5 ms·

You're not considering the second order effects. Multiple competitors appear to compete with craigslist (either head to head or picking off the most attractive

by ojbyrne 15y ago

You're not considering the second order effects. Multiple competitors appear to compete with craigslist (either head to head or picking off the most attractive niches). Market grows, profits fall. Are we better off? Just look at the service. Before we had tiny little text ads in the back pages of newspapers, now we have pictures, directions, the ability to search and sort, etc... clearly the service is better. And I think once you take into account the second order effects, and the fact that there's significantly less friction around transactions, you end up with a larger total market, and probably close to a comparable number of jobs.

jbooth 15y ago
There's no way that there's a comparable level of jobs. You know how many people the newspaper industry used to employ nationwide? Craigslist had substantially less than 100 last I heard (maybe they've grown a bit), pushing a way larger volume of classifieds, without any expensive correspondents or any of that news crap. As the original commentator stated, bringing their jobs back would be silly make-work now that they're obsolete, nobody's suggesting that. But it does present a problem.
- ojbyrne 15y ago
  Kijiji, AirBnB, Cars.com, etc. etc. See http://thegongshow.tumblr.com/post/345941486/the-spawn-of-craigslist-like-most-vcs-that-focus http://thegongshow.tumblr.com/post/345941486/the-spawn-of-cr... I think you didn't grasp the phrase "second order effects."
  - jbooth 15y ago
    There should really be a Godwin-like rule when it comes to accusing someone of not knowing how to read. How many people does AirBnB employ, again? I've never even heard of Kijiji. Add up all those companies and you're around the level of a single 100k city newspaper. Maybe 2-3 of them. Did you know that newspapers actually employ a lot of people who's whole job is to get stuff printed out on paper and delivered to everyone's door? Again, nobody's arguing for going back to stupid inefficient gray-paper classifieds. They're just pointing out that efficiency has eliminated more jobs than it's created this time around (see also manufacturing), and there doesn't seem to be an obvious next step for those unemployed if they can't learn programming.
    - piguy314 15y ago
      You are glossing over the other point that reducing the transaction cost increases market participation and velocity in those goods which are advertised in classifieds. Craigslist is easier and cheaper than traditional classified so there are individuals at the margin who will advertiser in craigslist but would not have advertised in the newspaper due to difficulty or cost. Those marginal advertisers buy and sell goods/services which increase economic activity.
    - AppSec 15y ago
      This can be taken to an extreme. How many corporations make/made printing presses? How many corps make/made network devices, monitors, keyboards, mice, smartphones. You can go third to fourth order all day long and you'll end up with the same statement: The only thing that is constant is change. People have to be willing to change and willing to learn or they will be left behind.
- r00fus 15y ago
  As the friction of the transaction decreases, the "jobs" are the less the "classified owners/workers" and now people who can make their living buying/selling on the far-more-fluid craigslist.

by ojbyrne 15y ago

jbooth 15y ago

There's no way that there's a comparable level of jobs. You know how many people the newspaper industry used to employ nationwide? Craigslist had substantially less than 100 last I heard (maybe they've grown a bit), pushing a way larger volume of classifieds, without any expensive correspondents or any of that news crap. As the original commentator stated, bringing their jobs back would be silly make-work now that they're obsolete, nobody's suggesting that. But it does present a problem.

ojbyrne 15y ago
Kijiji, AirBnB, Cars.com, etc. etc. See http://thegongshow.tumblr.com/post/345941486/the-spawn-of-craigslist-like-most-vcs-that-focus http://thegongshow.tumblr.com/post/345941486/the-spawn-of-cr... I think you didn't grasp the phrase "second order effects."
- jbooth 15y ago
  There should really be a Godwin-like rule when it comes to accusing someone of not knowing how to read. How many people does AirBnB employ, again? I've never even heard of Kijiji. Add up all those companies and you're around the level of a single 100k city newspaper. Maybe 2-3 of them. Did you know that newspapers actually employ a lot of people who's whole job is to get stuff printed out on paper and delivered to everyone's door? Again, nobody's arguing for going back to stupid inefficient gray-paper classifieds. They're just pointing out that efficiency has eliminated more jobs than it's created this time around (see also manufacturing), and there doesn't seem to be an obvious next step for those unemployed if they can't learn programming.
  - piguy314 15y ago
    You are glossing over the other point that reducing the transaction cost increases market participation and velocity in those goods which are advertised in classifieds. Craigslist is easier and cheaper than traditional classified so there are individuals at the margin who will advertiser in craigslist but would not have advertised in the newspaper due to difficulty or cost. Those marginal advertisers buy and sell goods/services which increase economic activity.
  - AppSec 15y ago
    This can be taken to an extreme. How many corporations make/made printing presses? How many corps make/made network devices, monitors, keyboards, mice, smartphones. You can go third to fourth order all day long and you'll end up with the same statement: The only thing that is constant is change. People have to be willing to change and willing to learn or they will be left behind.
r00fus 15y ago
As the friction of the transaction decreases, the "jobs" are the less the "classified owners/workers" and now people who can make their living buying/selling on the far-more-fluid craigslist.