Orange E-Business Advocate
You may be familiar with the popular website Craigslist, where today's savvy online consumer can go to post, browse, or search countless job listings, classifieds, personal ads, and much more. I found my first Software Engineering position in New York City through this simple but powerful site. I know many friends who have found their apartment here as well. Looking for anything and everything? "Check out Craigslist" is the first thing you'll hear from the average twenty-something who knows a thing or two about the internet.
I read a great article the other day on the Online Journalism Review website about how Craigslist has affected the newspapers' traditional classifieds business, what sets the website apart from the rest, and how Newspapers (and other traditional businesses) need to rethink their strategies moving forward. Here is a link to the article:
http://ojr.org/ojr/business/1086222946.php
I think small businesses can also learn from the success of Craigslist (which, by the way, is still only a 14 person operation) and think creatively about using technology to differentiate themselves from local competition. Why don't we see more businesses utilizing technology to increase profits? I think it has to do with the following assumptions on the part of business owners:
Of course, demystifying the web is a core goal of OCEA. We'd like to show businesses in Orange County that it's not too expensive to use technology, it can be used successfully in almost any type of business, and the use of technology will start to have a positive impact in a very short period of time!
Posted by joseph at June 5, 2004 02:18 PM