RT @OLX_portugues Voc� perdeu algo em algum lugar? Algu�m o encontrou, est� na OLX! http://www.olx.com.br

RT @OLX_English Did you lose your pit bull near Fort Smith, Arkansas? Someone has it on OLX!: http://www.olx.com

RT @FreshAirFund Thinking about being a host family? Read our Summer Stories 2 see what The Fresh Air Fund is all about: http://bit.ly/lHX0

RT @abrahamharrison Free webinar on "Twitter for Business" is starting soon! We have Anamitra Bannerji of Twitter: http://bit.ly/FrOrc

RT @OLX_English: Why pay full price for a flatscreen TV? Check out the selection on OLX: www.olx.com

RT @OLX_Espanol �Quieres adoptar un perro? B�scalo entre los perros en OLX y anamorte de por lo menos 20 que necesitan un hogar www.olx.com

RT @OLX_Portugues Precisando de uma noite livre com seu amor? Encontre uma bab� perto de voc� usando o OLX e tenham uma noite a s�s

RT @FreshAirFund Help cover the cost of a bus ride to Fresh Air camp. It takes just $10! You can easily donate here: http://bit.ly/jvVX

9 probable swine flu cases in Illinois http://ping.fm/eaX3k

Please Attend My Free Business Twitter Webinar o

On April 30, 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM EDT, I will be offering a free webinar on how how to Twitter for business, including lots of case studies and a whole bunch of useful information. The title is How To Use Twitter effectively for business, advocacy and policy and you should probably register now! http://ping.fm/yOk4Y



Register Now for a Free Webinar on Twitter:

http://ping.fm/oqhcY



Hear from Anamitra Bannerji of Twitter and Chris Abraham of Abraham Harrison LLC about how to use Twitter effectively in a professional context.



Twitter is all the rage, with celebrities, politicians and business leaders all jumping on the chance to provide real time information and feedback to their followers. But naysayers have questioned its value as a serious communications tool for change.



Find out the techniques and strategies for effective Twitter use that can make the difference between success and failure, that can dramatically drive up understanding and communication of your message. Learn what to avoid so you don't run into social or legal trouble.



This webinar will provide you with positive techniques to:



* Grow your Twitter audience

* Provide more effective and better 'tweets'

* Get your tweets picked up, passed on and discussed

* Stay focused on core values



Speakers

Chris Abraham, AbrahamHarrison. Chris is President and COO of Abraham Harrison and is a leading expert in online public relations with a focus on blogger outreach, blogger engagement, and Internet reputation management. He is a pioneer in online social networks and publishing.



Anamitra Bannerji, Twitter. Anamitra works on commercial applications of Twitter as part of the Twitter product management team.



Moderator

Owen Linderholm, WebinarAce. Owen is a web content strategy expert specializing in new media, social networking and new approaches to content on the web. He has produced and moderated dozens of webinars for organizations large and small.



This webinar will take place live on Thursday April 30th at 1 PM EST and 10AM PST. It will include audience participation in the form of live polls and a live question and answer session. It will be recorded and the recorded version will be made available within 48 hours for on demand viewing.



http://ping.fm/JTNgA

Mobile post sent by chrisabraham using Utterli.  Replies.

Please Attend My Free Business Twitter Webinar on April 30 at 1PM

On April 30, 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM EDT, I will be offering a free webinar on how how to Twitter for business, including lots of case studies and a whole bunch of useful information. The title is How To Use Twitter effectively for business, advocacy and policy and you should probably register now! http://ping.fm/yOk4Y

Register Now for a Free Webinar on Twitter:
http://ping.fm/oqhcY

Hear from Anamitra Bannerji of Twitter and Chris Abraham of Abraham Harrison LLC about how to use Twitter effectively in a professional context.

Twitter is all the rage, with celebrities, politicians and business leaders all jumping on the chance to provide real time information and feedback to their followers. But naysayers have questioned its value as a serious communications tool for change.

Find out the techniques and strategies for effective Twitter use that can make the difference between success and failure, that can dramatically drive up understanding and communication of your message. Learn what to avoid so you don't run into social or legal trouble.

This webinar will provide you with positive techniques to:

* Grow your Twitter audience
* Provide more effective and better 'tweets'
* Get your tweets picked up, passed on and discussed
* Stay focused on core values

Speakers
Chris Abraham, AbrahamHarrison. Chris is President and COO of Abraham Harrison and is a leading expert in online public relations with a focus on blogger outreach, blogger engagement, and Internet reputation management. He is a pioneer in online social networks and publishing.

