4 ms·

My problem with Craigslist isn't that it looks old, the problem is that they seemingly refuse to modernize anything else about the site. Craigslist is chock ful

My problem with Craigslist isn't that it looks old, the problem is that they seemingly refuse to modernize anything else about the site. Craigslist is chock full of spam and people abusing the search feature. I'm no anti-spam guru, but surely there is a way to cut down on people submitting the same thumbnail dozens of times using as many keywords as they can so their cellphone screen repair service shows up when looking for just about anything. Craig is no saint, and actively goes after any competition to his site. That, coupled with the complacency or refusal to go after spammers leaves me with a very sour opinion of the platform and Craig himself.

frankharv 4y ago
I love it and I despise the fact that they pulled down personal ads. It was like a virtual clipboard in the laundromat. Then the feds came and kicked in the doors.
- RunSet 4y ago
  I'm on a mission to keep encounters casual. https://lokilist.com/about.php https://lokilist.com/about.php It's slow going but fortunately text is cheap to host so I can keep this up indefinitely. Edit: If you like it make a post. Even better share the link to the post. Network effect is real.
  - water-your-self 4y ago
    You realize that FOSTA can come for you too right?
- reaperducer 4y ago
  It was like a virtual clipboard in the laundromat. The corkboard is still there. If you start using it again, others will. Same way CL, FBM, and the others got traction.
- joegahona 4y ago
  I thought they pulled their personal ads because people were getting murdered -- the Phillip Markoff interrogation is a must-listen for fans of that genre; it's a shame there's only audio available. According to this QZ article from 2018 though, it was for human-trafficking reasons. > In March, Craigslist pulled its personals section in response to a sex-trafficking bill that holds platforms liable if they are found to be facilitating sex trafficking and prostitution. The reaction was not without merit: over the years, websites like Craigslist and Backpage had become online marketplaces for illegal sexual activity. https://qz.com/1310350/what-we-lost-when-craigslist-shut-down-its-personals-section/ https://qz.com/1310350/what-we-lost-when-craigslist-shut-dow...
CharlesW 4y ago
A recent experience trying to find something on Craigslist was shocking. As much as its UI is frozen in time, so are its anti-abuse measures. I have no doubt that lots of people are getting hurt using Craigslist. I would never recommend it to friends or family.
- defterGoose 4y ago
  Can you provide a concrete example? IME any online platform is going to be a staircase into the bowels of human nature. It's all about being aware you need to protect yourself online. If you're encountering things like child porn or prostitution, or anything illegal really, it's your responsibility to at least report it.
  - CharlesW 4y ago
    > Can you provide a concrete example? Sure. I spent a few weeks looking for an Xbox Series X, and I don't believe that I'm exaggerating when I say that 90%+ of the listings were scams. For about half of those, the scammers just weren't very good, and automated or semi-automated checks should've flagged those listings before anyone saw them. The other half were various scams documented in thousands of articles by a cottage industry created in lieu of anti-abuse measures. > IME any online platform is going to be a staircase into the bowels of human nature. Granted, but some bowels are cleaner than others. Craigslist clearly does not get enough fiber in its diet. > If you're encountering things like child porn or prostitution, or anything illegal really, it's your responsibility to at least report it. I did, of course, but I got tired of working for Craigslist for free after a while.
    - amatecha 4y ago
      Yeah, for a while I would flag any listing I felt violated the ToS. but I started to notice that THE SAME LISTING would come up shortly (if any action was taken on the initial listing to begin with). I'm not going to bother wasting my energy trying to flag listings when CL isn't doing their part to _learn_ and improve their detection of blatantly-obvious fraud or ToS violations. I mean I'm talking like blatant keyword spam (which is against ToS) that's even prefaced by "Keywords:", the same listing made in every possible nearby jurisdiction, stuff like that. It's so obvious and and easy to detect. The worst are car ads. You search for a really specific model, of a specific year, and somehow you get like 500+ results. Because every car listing is just a wall of keyword spam, of completely unrelated makes/models. Cool.
sc00ty 4y ago
> and actively goes after any competition to his site What do you mean by this? Is he acquiring the competition or is there another way he's going after them?
- BitwiseFool 4y ago
  https://archive.ph/YbZbA https://archive.ph/YbZbA "Craigslist has sued or issued cease-and-desist letters to dozens of startups in recent years. A New York Times technology blog last year complained that the site "has dug an effective moat by cultivating an exaggerated image of 'doing good' that keeps its customers loyal, while behind the scenes, it bullies any rivals that come near and it stifles innovation." The article itself is a little old, but it still holds true.
  - c4Km7V3D 4y ago
    Re-read the article, the author does not give a primary source and cites a different article. The subjects of the lawsuits (from many years ago) seem to be sites that are scraping ads/listings on craigslist and mass populating their own site to make it seem as if they have users OR they are sites that are aggregating the information on craigslist and trying to pass themselves off as affiliated with craigslist by using their trademarks. If you've ever searched for an apartment or a car for sale you'll find that many of the new and popular sites are literally just posting ads scraped from craigslist.
Solvitieg 4y ago
It's fair to point out that Youtube and Twitter have spam problems and apparently can't solve it either. I don't think it's trivial.

frankharv 4y ago

I love it and I despise the fact that they pulled down personal ads. It was like a virtual clipboard in the laundromat. Then the feds came and kicked in the doors.

