Vlingo, a startup that builds mobile voice apps used by 3 million people on myriad devices, reported that the most-searched term by voice was YouTube. In addition, the app-maker found that actionable terms such as weather, white pages, yellow pages and craigslist were in the top 10 mobile voice searches.

But higher on the list were Facebook and MySpace, suggesting that people have to remain connected to their virtual social networks even when out and about in reality — possibly with their actual social networks…

Top 10 Mobile Voice Searches for 2009 1. YouTube
2. Facebook
3. MySpace
4. Weather
5. Movie Times
6. Twitter
7. Yellow Pages
8. MapQuest
9. craigslist
10. White Pages

But indie rock, like many other pop-art forms with “best-of” lists, is a popularity contest — and it’s easier to compete if you have a publicist. A more honest popularity contest is the most searched term of 2009, which Hitwise proclaims is (drum roll please): Facebook.

Well, that was anticlimatic.

Still, good old FB was the subject of 0.67% of searches between January and November of this year. That’s even impressive considering that it was the 10th most searched term last year and the top was (wait for it–it’s good) MySpace. But the mighty hasn’t fallen far — it took up the second slot, followed by Craigslist (which came in second last year).

Google.com came in as the most-visited site for U.S. users (6.7%), followed by Yahoo! mail (4.44%) — the same as last year. However, Facebook.com (4.26%) took third-most popular site, displacing Myspace.com from the year before. News Corp.’s lingering disappointment still held fifth-most visited site (3.36%), behind Yahoo.com (3%).

Craigslist dropped off four suits in the clerk’s office in Northern California against Red Trumpet — which runs the website Craigsup.com — web marketer Eddie Temple and several individuals, some of which were anonymous. The charges include infringing on copyright and trademark and violating the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.

“Defendants develop, offer, market and distribute illegal tools and services designed to greatly facilitate and amplify unauthorized and illegal uses of Craigslist’s classified services — at the expense of Craigslist and legitimate Craigslist users,” the complaint against Red Trumpet reads.

The company’s legal docket is getting pretty heavy — in addition to several lawsuits against various spammers filed this year, Craigslist also has two suits filed against shareholder eBay.

Chances are you would be right except if you are talking about online classified advertising site Craigslist, where, one consulting firm estimates, revenue – tied to paid ads – could top $100 million in 2009. If ever sold, the price could reach the billions. According to Gary Wolf, the glory of the site is its size – 47 million unique users every month in the US alone – and its price – free.

“…craigslist is one of the strangest monopolies in history, where customers are locked in by fees set at zero and where the ambiance of neglect is not a way to extract more profit but the expression of a worldview.”

The future success of the site is not in the world of social networks and SMS, according to Wolf, but in corporate isolation, user anonymity, refusal of excessive profit and glacial adoption of new features. Try to foist that on your bosses at the next company meeting. Oh. The type of meeting that Craigslist would never have.

Attorney General Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut led the charge against the listings earlier this year, sending Craigslist a letter representing 39 other states. Since then, the two parties have been meeting to hammer out an agreement.

In March, Craigslist required erotic ads to post phone numbers that it would then call to screen the company. Now, Craigslist will ask advertisers to provide identification and will begin charging fees (between $5 and $10) for each ad.

Bill Me Later is an online payment company that evaluates credit risks – a wise buy for eBay as the credit crisis shows no signs of slowing. Bill Me Later also sports a roster of high-profile clients (Apple, WalMart). As eBay’s auction biz tapers off, this purchase will probably make eBay the top dog in the online payment universe.

The two Danish buys are part of eBay’s move to expand its online classified business globally and rival nemesis Craigslist’s dominance in that field.

 Online classified advertising is a great way to promote your product or service – virtually for free. With popular online classified websites like Craigslist and USfreeads this type of advertising is very low cost. Even large sites like Yahoo now offer their very own version of online classified ads. I recently came across second tier sites that offer the same service as Craigslist without the limitation of advertising for a specific city only or ads that expire after seven days.

With the expansion of internet classifieds, more and more consumers are finding what they need quickly and easily online. You can become a part of the online advertising opportunity simply by visiting one of these online classifieds websites and registering. After completing a short registration form you will be asked to post your ad. Some boards allow you to include a complete description, contact information, and a product photo. When developing your classified ad, remember to:

- Include a basic description of your product. With a largely text-based environment, it’s important to highlight key features and a compelling differential for your product. Make sure to set your product/service apart from others in your description.

- Create an offer. Whether giving a coupon or a free download, an offer can move prospects to purchase. Consider a unique offer that will allow you to attract the success of your online ad.

- Make contact and ordering information obvious. Don’t bury your call to action or contact information at the bottom of your classified ad. Most individuals won’t page down to the bottom of your listing. Be sure that this information appears at both the top and bottom of our ad. 

- Post your classified ad to multiple boards. You may get very different response rates from the same ad placed on different classified ad websites. As a result, you should post your advertisement to a variety of sites to determine which site generates the best return.

