October 30, 2007
Digging For Answers Without A Shovel
Yesterday I conducted two interviews, and I wasn’t completely happy with either of them.
Of course, nothing is ever perfect, and I did the best I could in both cases. But something was just a little off.
First I interviewed Craig Newmark, the founder of Craigslist, which was a really cool experience. His network of sites has become a cultural icon, and he has been recognized many times over as being very influential.
Craigslist is kind of funny to me, because it’s SO simple looking, and yet so effective. It’s like a cutting-edge concept with a grassroots look; a multi-national company with a small business or solo entrepreneurial feel.
But people use it all the time, and love it, and I’ve bought and sold things there myself. Most recently I found a great elliptical training machine in Medford, about 30 minutes away, for about $100. For years I’ve used a stair climber, but I knew it wouldn’t be worth it to ship it to Oregon from Toronto, so I ended up with a better machine at a fraction of the price.
According to Craig in the interview, the community doesn’t care about fancy graphics or features, they just want it to do what it does; so it will probably stay basic forever.
