TulipTools Internet Business Owners and Online Sellers Community

Quote:When I moved here, Craig set me up. He helped me get a new apartment, furniture, a place to sell off my old stuff, and even a new job. And he didn't charge me a penny. That's a pretty familiar story for people here, who rely on craigslist.org much like a public utility, or a public space--a free, old-fashioned flea market-meets-Trafalgar Square.

Craig Newmark, who created the site in 1995, has emerged on the fringes of the community as a kind of cranky, self-deprecating hippie uncle. He seems always to be hovering nearby to offer advice to citizens. And he's happy to offer perspective on the mad dash many Bay Area residents are making to start up their own versions of his enormously popular site. He says he even drops in on apartment building addresses he recognizes from postings on his site--“That's always met with disbelief and panic,” he says...