To Craig Newmark, with love
When writing about Web design, I’ve often given props to portfolio designers and Wordpress theme creators. Some designers have inspired me to put my personality out there and others have made me appreciate their own unique online presence. This time, I feel I should showcase and give thanks to another designer for simply creating a wonderful and easy-to-navigate site which I use practically every day. Craig Newmark, thank you for sharing (free of charge) with communities a phenomenon called Craigslist.org. Because the site offers up so many services to barter, a savvy college-aged Craigslister can live comfortably even if they don’t have the means to do so. Moreover Mr. Newmark, I just want to extend thanks for some specifics regarding your site, which I understand hasn’t changed much since the 1990s.
Photo of Craig Newmark borrowed from businessweek.com
By not subscribing to some modes of Webification, you have stuck to your guns. I never have to download another version of Flash Player, or wait extra precious seconds to upload pages. You have made it simple enough for people my grandparents’ age to upload photographs of their vintage wares for sale. Please continue to stick to the basics of text, photographs and hyperlinks.
You have built communities. People with common interests and zip codes have an easy way to participate in online forums and plan events. People who meet up to buy or sell items occasionally build relationships (I’ve built many friendships based on Las Vegas nostalgia).
You have made your site extremely user-friendly. Using breadcrumb navigation which everyone is familiar with, there isn’t any process-learning. Web minimalist and author Steve Krug would probably thank you, Mr. Newmark, for not making him think! Craigslist.org takes a common sense approach to Web usability in that it follows conventions while shifting any marketing extras to the side. To cater to conventions, minimalism and simplicity, Craigslist.org must suffer a little bit. Some would say your site is ugly and not aesthetically pleasing. Personally, I’m one of those people who believe it’s what’s on the inside that counts. Yeah, you might say I’m crushing on you right now.
