Nice summary on Screenwerk of the values of Craigslist from Craig Newmark himself. Some choice quotes that gives me the warm fuzzies, which is why I continue to use - and root for - Craigslist:

“[Microsoft] Sidewalk approached us about running banner ads.” Newmark considered it but ultimately decided against accepting the ads because he personally didn’t like banners and said “they tend to slow a site down.”

“…I was struck by how much Newmark’s instincts, values and trust for his users guided the development of the site. He also repeatedly stressed community and “human values” (as opposed to corporate values) as guiding principles.

“It drives some people crazy that the site isn’t making more money or monetizing more categories. But Newmark doesn’t want or need more money. (At this point, given Craigslist’s reach, the site has plenty of revenues, with only 25 employees.)

“’We’re not going to sell the company,’ explained Newmark. ‘We just don’t feel an emotional need to do that. I have everything I need pretty much.’”

I’ve always been more impressed by entrepreneurs who create stuff out of their love of technology, something that truly benefits users, or makes the world a better place. Maybe it’s idealistic, but shouldn’t the money be secondary (see number 10)? Steve Wozniak created the Apple computer because he wanted the ultimate personal computer he wanted to buy.

And here we have Mr. Newmark, who is anti-ad, anti-greed, anti-sellout-for-the-easy-buck, and puts the users first. This is my ideal and why I believe Digg has jumped the shark, Facebook is annoying, and slap my head at old business models being revived for one last grab at the golden ring.

When Web 2.0 first got bandied about as a buzz word a few years ago, I really believed part of this new version would be an offshoot of the principles of Craigslist and Google - rectifying some of the gross, greedy excesses of the last .com bubble and crash. But we went from open platforms, sharing, and user created content, to Facebook’s walled garden, advertiser-friendly platforms, and spammers pretending to be your friend.

Luckily, as things eventually shake out and we move on to Web 3.0 - Craigslist will still be around, reminding me there is still decency in the world.

Disclosure: I own a tiny amount of Apple stock.

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