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Craigslist is creating a micromarket for home rentals for sports fans. With two more days until the Super Bowl, it may be too late to find a place to stay. Hotels are booked, so people are turning to Craigslist. Enterprising residents in Phoenix and Boston are putting their homes for rent during the game. This reminds me of the Sundance Film festival and the Olympics.
Wired reports that in Boston there were 700 postings on Craigslist.org for accommodations and perks, and thousands of listings in Phoenix. Some people are offering use of their car with the deal. Or someone offered to be your designated driver in case you get too plastered to drive home. It sounded like some of the ads were fellow fans who were not only willing to help with accommodations, but also willing to join in and party with you.
Craigslist keeps gaining popularity not just for home rentals, but for all sorts of classified listings. According to comScore US Internet Year in Review noted that Craigslist.org jumped 74 percent with 24.5 million visitors over last year. Started by Craig Newmark (one of my heros) said he “has been successful because it has built a culture of trust working with people.” There certainly is a feel of camaraderie in the ads. And yes, even trust.
Newman charges for job listings in some cities, but otherwise the site is free. He turned down putting banner ads on the site. Why? Newmark says he won’t do it because, “he already makes enough money.” That’s something unique in American culture – the idea of that it’s possible to have enough.
