MONROE - Need a new car? Or a job?
How about a babysitter, a vacation rental, a used stove, a size 4T flower girl dress or a even a fifth player for Sheepshead?
Finding everything you need, and maybe a few things you didn't even know you needed, is just a few clicks away on Craigslist.org.
The free online classified network is an international clearinghouse for buying, selling, trading and exchanging goods, services, ideas and information. And it's immensely popular - so much so that it's almost a lifestyle for some avid users.
Craigslist actually isn't a single site; rather it's a network of local sites that span the globe. In this area, there's sites in Madison, Janesville, Dubuque and Rockford.
It's a far cry from its simple beginnings in 1995. Back then, founder Craig Newmark wanted to tell online users about events going on around the San Francisco area. According to Craigslist.org, Newmark was going to name the site "sf-events" but friends suggested "Craigslist" as a way to reinforce the site's personal nature.
And personal it is. In keeping with Newmark's original vision, Craigslist connects people directly with other people. There's no banner ads, no video, no scrolling anything, and, in theory anyway, a completely non-commercial. (Commercial real estate and car ads are prevalent, however.)
It goes like this: You have crib and changing table you decide to sell. You go to your local site (Madison's site, madison.craigslist.org, has the most listings in this area) and enter a description of your product, including the community or geographic location the item is located in and an asking price. You can even upload a photo of the item if you wish.
You can choose to use your personal email or publish your phone number, but most people opt to use a blind box provided by Craigslist with emails automatically forwarded to your account. People interested in your item can contact you to set up a time to see the item and complete the transaction. Unlike online auction sites, there's no transaction fee - you keep whatever you earn.
Craigslist remains true to its intent to be "very real" and down-to-earth by using a basic, almost Spartan interface. The home page is simply a list of categories and subcategories appearing on the home page.
That makes it very easy to use. The network does not even require registration.
Not everything goes, however. Craigslist does maintain a list of items that are prohibited. Obscene material and child pornography, offers or solicitation of illegal prostitution, controlled substances or illegal drugs and weapons and related items are all forbidden. Also forbidden are blood, bodily fluids or body parts; pesticides or hazardous substances; burglary tools; stolen property and gambling items. Selling pets is also not allowed, although a "rehoming" fee can be charged new owners, making local Craigslists popular spots to find a pet or find your pet a new home.
Craigslist users are also adamant about policing themselves. Offensive postings can be flagged for removal.
Teresa Smith is an ordained United Methodist minister and Monroe native now living in Virginia where she is an author, motivational speaker and retreat leader and director of New Pathways, LLC. where she "guides people from suffering to hope and healing."
She's also an avid Craigslister: She's used the site to do everything from sell an "old dresser, painted pink and purple with a cracked top" to find a college student willing to pay for gas in exchange for a ride out West to finding a suitable date for a friend.
She was back in Monroe in mid-August and cleaned out a barn full of items she had been storing for other people. She provided this account of what happened:
"... everything that no one wanted, from pine cones, to bedroom set, four pronged cane, old windows, shower stool, bed frames, and more, we put on the curb. At 10 p.m. I put up hot pink 'free furniture' signs on two major streets nearby. At midnight, I put it on Craigslist - their "free stuff" category. Forty-eight hours later, more than three-fourths of the stuff was gone. The trip to the dump was four times easier and quicker; plus the landfill isn't as full as it would have been."
As much as she loves Craigslist, Smith did have some advice to users.
"I did take safety precautions," she said. "When someone came to pick something up, I made sure and had a second person present for security reasons. I am careful to be clear about what is required of the buyer.
"For instance, we had an old freezer in the basement that I sold for $75. I made it clear that the buyer would have to haul it up the stairs (and bring help to do it). It was a tough job, and we ended up taking our side door off the hinges to get the thing out, but the buyer came with extra hands and all went well."
Lynne Hardy of Monroe is a fan of Craigslist as well. A co-worker first turned her on to Craigslist about a year ago.
"Once I went on it, I was like, 'Awesome!'"
Since then, she's purchased seven or eight items off Craigslist: a foosball table, outside metal glider, a bike, even cabinetry for a bathroom.
"I've gotten a lot of things I needed," she said, adding she's never had a bad experience with Craigslist. She suspects because transactions are handled in person, people are less likely to misrepresent an item than they might be on an online auction site.
Hardy primarily uses the Madison site and doesn't mind traveling to Madison or the surrounding area to look at or purchase an item.
But she'd love to see more people in the area get involved.
"It would be great if there were more people from Monroe," she said.
