Craig Alexander Newmark (born in 1952) is an Internet entrepreneur best known for founding San Francisco-based website craigslist and shaking up the classified advertising business.

Upon graduation he attended college at Case Western Reserve University.
As a senior Web-oriented software engineer, with around twenty-five years of experience (including 18 years at IBM), he has become a leader in online community by virtue of running www.craigslist.org for over 9 years. He's compiled extensive experience evangelizing, leading and building, including work at Bank of America and Charles Schwab.

In 1995, he started craigslist which serves as a non-commercial community bulletin board with classifieds and discussion forums. Using a common sense, down-to-earth approach, craigslist strives to make the 'net more personal and authentic, while advocating social responsibility through the promotion of small, non-profit organizations.

Blog Entries by Craig Newmark

A Mouse Not Always a Good Idea

Posted December 7, 2009 | 10:57 AM (EST)


Around 20 ago, I was an IBM systems engineer, focusing on tech like imaging systems for health claims processing.

Visited a big facility, talked to customer service reps.

Feedback regarding the mouse? "Thanks, but no thanks!"

If you're doing heads-down customer service, you don't want to remove your hands from the keyboard.

This...

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The Great Schlep 2: Health Care Edition

3 Comments | Posted December 5, 2009 | 04:26 PM (EST)


Header Hey, you might recall The Great Schlep from last year, with Sarah Silverman getting the vote out.

Its co-founder (Ari Wallach) is rapidly building something similar for health insurance reform....

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Restored in Washington: respect for public service

2 Comments | Posted December 4, 2009 | 10:06 AM (EST)


Hey, check out an article in Business Week about how things are changing in Washington, and the blog which fills in the rest.

I was impressed by the Obamans respect for the people who work in government. The Bush administration treated government workers like lazy dolts--setting...
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Wikipedia at a turning point

2 Comments | Posted December 2, 2009 | 07:39 PM (EST)


Wiki Wikipedia really is the "first draft of history" and more than that, maybe a vital part of how our species is working together for the common good.

Tomorrow, I...

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One step towards fixing news media (via Jeff Jarvis, Marissa Mayer)

1 Comments | Posted December 1, 2009 | 07:46 AM (EST)


Hey, Jeff Jarvis has something big here at Buzzmachine.

I want to suggest abandoning the article for the constantly updated topic page (a la Wave). The problem with an article online is that it has a short half life and gathers...

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Homeless Wiki Resources

1 Comments | Posted November 28, 2009 | 11:23 AM (EST)


People are using wiki technology in lots of ways to help each other out.

Starting in San Francisco, in early 2007, social workers and lawyers got together and built a wiki to host homeless resources -- SFHomeless.net lists all the known service providers plus using wiki categories, including Food, Shelter,...

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Serious stuff from White House about long term economic competitiveness

2 Comments | Posted November 27, 2009 | 12:18 PM (EST)


Hey, a country can only get real about being competitive if we have lots of engineers, scientists, and people teaching in those areas.

It's a long term deal, but Obama's launched a program to that end: the Educate to Innovate campaign.

Speaking to key leaders of the STEM...

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More Serious Support for the Troops

2 Comments | Posted November 26, 2009 | 11:27 AM (EST)


Hey, it's good to have an Administration which genuinely supports the troops. Here's a few areas where things are getting better, with a focus on veterans and jobs.

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Big news From Washington That Everyone Misses

5 Comments | Posted November 21, 2009 | 12:24 PM (EST)


Hey, Beth Noveck is working at the White House getting really serious about giving all Americans a serious voice in running our Federal government.

She talks about how this is happening at city and state levels in Open Government Laboratories of Democracy:

Inspired by the President's call for...
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Two Observations From 14 Years of Customer Service

Posted November 19, 2009 | 11:02 AM (EST)


  1. Customer service done in good faith is public service.
  2. Customer service anchors you to reality.
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Turning around the Federal battleship

2 Comments | Posted November 18, 2009 | 11:47 AM (EST)


You've heard how government rank and file workers are working together, throughout the US and with citizens, to provide increasingly better public service.  Their dedication has been consistently impressive, particularly during some bad years.

I've been chatting recently mostly with Federal workers, though the following is true of all large...

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"We Got Your Back" -- Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America

Posted November 11, 2009 | 08:47 AM (EST)


091110-hood-memorial-hmed-315a.h2 A year ago today, the Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans of America, with the Ad Council, launched a big campaign to welcome new veterans home and help 'em...

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Trusted groups AARP and Consumer Reports fight for health care

Posted November 9, 2009 | 10:53 AM (EST)


705750656_gdofD-S-1 I've already praised Consumer Reports for standing up for Americans, taking on some really powerful and ruthless politicians.

Now, the AARP, the American Association of Retired Persons,...

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Newmark's Wild Kingdom

1 Comments | Posted November 7, 2009 | 01:56 PM (EST)



Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Hey, I love nature, if it makes itself convenient for me. These were all shot from my home office, where I do customer service for craigslist.

I've identified around thirty species, often with the help of social media.

You can share the excitement at...

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Why "Craigslist Founder Joins Veterans Affairs Innovation Search Panel"

1 Comments | Posted November 5, 2009 | 07:40 AM (EST)


Yup, that's me, figuring I should practice what I preach, in addition to strongly supporting the Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans of America.

Craig Newmark, the founder of "craigslist" and a well-known technology visionary, has agreed to serve on the blue-ribbon panel of the...
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Where does recovery money go? Check your phone

Posted November 4, 2009 | 06:33 AM (EST)


Hey, the folks at Sunlight Foundation have introduced an augmented reality app, you point it around you, and you can see what companies have gotten the money. Check it out:

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PrescriptionForChange.org: Serious health care reform from Consumer Reports

Posted November 3, 2009 | 08:21 AM (EST)


6a00d83451e0d569e20115705de75c970b-800wi The folks at Consumer Reports provide some of the most trustworthy reporting anywhere, doing lots of fact checking, with the highest degree of integrity humans can exhibit.

They give...

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Consumer Reports: What Is Net Neutrality?

Posted November 1, 2009 | 03:39 PM (EST)


2844048090_39721f628d The folks at Consumer Reports provide some of the most trustworthy reporting anywhere, doing lots of fact checking, with the highest degree of integrity humans can exhibit. (yes,...

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Getting Serious Credit Card Consumer Protection

2 Comments | Posted October 31, 2009 | 12:04 PM (EST)


14936 Sometimes banks try to pull a fast one on you, like mailing statements nearly late, then charging you for late fees.

Consumer Reports is helping get reasonable consumer...

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More Innovation Toward Better Public Service from Washington

Posted October 27, 2009 | 11:09 AM (EST)


We're seeing something new from Washington, sites which are being used to help figure out how to better serve citizens.

Toward that ends we're seeing sites used to get ideas as to how to run agencies better, and how to improve fundamental processes involved in areas like acquisition, the...

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