to the "Keep it Simple" approach. Look at Google's home page for example! No news feeds, no hype, just a search box and 2 buttons.

    Craig is definitely one of the big boys (whether he likes it or not) and I am sure he would be tempted to sell it one day. Same goes for Twitter, I am sure those guys will just wait for the right offer to come along.

    Sean
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  • Profile picture of the author worlok
    Just look at Drudgereport. It's one of the most popular sites on the net. I like it that some simple concepts can be huge. It gives me hope.
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