by Eddie Tafber

Created on: November 05, 2009   Last Updated: November 26, 2009

Classifieds have been out there for several decades now, mostly in the shape of newspaper sections and other printed, tangible media. And the community service that they have rendered to society has been superb. For generations, classifieds have been an inexpensive way to find products, services and people. Over the years, this hasn't changed substantially: Want to sell your old car? Post a classified ad. Need a place to stay in your new city? Check the classifieds. Looking for a job? Seek through classifieds. Simple. Easy.

Craigslist is not the reinvention of the wheel. Being the largest classifieds portal in the world, with more than 20 million visits per month, the core service that sets them apart from the conventional printed ads is that it takes advantage of the internet to allow users to reach broader audiences, in a much faster way. As opposed to what happens in the case of printed media, when publishing on Craigslist, it is not necessary to adhere to a strict publication schedule to have a classified ad ready. Fast, cheap (sometimes even free), and simple: That's Craigslist's real value proposition

Other than for the points already mentioned, Craigslist is not really revolutionizing the way in which classifieds have worked from their original inception. It's simply enhancing the user experience by and combining the benefits of the web with the traditional pros that regular classifieds inherently have. This way, the risk associated with posting or replying to classifieds on Craigslist, is essentially the same than that of posting or replying to conventional newspaper ads.

Have classifieds ever been safe? Definitely never to a 100%. Considering the ease to access classifieds, whether to post them or to reply to them, it is always necessary to exercise a certain degree of caution. True, there are plenty of people who use these ads to look for clean stuff. But there are others who are just there to catch easy preys for dubious business. Yes, there are people who want to scam. Yes, there are others who want their illegal activities look legal. Yes, there are others who are up to no good. And for good willing users, the real challenge is to differentiate between those who are there for clean and legal purposes, from those who are there to hook people into darker grounds.

Craigslist itself suggests to its users to be cautious when dealing through classifieds. This involves a few common sense rules that should be applied when evaluating any ad. Some basic

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