RunSet 4y ago
I'm on a mission to keep encounters casual. https://lokilist.com/about.php https://lokilist.com/about.php It's slow going but fortunately text is cheap to host so I can keep this up indefinitely. Edit: If you like it make a post. Even better share the link to the post. Network effect is real.
- water-your-self 4y ago
  You realize that FOSTA can come for you too right?
reaperducer 4y ago
It was like a virtual clipboard in the laundromat. The corkboard is still there. If you start using it again, others will. Same way CL, FBM, and the others got traction.
joegahona 4y ago
I thought they pulled their personal ads because people were getting murdered -- the Phillip Markoff interrogation is a must-listen for fans of that genre; it's a shame there's only audio available. According to this QZ article from 2018 though, it was for human-trafficking reasons. > In March, Craigslist pulled its personals section in response to a sex-trafficking bill that holds platforms liable if they are found to be facilitating sex trafficking and prostitution. The reaction was not without merit: over the years, websites like Craigslist and Backpage had become online marketplaces for illegal sexual activity. https://qz.com/1310350/what-we-lost-when-craigslist-shut-down-its-personals-section/ https://qz.com/1310350/what-we-lost-when-craigslist-shut-dow...

CharlesW 4y ago

A recent experience trying to find something on Craigslist was shocking. As much as its UI is frozen in time, so are its anti-abuse measures. I have no doubt that lots of people are getting hurt using Craigslist. I would never recommend it to friends or family.

defterGoose 4y ago
Can you provide a concrete example? IME any online platform is going to be a staircase into the bowels of human nature. It's all about being aware you need to protect yourself online. If you're encountering things like child porn or prostitution, or anything illegal really, it's your responsibility to at least report it.
- CharlesW 4y ago
  > Can you provide a concrete example? Sure. I spent a few weeks looking for an Xbox Series X, and I don't believe that I'm exaggerating when I say that 90%+ of the listings were scams. For about half of those, the scammers just weren't very good, and automated or semi-automated checks should've flagged those listings before anyone saw them. The other half were various scams documented in thousands of articles by a cottage industry created in lieu of anti-abuse measures. > IME any online platform is going to be a staircase into the bowels of human nature. Granted, but some bowels are cleaner than others. Craigslist clearly does not get enough fiber in its diet. > If you're encountering things like child porn or prostitution, or anything illegal really, it's your responsibility to at least report it. I did, of course, but I got tired of working for Craigslist for free after a while.
  - amatecha 4y ago
    Yeah, for a while I would flag any listing I felt violated the ToS. but I started to notice that THE SAME LISTING would come up shortly (if any action was taken on the initial listing to begin with). I'm not going to bother wasting my energy trying to flag listings when CL isn't doing their part to _learn_ and improve their detection of blatantly-obvious fraud or ToS violations. I mean I'm talking like blatant keyword spam (which is against ToS) that's even prefaced by "Keywords:", the same listing made in every possible nearby jurisdiction, stuff like that. It's so obvious and and easy to detect. The worst are car ads. You search for a really specific model, of a specific year, and somehow you get like 500+ results. Because every car listing is just a wall of keyword spam, of completely unrelated makes/models. Cool.

sc00ty 4y ago

> and actively goes after any competition to his site What do you mean by this? Is he acquiring the competition or is there another way he's going after them?

BitwiseFool 4y ago
https://archive.ph/YbZbA https://archive.ph/YbZbA "Craigslist has sued or issued cease-and-desist letters to dozens of startups in recent years. A New York Times technology blog last year complained that the site "has dug an effective moat by cultivating an exaggerated image of 'doing good' that keeps its customers loyal, while behind the scenes, it bullies any rivals that come near and it stifles innovation." The article itself is a little old, but it still holds true.
- c4Km7V3D 4y ago
  Re-read the article, the author does not give a primary source and cites a different article. The subjects of the lawsuits (from many years ago) seem to be sites that are scraping ads/listings on craigslist and mass populating their own site to make it seem as if they have users OR they are sites that are aggregating the information on craigslist and trying to pass themselves off as affiliated with craigslist by using their trademarks. If you've ever searched for an apartment or a car for sale you'll find that many of the new and popular sites are literally just posting ads scraped from craigslist.

Solvitieg 4y ago

It's fair to point out that Youtube and Twitter have spam problems and apparently can't solve it either. I don't think it's trivial.