The human side of Craigslist

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I tried very hard on purpose to make sure the Craigslist book was not a human interest piece, which can be difficult when your tool is driven by humans, for humans in a very human connecting to human kind of way. That’s a lot of humanity for one sentence.

Anyways, even though the book is 99% about internet marketing, Craigslist selling, service strategy, product marketing, etc. I wanted to share two of my favorite human interest pieces about Craigslist.

First off, One Red Paperclip. What is not to love about a guy who is able to use the Craigslist barter system to trade a simple red paperclip for a house and now a cameo in a Hollywood movie? Even more impressive is how he used the internet and viral marketing to spread his interesting story to millions. He has a funny blog that details his entire journey, check it out: http://www.oneredpaperclip.blogspot.com/

Next up is a movie, yes an entire movie about Craigslist called “24 Hours on Craigslist.” This movie actually played to limited release and is available on DVD. It focuses on the people, items and situations of Craigslist users. It is a vivid portrayal of how one man’s junk is indeed another man’s treasure. Check it out here: http://24hoursoncraigslist.com

So there you have it, some interesting resources to learn about the human interest side of Craigslist. Personally, I think many of the tactics non-commercial people use on Craigslist apply to those of us who wish to get the word out about a product or service.

Remember the non-commercial parts of the website still help you meet and find people. You should visit the forums, be a part of the buzz and gain some street cred in your regional area at the same time.