- Split Test. Very different ads and offers can receive different results. Consider uploading multiple ad versions in order to validate your top performing ad.

- Manage expectations. Classified ads aren’t notorious for generating a large return. Where classified advertising comes into play is with scale. If you can generate a profit using classified advertising, then you want to replicate the model across multiple job boards. Doing so will maximize returns. The thing to keep in mind is that a single classified ad isn’t going to generate tens of thousands of dollars in revenue.

As with any marketing initiative, online advertising requires experimentation, creativity, and tracking. Start small with just a few ads using the free and low cost classified advertising websites available online. These sites, including Craigslist are very cost effective and most marketing you do will either break even or generate revenue for your business. Compliments of Michael Fleischner, PromotionWorldhttp://www.promotionworld.com/marketing/advertising/article/071124ThePower.html

In February, the legal advocacy group The Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law filed a lawsuit against Craigslist over more than 100 housing ads posted in Craigslist’s Chicago section that included requirements such as “Non-women of Color NEED NOT APPLY,” “African Americans and Arabians tend to clash with me so that won’t work out,” or “Requirements: Clean Godly Christian Male.”

The Fair Housing Act, part of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, holds newspapers and other ad publishers legally responsible for publishing discriminatory ads. But the Communications Decency Act (CDA) of 1996 protects online forums and websites from lawsuits based on ads and other information posted by users, in order to encourage free expression.

According to the ruling, Craigslist is seen legally as third-party distributer of user content, and not a publisher. However, St. Eve rejected Craigslist’s argument that the CDA grants sites like Craigslist immunity from the legal effects of all the content on the site.

If the Lawyers’ Committee wins out with the lawsuit, Craigslist will be forced to follow the same rules newspapers do in their classified advertising listings, screening each ad to make sure no antidiscrimination laws are violated. As a result, this means ads like the ones the lawyers’ group said it spotted on Craigslist in a six-month investigation would be banned.

It’s a precarious situation for the hugely popular company, which permits anonymous users to post free ads that are unedited, unscreened and of unlimited length.
In a statement on Craiglist’s site, CEO Jim Buckmaster, stated that manually screening “the nearly two million free housing ads of unlimited length posted each month, a volume of ads greater than that received by all U.S. newspapers combined,” would be inappropriate and counterproductive.

The housing group claims that some of the ads spotted on Craigslist contained language like “African-Americans and Arabians tend to clash with me” and “No kids allowed.” Other ads the group flagged gave requirements like “single occupancy only” or “no minorities.”
Ads of that nature are illegal in newspapers and other publications, and the Lawyers’ Committee says they should be banned online as well. The Fair Housing Act makes it illegal to publish ads that exclude potential tenants on the basis of race, gender, marital status, national origin and religion.

According to a report by the Pew Internet and American Life Project, a research group, users of online classified ad services increased 80 percent in 2005 from a year earlier, to 26.3 million. Nearly nine million of those users posted ads on Craigslist. The report was based on data gathered by comScore Media Metrix.

Craigslist has until March 15 to respond to the lawsuit.

Or at least that’s what he’d like us to believe. As founder of Craigslist, arguably the biggest online classified site in the world, Newmark has been content to hide behind a giant, Wizard of Oz-like veil over the years, fueling the internet legend that there is no actual “Craig.” But after receiving lightning-quick email replies for interview requests, which actually culminated in a conference call with Newmark and Craigslist President/CEO, Jim Buckmaster, I can assure you: Craig is out there.

In a way, though, Craig’s anonymity perfectly symbolizes the faceless, modest public service ethos of the Craigslist itself. While his online bio describes the initial objective in creating the site one of making “the net more personal and authentic, while advocating social responsibility through the promotion of small, non-profit organizations,” in conversation, Newmark admits it wasn’t quite that formulated. “I’d say there were no real goals when we started. I had just seen a lot of people helping people out on the net, like through newsgroups. I thought that I should give back a little too.”

“Giving back a little” is now an understatement considering that in its ten-year existence, Craigslist has been instrumental in helping millions of people find homes, find jobs and even find one another. And site devotees aren’t afraid to show their thanks. “We love and appreciate all of the positive feedback we’ve received,” Buckmaster chimes in.

There’s clearly some magic at work in the Newmark/Buckmaster combo; even in the context of a conference call, the symbiosis between the pair is evident. Having also spoken to each of them individually, it’s clear to me they’re more comfortable operating as a duo (they even share an office).

Between intermittent bites of Chinese food, Newmark and Buckmaster carefully take turns answering questions. Newmark speaks in measured verses peppered with dry, self-deprecating wit when he tells me, “I just had no clue what was going to happen [with Craigslist]. I generally try to look as clueless as possible. You can quote me as saying that.” Buckmaster is even more soft-spoken than Newmark is—but it’s this once press-shy executive who is more at ease describing the inner workings of the company.