Craig Newmark Spotted in San Diego!

Founder of popular community website intoduces himself to the San Diego online community

WHAT: San Diego craigslist open house
WHERE: 920 E Street, #302, San Diego, CA 92101
WHEN: Tuesday, February 20, 2001, social mixer 6:00-9:00PM

SAN DIEGO - Craig Newmark, CEO and founder of craigslist.org, travels south to find out what the local community thinks of the new San Diego site.

San Diego craigslist (http://sandiego.craigslist.org) was quietly launched on August 11, 2000 in response to the many requests of "When are you going to start a site in San Diego?"

"Suggestions and feedback from the local community has always played an important role in how and where we expand," Craig replies.

Patricia Kovara, a long time friend of Craig’s, stepped up and volunteered to help setup and run the San Diego site. Patricia's been busy connecting with the art, tech, music, engineering,nonprofit, and college communities,helping to get the word out about the local sandiego.craigslist. A big help has come from many of the local craigslist aficionados who are fans of the San Francisco craigslist site,as well as the active and vibrant online community in San Diego. Craigslist is a natural for San Diego," says Patricia. "Helping connect the various communities has been a challenge, but San Diego is on the threshold of going some place great and craigslist is here to help!"

The goal of local craiglist sites is to serve as an efficient, free, and easy-to-use medium of exchange for local communities. One of the key factors in its success is the simplicity of the site, which has no fancy graphics or animation, and gets known mostly through word of mouth.

craigslist is also at the forefront of the "venture philanthropy" movement, in hosting its signature series, Craigslist Nonprofit Venture Forum - a chance for small, local nonprofits to pitch their organizations to an audience of philanthropists.

Recently craigslist added a new service for local non profits and public educators - a Wishlist Program where schools and other nonprofits can list their needs and get donated supplies delivered.

And, founder Craig Newmark notes that "Basically, we try to do something useful and entertaining, and the results have been really positive."

About craigslist.org:
www.craigslist.org was started in the SF Bay Area by Craig Newmark in 1995. The site includes a community bulletin board with classifieds. The organization uses a common-sense, down-to-earth approach and works to make the net more personal and authentic. It advocates social responsibility and promotes small, local non-profit organizations.

Craigslist currently gets over 25 million hits a month, and is ranked among the world's 500 busiest websites (Alexa). In a recent study, Forrester Research recognized craigslist as the most efficient internet job website, noting the company's dedication to quality customer service and regional focus (WSJ 4/2000). The site has expanded to other cites, including LA, New York, Boston, Portland, Seattle, San Diego, DC, and Chicago.

For more information, visit www.craigslist.org/press

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