Craigslist Facts

When telling Realtors about craigslist.com they usually ask me a few questions about craigslist. (ie. who, what, where, when, why, etc)

Here is a page I found on the craigslist website:

craigslist facts & figures

Q: What is craigslist?
A: Local community classifieds and forums – a place to find a job, housing, goods & services, a social life, advice, and just about anything else.

Q: How did craigslist get started?
A: In early 1995, by Craig Newmark, in San Francisco, California. A little more history is here.

Q: Is craigslist a nonprofit?
A: No, craigslist was incorporated as a for-profit in 1999.

Q: If it’s now a for-profit, why does craigslist still use a .ORG domain? Isn’t .ORG restricted to nonprofits?
A: It is a symbol of our service mission and non-corporate culture. Use of .ORG domains is unrestricted.

Q: How much traffic does craigslist get?
A: More than 2 billion page views per month

Q: How many people use craiglist?
A: About 8 million each month

Q: How many postings does craigslist get?
A: Over 4 million classified ads and 1 million forums postings each month

Q: How many employees does craigslist have, and where are its offices located?
A: 18 of us work out of a victorian house in the Inner Sunset neighborhood of San Francisco

Q: How does craigslist support its operations?
A: By charging businesses below-market rates for help wanted ads in SF, NYC and LA.

Q: How many craigslist sites are there, when were they launched, and why is craigslist expanding?
A: New cities are added in response to user request. There are now 100 cities in 20 countries, as listed below (with start dates):

3/1995: SF Bay Area
6/2000: Boston
8/2000: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Portland, San Diego, Seattle, Washington DC
10/2000: Sacramento
4/2001: Atlanta, Austin, Denver, Vancouver
10/2002: Miami, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Phoenix
4/2003: Dallas, Detroit, Houston, London, Toronto
11/2003: Baltimore, Cleveland, Honolulu, Las Vegas, New Orleans, Pittsburgh, Raleigh, St. Louis, Tampa Bay
1/2004: Montreal, Providence
2/2004: Nashville, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Columbus, Fresno, Hartford, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Milwaukee, Norfolk, Orlando
9/2004: Albuquerque, Anchorage, Boise, Buffalo, Memphis, Salt Lake, Santa Barbara, Manchester, Edinburgh, Dublin, Melbourne, Sydney
11/2004: Albany, Amsterdam, Bangalore, Eugene, Inland Empire, Monterey Bay, Omaha, Orange County, Ottawa, Paris, Reno, San Antonio, Sao Paulo, Singapore, Spokane, Tokyo, Tucson, Tulsa
1/2005: Auckland, Bakersfield, Belfast, Berlin, Brisbane, Brussels, Burlington, Calgary, Cardiff, Des Moines, Edmonton, Glasgow, Jacksonville, Louisville, Richmond, Stockton, Winnipeg
2/2005: Birmingham, Buenos Aires, Columbia, Manila, Mexico City, Rome, Seoul
3/2005: Zurich

Q: What is craigslist trying to accomplish?
A: Provide a trustworthy, efficient, relatively non-commerical place for folks to find all the basics in their local area.

Q: Why doesn’t craigslist focus more on generating revenue?
A: We rely on local communities to suggest ways to make money without compromising craigslist.

Q: Which parts of the site have the most page views?
A: 1) jobs 2) housing 3) for sale 4) personals 5) forums