Craigslist is a classified advertisements website that started as a local newsletter in San Francisco. It allows users to post free classified ads in categories like housing, jobs, items for sale, services, and forums. Craigslist aims to connect people in local communities in a helpful, non-commercial way. It expanded over time to include over 450 cities worldwide. While mostly free to use, Craigslist incorporated as a for-profit company. One challenge it faces is weeding out scam artists who attempt to use fake money or steal user information through its site.

1. How Craigslist Works

2. What Craigslist Works
● Craigslist.org, originally a San Francisco community electronic newsletter, is now
one of the most visited English language Web sites, with local classifieds for more
than 450 cities worldwide.
● The site's main function is to host classified ads that cover practically every
category you can think of, including housing, job postings, items for sale, services
and personals.
● There's also a forums section that allows users to discuss topics on everything
from gardening to the Linux operating system.

3. CEO Jim Buckmaster aim
● Craigslist's founder Craig Newmark and CEO Jim Buckmaster aim to provide
users with a helpful, noncommercial way to connect with other people in their
communities [source: New York Times].
● Posting for most classifieds categories on craigslist is free, and it's also free to
browse and respond to ads. The Web site doesn't have any flashy animation or
graphics -- its value comes from its utilitarian design and the contributions of its
users.

4. The Craigslist Network
● Each craigslist site focuses on a specific community. Originally, craigslist only listed
classifieds and announcements within San Francisco.
● As the service grew in popularity, expanding well beyond founder Craig
Newmark's original concept, craigslist added other cities to its network. The first
city to join the network was Boston in 2000.
● A couple of months later, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, Portland, San
Diego, Seattle and Washington, D.C. followed suit. Today, more than 450
cities have a craigslist community site.

5. Craigslist Financials
● Craigslist started as a pet project but blossomed into a full-fledged company. In
1999, craigslist incorporated as a for-profit organization.
● The company also purchased the domain craigslist.com to prevent anyone from
buying it and misleading craigslist members.
● Each year since then, craigslist has expanded to cover more cities and communities,
becoming a powerful financial force in the process.

6. Craigslist Controversy
● One of the biggest challenges for the craigslist community is weeding out scam
artists.
● The site has a section describing common scam tactics and what users should do if
they come across them.
● Scams might involve fake money orders or checks, bait-and-switch schemes (in
which you think you're getting one thing but end up with another), phishing
schemes designed to obtain personal information, identity theft schemes and other
unethical and illegal activities.

7. Craigslist Controversy
● One of the biggest challenges for the craigslist community is weeding out scam
artists.
● The site has a section describing common scam tactics and what users should do if
they come across them.
● Scams might involve fake money orders or checks, bait-and-switch schemes (in
which you think you're getting one thing but end up with another), phishing
schemes designed to obtain personal information, identity theft schemes and other
unethical and illegal activities.