The 4C Interview
Craig Newmark From Craigslist

Craig Newmark

Customer Service Rep and Founder

craigslist

Q. Briefly describe your products and services.

CN. craigslist is a simple site where people can get help regarding everyday
needs, like finding a place to live or a job.  We have a really good
culture of trust and of goodwill.

Q. What cultural trends are affecting your customers and end users?

CN. The big trend is the deep need for people to connect with each other more.
We’ve lost our sense of neighborhood and community, and the site helps a
little with that.

Q. What other market trends are impacting your business?

CN. More and more people use the ‘net for everyday activities.

Q. How is craigslist reacting to these opportunities/challenges?

CN. Mostly, we stay true to our values, about helping people, just giving
everyone a break.  On the tech side, we keep the site fast, and slowly
improve the site and open up new city sites.

Q. There seems to be a big trend in customer, or user, participation at the moment. The Wiki phenomenon is a great example, but even the Google Maps-Craigslist Mash Up is an interesting example where a user evolved your offering. Is Craigslist actively pursuing a policy of user involvement for your future growth?

CN. I really, really like what’s going on, and our site is all about user
participation.  For example, craigslist is self policing, in large part
due to "flagging for removal" and we’ll find ways to hand over more
control to our community.

Pretty much everything we do is based on community suggestions, and we
routinely request and act on what people suggest… and we’re very
interested in the google maps thing, doing research now as to how to do it
right.

criagslist

The ’4C Interview’ is a new regular section on PSFK where we ask senior
execs in a myriad of industries what cultural trends are facing their
business today. If you know of someone who’d like to participate in this column, then email Piers at piers@psfk.com. Thanks.