CEO: Craigslist's Negative Effect on the Print Industry Is An "Urban Legend"

Craig Newmark shared this thought (and others) during an event this week in New York.

By Ava Seave 11/05/2009 -03:44 PM

Craigslist Founder Craig Newmark made a rare appearance on the East Coast this week, as the “Media Guru” at the Harvard Business School Club in New York. And as charming and mild mannered as he was, he was also provocative. Here are a few of his bon mots from the event:

On the financial difficulty print media is experiencing
"It’s an urban legend that Craigslist affected the news business badly," according to Newmark. That Craigslist had nothing to do with print’s financial demise is not generally accepted as an accurate portrayal. There is some dispute, however, about which companies and cultural conditions (eBay and consumer purchasing research online, for example) beyond Craigslist should be blamed.

On social media
“If your company is not thinking about a social media strategy, you are like a tree falling in a forest that no one hears."

On how Craigslist “listens” to social media
“How do we listen to folks? Almost all anecdotal and informal. We check discussion boards, scan blogs, meet with customers in coffee houses. In fact, experience and intuition may be more effective than anything else.”

On privacy on the Internet
“We need a better balance between anonymity and accountability.” Newmark believes that a system similar to drivers’ licenses called Open ID  to confirm “you are who you say you are” will be rolling out in 2010.

On the very basic—and some say unattractive—design of Craigslist:
“A lot of designers would like to redesign the page and a lot of techies would like to change the interface. But we listen to people, and our users are happy.”

On not maximizing profit from Craigslist:
“We are definitely for-profit, but we run it more like a community service…. This business isn’t altruistic, though. It’s not noble. We run it based on the belief that you want to try to treat other people like you want to be treated. And sometimes give the other guy a break.”