How about a babysitter, a vacation rental, a used stove, a size 4T flower girl dress or a even a fifth player for Sheepshead?
Finding everything you need, and maybe a few things you didn't even know you needed, is just a few clicks away on Craigslist.org.
The free online classified network is an international clearinghouse for buying, selling, trading and exchanging goods, services, ideas and information. And it's immensely popular - so much so that it's almost a lifestyle for some avid users.
Craigslist actually isn't a single site; rather it's a network of local sites that span the globe. In this area, there's sites in Madison, Janesville, Dubuque and Rockford.
It's a far cry from its simple beginnings in 1995. Back then, founder Craig Newmark wanted to tell online users about events going on around the San Francisco area. According to Craigslist.org, Newmark was going to name the site "sf-events" but friends suggested "Craigslist" as a way to reinforce the site's personal nature.
And personal it is. In keeping with Newmark's original vision, Craigslist connects people directly with other people. There's no banner ads, no video, no scrolling anything, and, in theory anyway, a completely non-commercial. (Commercial real estate and car ads are prevalent, however.)
It goes like this: You have crib and changing table you decide to sell. You go to your local site (Madison's site, madison.craigslist.org, has the most listings in this area) and enter a description of your product, including the community or geographic location the item is located in and an asking price. You can even upload a photo of the item if you wish.
You can choose to use your personal email or publish your phone number, but most people opt to use a blind box provided by Craigslist with emails automatically forwarded to your account. People interested in your item can contact you to set up a time to see the item and complete the transaction. Unlike online auction sites, there's no transaction fee - you keep whatever you earn.
Craigslist remains true to its intent to be "very real" and down-to-earth by using a basic, almost Spartan interface. The home page is simply a list of categories and subcategories appearing on the home page.
That makes it very easy to use. The network does not even require registration.
Not everything goes, however. Craigslist does maintain a list of items that are prohibited. Obscene material and child pornography, offers or solicitation of illegal prostitution, controlled substances or illegal drugs and weapons and related items are all forbidden. Also forbidden are blood, bodily fluids or body parts; pesticides or hazardous substances; burglary tools; stolen property and gambling items. Selling pets is also not allowed, although a "rehoming" fee can be charged new owners, making local Craigslists popular spots to find a pet or find your pet a new home.
Craigslist users are also adamant about policing themselves. Offensive postings can be flagged for removal.
Teresa Smith is an ordained United Methodist minister and Monroe native now living in Virginia where she is an author, motivational speaker and retreat leader and director of New Pathways, LLC. where she "guides people from suffering to hope and healing."
She's also an avid Craigslister: She's used the site to do everything from sell an "old dresser, painted pink and purple with a cracked top" to find a college student willing to pay for gas in exchange for a ride out West to finding a suitable date for a friend.
She was back in Monroe in mid-August and cleaned out a barn full of items she had been storing for other people. She provided this account of what happened:
"... everything that no one wanted, from pine cones, to bedroom set, four pronged cane, old windows, shower stool, bed frames, and more, we put on the curb. At 10 p.m. I put up hot pink 'free furniture' signs on two major streets nearby. At midnight, I put it on Craigslist - their "free stuff" category. Forty-eight hours later, more than three-fourths of the stuff was gone. The trip to the dump was four times easier and quicker; plus the landfill isn't as full as it would have been."
As much as she loves Craigslist, Smith did have some advice to users.
"I did take safety precautions," she said. "When someone came to pick something up, I made sure and had a second person present for security reasons. I am careful to be clear about what is required of the buyer.
"For instance, we had an old freezer in the basement that I sold for $75. I made it clear that the buyer would have to haul it up the stairs (and bring help to do it). It was a tough job, and we ended up taking our side door off the hinges to get the thing out, but the buyer came with extra hands and all went well."
Lynne Hardy of Monroe is a fan of Craigslist as well. A co-worker first turned her on to Craigslist about a year ago.
"Once I went on it, I was like, 'Awesome!'"
Since then, she's purchased seven or eight items off Craigslist: a foosball table, outside metal glider, a bike, even cabinetry for a bathroom.
"I've gotten a lot of things I needed," she said, adding she's never had a bad experience with Craigslist. She suspects because transactions are handled in person, people are less likely to misrepresent an item than they might be on an online auction site.
Hardy primarily uses the Madison site and doesn't mind traveling to Madison or the surrounding area to look at or purchase an item.
But she'd love to see more people in the area get involved.
"It would be great if there were more people from Monroe," she said.