from Las Vegas Weekly, November 20-26, 2003
Las Vegas Finally Jacks into the Internet
By Martin Stein
Everyone welcomes Craig's List to Sin City, except for some guy in Boston
Perhaps nothing proves the promise of the Internet's ability to connect people more than Craig's List. Begun in 1995 by San Franciscan Craig Newmark, the sprawling electronic bulletin-board site encompasses everything the human heart could desire. Food, clothing and shelter. New jobs and rants about quitting. Love and lust. You name it, you can find it.
Both a huge phenomenon and a hum-drum fact of life in the Bay Area, Craig's List has grown to embrace other communities like Atlanta, New York, and now, Las Vegas, at http://lasvegas.craigslist.org.
Launched November 5 from a server location in San Francisco, the site already has contributors in almost all the categories, which range from the expected, such as job openings for accountants and collectors seeking coveted items, to the more risque, like erotic services and "casual encounters."
lasvegas.craigslist.org>activity partners>Want to see Penn and Teller
Reply to: anon-19012215@craigslist.org
Date: 2003-11-08, 2:18PM
I have an extra ticket to Penn and Teller Nov. 14. Is there a nice lady who wants to go with me? Bill it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests
"When describing what we do to people," Newmark explains, "I just say that we're a place where people can help address everyday needs, like getting a place to live or getting a job. And that's about it. It's kind of hard to really try and sell our site. I just tell people to give it 30 seconds, and if they do need a place to live, or a job, or a date, our site may be of some value to them."
Along with the launch of the Vegas site, Newmark also began one in Honolulu. But Sin City was at the top of the list, he says.
"People had been asking us in increasing numbers and they've increased a lot in the last several months, so Las Vegas was at the very top of our list," Newmark says. His day is full of meetings, but he has ducked out to the Mechanics' Institute Library for just long enough to clear out some 200 e-mails from his inbox. The interview via cell phone while he walks through San Francisco's busy, noisy streets is "more fun than dealing with trolls," he says, referring to Craig's List users who post messages specifically designed to inflame others.
lasvegas.craigslist.org > rants & raves > yay ! thank you for opening the LV board !!
Reply to: anon-18949832@craigslist.org
Date: 2003-11-07, 9:41AM
I hope this will be as successful as the SF list. I used it extensively there and loved it. Can't wait to post here! it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests.
San Francisco, the epicenter for the dot-com boom -- and bomb -- is a natural for a sprawling entity like Craig's List, and the nature of the conversation is symbolic of the vast differences between there and here. People on the street talking so loudly I can hear every word through Newmark's crackling connection. Streetcars and trucks roaring past. And the simple concept of walking from place to place. Here, the talk would be from the quiet confines of a new-model car or over co*cktails at the Stratosphere.
But perhaps the physical disconnect of Las Vegas is a good thing when it comes to online communication, because according to Newmark, Craig's List Las Vegas is hotter than a high-roller on a winning streak.
"I looked at some of the numbers this morning, and Las Vegas, on a monthly rate, is getting over a million pages a month" says Newmark. "That's just the first week, so there's some novelty, but it looks really strong."
lasvegas.craigslist.org>casual encounters>Fun Business man in town this weekend/ seeking Fun Female - m4w - 45
Reply to: anon-19343664@craigslist.org
Date: 2003-11-14, 2:59PM
hi....seeking either a singel or MwF who wants to kick it up this week in vegas. I'm clean/discreet/safe. You be the same....let's chat a bit ...meet for a drink and party all night!!!!!! it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests this is in or around Strip Hotel
Since the dot-com gold rush exploded into flames and all those millions of venture-capital dollars went up in smoke, there's been an exodus from the second-most-expensive area in the country. Newmark certainly believes that is at least a small factor in the overnight success of the site.
"I only have a little anecdotal evidence, and my impression is that the people who have been asking for this are, in fact, a lot of people who have moved from the Bay Area to Las Vegas. I remember seeing a lot of explicit requests," he says.
"My gut feeling, based on initial feedback, is that Las Vegas will be a really big deal for us, and in a way, just the numbers in the first week already show that."
lasvegas.craigslist.org > retail/food jobs > College girls and guys - easy work cleaning spas and jacuzzis
last modified: Sun, 16 Nov 16:46
Reply to: employment@foxypools.com
Date: 2003-11-16, 1:15PM
This is very easy work offering $30 to $100 per hour, part time, full time, flexible schedule, no exp. rqd., no selling, company truck provided, we train. Please visit http://www.foxypools.com and click EMPLOYMENT for details or to sign up. Compensation: $30 to $100 per hour This is a part-time job. OK for recruiters to contact this job poster. Please, no phone calls about this job! Please do not contact job poster about other services, products or commercial interests. Reposting this message elsewhere is OK. this is in or around vegas
In true cyber fashion -- not the Bill Gates "I will control the Internet" sense, but the William Gibson "information wants to be free" kind -- word about Craig's List is spreading quickly among those in the know, and much more slowly among the general population. This article, as a matter of fact, is likely the first mention in solid, not electronic, form.
"We haven't even announced that we have this site. We just kind of do them. I guess we're about as low-key as you can get," says Nemark. And it's in that same almost-outlaw attitude that the site, all of the sites in each city, are basically maintained. Each and every user can vote on each and every post. If you see something that's racist, you can flag it for a moderator to examine. Likewise, something that's an advertisem*nt or simply in the wrong category.
"We've turned over running the site to the people in that city like Las Vegas. People post things, but also people flag things if necessary. And we do the serious abuse case. We have a pretty good culture of trust going, and that's what makes us different," Newmark says.
Of course, in every semi-anarchist state, things are going to tend to be more rough and wooly than nice and polite. It only took a few days before Las Vegas got its first flame from a poster in Boston.
Lasvegas.craigslist.org>rants raves>Brainstorming in Vegas (Oxymorons)?????
Reply to: anon-19228538@craigslist.org
Date: 2003-11-12, 2:43PM
Your city blows. I wish they still tested nukes above ground in Nevada. it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests this is in or around Boston
But the rough-and-tumble bruises Las Vegas is sure to incur should be seen as badges of honor, a somewhat rude welcome to cyberspace.
"People tell us that somehow they feel a genuine sense of community and intimacy on our site," says Nemark. "Our site has some real personality, which is the exception these days."
lasvegas.craigslist.org > rants & raves > I Want to have Craigs baby
last modified: Sun, 9 Nov 11:52
Reply to: anon-19044724@craigslist.org
Date: 2003-11-09, 11:51AM
Thank you, thank you,thank you!!!!! I have been waiting for almost a year for this city to be on the list. Now all you in Vegas need to tell your friends and bosses about this site. I want to move to your wonderful city and hopefully Craigslist will provide. Viva Las Vegas, Viva Craigslist!!! it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests this is in or around not in vegas yet
