Update 4: real stuff I’m doing to support causes

Maybe you would like to support our Hike for Heroes program that helps military families. Check out http://www.drumhike.com. Troy is hiking the country and the Wish Upon A Hero Foundation is supporting him. We are a newer smaller organization but we believe in the cause. Any support would be awesome.

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Good Job! It would be cool to see some craigslist charity event. I would definitely participate in something like that.

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Dear Mr. Newmark.

I see that you are making considerable effort here to publicize all the “good works” that you are doing. While I applaud your efforts, if indeed motivated by a sincere desire to see positive change in the world, but it seems that your main goal here is to characterize yourself as a philanthropist and ardent supporter of good deeds, in your blog you come across as a self promoting, narcissistic, insecure name dropper, who hungrily desires attention and admiration.

If I may humbly make a few suggestions, let me begin with this. The truly great men and leaders and statesmen of the word do their works quietly behind the scenes, because their motivations are selfless, and to help with the many problems and challenges that face the world today. They have little time or interest in self promoting blogs as they are driven and consumed by deep principles and beliefs that have formed their character, and would generally be embarrassed by any self promotion. “Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven” The world beats a path to these men’s door in gratitude, no self promotion is necessary, and the true philanthropist shuns this kind of adulation as it is abhorrent to them because they are driven by principles which eschew notoriety and self aggrandizement, they know that their power and position is a gift from the one great master, and credit and glory is given to him. You are a product of your generation and your culture, one in which narcissism, the cult of personality, and self promotion are king. I believe your efforts are probably driven by pure motivations, at least I hope they are, but you have seemingly missed a few lessons along the way. You have been given the gift of great wealth, authority, and power. Are you a wise King, or a despot?

I can make a suggestion where you can refocus (or at least give some more of) your attention and a place that desperately needs attention. Your namesake, craigslist.

I have been posting on your site for many years, it has been tremendous boon and helped me and millions of others tremendously, so much so that my livelihood has come to DEPEND on my ability to post on your site, as do the livelihoods’s of thousands if not millions of others.

I follow your rules Mr. Newmark. In the past two years I have seen several of your catagorize completely taken over by spammers who post 100’s of ads per day, often taking up an entire page. The flagging system is used, but it is seemingly totally ineffective against these spammers. Hundreds of people that I know of, including my self have written emails to various departments at craigslist, all the “tools” and resources that you have provided have been used, and every email is ignored, and goes unanswered, and still the abusers fearlessly flaunt the rules and do great harm to the honest businesses who post on your site. In the last two months, my postings are flagged off regularly by my competitors, when I try to repost, I get page redirects, 404’s, I am constantly asked to phone verify my account, (an account that I have had for 10 years) and after doing everything you ask, my post appears to go live, but are immediately ghosted. I have, as do thousands, tried to use your “help” desk to understand and get help with this. Is it a perfect place to go if you want to be insulted, put up with demeaning and disrespectful comments, and even threatened with having your posting removed,. I was asked to send the url of my posting, (has my business heads hot in it) and one of your “helpers” responded in the help comments, “you really have a creep going on, bet you go to Thailand for little kids, you look like a pedophile” I wrote an email to abuse@craigslist.org about this. No one bothered to answer. Your “help desk” is a cesspool, full of trolls, abusive individuals, and bullies. People are actually AFRAID to go there for help. I even receive taunting emails from my competitors because their 20 posts are still up, and my ONE has been removed. Is this what you want it to be Mr. Newmark?

Your companies refusal to even respond to issues about ghosting or the help desk comes across as incredibly arrogant and meanspirited. Often the response to complaining to craiglist about abusive spammers, results in the person who is complaining having their post removed.

I have written to you about this here because I can no longer find any way to reach you at craigslist.

I hope this appeal will help you to appreciate, and spur you to act. Do you really understand the harm and terrible hardship craigslist is creating for the honest and legitimate posters who have come to depend on it to make a living? The vast majority of people in this country are struggling just to survive right now, many don’t know were their next meal is coming from, or if they will be living on the street at the end of the month.

Honest businesses are willing and happy to follow your tou’s, your site provides the opportunity to make a living. Nothing creates more fear and anxiety and is more humiliating than not being able to have work and an income, and to be able to provide for you family.

If you want to do some “good deeds” and help some people that need your help right now, and help keep people working, this would be a good place to invest some time and energy.

Thank you for your time.

Yours truly,

Jim Lamm
Precision Paint & Tile
New York City

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