Author Archives: Karl

Craigslist expands into smaller cities

Posted on by

…The News & Record is closely watching Craigslist and developing plans to defend its market share, said Classified Advertising Manager Catherine Kernels.

“We currently dominate the market and they’re the threat,” she said. “We have a plan that will certainly address it. There are a million different websites that are threatening the market. There’s eBay and Monster, and Craigslist is certainly the biggest monster.”

Similar to its editorial side, which has added editor and reporter blogs to adapt to the demands of the internet age, the News & Record’s classified advertising department now posts all its content online. The newspaper has a dedicated employment classified website called TriadCareers, which is by far the largest listing of job ads in the region, currently listing 821 jobs.

Weekly publications that serve Greensboro boast much smaller classified sections.


Yes! Weekly: National online bulletin board threatens to steal ad revenue.

The article leaves to the end the most salient point: the communities that form on Craigslist sites draw traffic to classifieds. Community is key. Anybody can put up a want ads board. Not anybody can attract a community.

On Critics

Posted on by

You must remember that critics are not interested in serving the public trust; they’re interested in serving themselves. You’re a critic, and you need to pay the rent: there is a sea of other critics out there in the same boat. Some people in that situation will always go against the tide, to try and stand out. Some people will focus on gushing with the popular opinion as cleverly as possible – perhaps their punchy little quote will end up in a big ad in the newspaper, and their notoriety/income will increase.

And there are, of course, intellectuals who align themselves with elitism; they are forced to have disdain for all things popular. Their inability to be objective is indication of how ironically intellectual they are not.

In the end, critics are just people. People with an agenda. You are seldom going to find well thought-out, thorough objectivity in that demographic, no matter what they’re critiquing.

But mostly, there’s the bitter, sad realization that while they can write and scream or praise and jump up and down, they will be utterly forgotten in the annals of history, where Star Wars will not. For all their words and self-important positing, they know they have made no lasting contribution, no great impact. They’ve changed no lives, and shaped no futures. They’re resigned to being wordy because they’ve done so little. Like a fat, lazy sports fan who doesn’t like how Barry Bonds is hitting this season. Beset by jealousy, and ignorance, compensatory self-importance and bluster, they sit at their keyboards, furiously typing, and turn their self-hatred outward, to the very things they long to be part of most.

millenniumfalcon.com – The Official Media Review Links Thread

Dan Gillmor’s Bayosphere premiers, and in local news the Inquirer starts a blog!

Posted on by

I like the name and of course I like the concept 🙂 Check out Bayosphere | Of, by and for the Bay Area.

At Bayosphere, we’re going to create a community fueled by that notion. We will reflect — and reflect on — the news, needs and ideas of the
Bay Area and especially the technology sphere that is the prime
economic driver of the area.

Folks – it’s the “of, by and for” that is key and what makes this so important.

I truly believe old fashioned top down “push” media is going to be pummeled by participatory on demand media. You can count on it. Efforts like Bayosphere will help point the way.

Congrats Dan!

Speaking of leading the way, take a look at my old friends at Philly.com today! There be blogs here!

The Inquirer’s Daniel Rubin has launched “Blinq” and joins Daily News’s Will Bunch’s “Attytood” as two local journalist blogs that really *are* two local journalist blogs. Sad to say that the efforts I’ve seen from other newspapers just don’t feel like blogs to me. Too much sameness, not enough off site linkage, not enough personal voice or openness. I’m looking forward to seeing where Blinq goes.

Common PhillyBurbs, Philadelphia Weekly, City Paper – hop right in while the water’s warm.