Craigslist is a classified advertisements website that hosts free listings for jobs, housing, items for sale, and services in categories that cover almost any topic. Users can browse listings and respond freely, while most posters can create ads free of charge. The site is easy to navigate through its broad top-level categories and numerous subcategories. Originally starting as a San Francisco site, Craigslist has expanded to over 450 cities worldwide while maintaining its simple interface without flashy design elements.

1. How Craigslist Works
s1180203 Chika Watanabe

2. Introduction to How
Craigslist Works 1
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. 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

3. Introduction to How Craigslist
Works 2
The site has a range of broad categories, and each
category has several subcategories, making it easy to
navigate to the appropriate section quickly. For example,
the "for sale" category features subcategories like
computer, books, electronics, sporting, motorcycles and
collectibles, among others. Most ads include the member's
e-mail address. Craigslist offers a function that masks e-
mail so that members don't have to worry about their
address being openly available.

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
Newmarks 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
An interested buyer contacts the seller and says he'll send
a check for the item, but when the check arrives, it's written
for a much larger amount. When the seller contacts the
buyer to inform him of the difference, the buyer apologizes
and explains that he wrote the wrong amount after
confusing it with another purchase. He tells the seller to
deposit the check and wire him the difference.Users
posting to craigslist must first click on a button that says
they understand and accept the terms of use.