Anamitra Bannerji, Twitter. Anamitra works on commercial applications of Twitter as part of the Twitter product management team.

Moderator
Owen Linderholm, WebinarAce. Owen is a web content strategy expert specializing in new media, social networking and new approaches to content on the web. He has produced and moderated dozens of webinars for organizations large and small.

This webinar will take place live on Thursday April 30th at 1 PM EST and 10AM PST. It will include audience participation in the form of live polls and a live question and answer session. It will be recorded and the recorded version will be made available within 48 hours for on demand viewing.

http://ping.fm/JTNgA

Please attend my free webinar on "Twitter for Business" tomorrow. I have Anamitra Bannerji of Twitter. Register here: http://bit.ly/FrOrc

RT @OLX_English Need to get in shape in time for swimsuit season? Check out the affordable exercise equipment we have on OLX: www.olx.com

RT @abrahamharrison "The entire A&H team has been fantastic. Each team member brings creativity & passion to the cause" <a href="http://bit.ly/NH8D2">http://bit.ly/NH8D2</a>

RT @FreshAirFund We make donating to help NYC kids easy- 3 steps and you've given summer fun to inner-city children! http://bit.ly/vB7h

You're welcome to attend my free Twitter webinar with with Anamitra Bannerji this Thursday at 1 eastern, 10 pacific http://bit.ly/BgvI

RT @abrahamharrison Our Business Intelligence & Online Reputation Systems track web's movements so you don't have to <a href="http://bit.ly/YtGWN">http://bit.ly/YtGWN</a>

RT @OLX_English Dreaming of a vacation? So are we. That's why we peruse the 3,000 vacation listings on OLX just for fun: http://www.olx.com

RT @OLX_Portugues Esque�a a procura por carros usados em revendedores. Confira o OLX - h� mais de 60 mil ve�culos anunciados por pa�s.

Just met Twitter's @anamitra while rehearsing for Thursday's free Twitter webinar -- come join us! Still room! http://bit.ly/BgvI

RT @FreshAirFund Over 65% of kids in the Fresh Air program are reinvited to stay w their host family every year! http://www.freshair.org/

RT @OLX_Portugues Buscando o amor da sua vida ou uma paquera? Sua cara metade está esperando por você no OLX: http://www.olx.com.br

You're welcome to attend my free Twitter webinar with with Anamitra Bannerji this Thursday at 1 eastern, 10 pacific http://bit.ly/BgvI

Attend my free 'Twitter for business' webinar on Thursday, 30 April, at 1PM Eastern! Just finished the presentation! http://ping.fm/b8ema

Please attend my free 'Twitter for business' webinar on Thursday, 30 April, at 1PM Eastern! Just finished the presentation! http://ping.fm/b8ema

RT @FreshAirFund Need a Monday night smile? Check our photo gallery showing Fresh Air participants having fun! http://ping.fm/a8OPM

RT @OLX_English Is this economy forcing you to find a roomie? Check out OLX for rooms for rent: www.olx.com

RT @OLX_English Is this economy forcing you to find a roomie? Check out OLX for rooms for rent: www.olx.com

RT @FreshAirFund Tx to all new followers! Since 1877, we've helped more than 1.7 million of NYC's neediest children. Tx for the support!

RT @FreshAirFund Are u a parent w/ questions re: The Fresh Air Fund, what we do, how it works? Download our Parent FAQ sheet! :http://bit.ly/Wbpm

I'm "on the air" now. Tune in, call in, and join the conversation here http://ping.fm/ExbTu

The live show has been moved to 4:00. . . http://ping.fm/mAr9r

Blogtakradio seems to be experiencing technical difficulties. . .

Listen to Chris Abraham live at 3:00pm today http://ping.fm/m1l3y

On Sunday the 26th at 3:00pm live on blogtalkradio, Marketing as Conversation introducing abrahamharrison http://ping.fm/7loJN

RT @FreshAirFund Are u a parent w/ questions re: The Fresh Air Fund, what we do, how it works? See our Parent FAQ sheet: http://bit.ly/Wbpm

RT @OLX_Portugues Mudando-se em breve? Confira http://www.olx.pt - nós temos mais de 680 mil anúncios só em Portugal!

RT @OLX_Espanol Necesitas echarle un encanto maldito a un ex novio estúpido? Encuéntrate una bruja profesional en OLX: http://www.olx.com

RT @OLX_English Need tires for you Honda? A spoiler for your Mustang? We got those and more on OLX: www.olx.com

RT @OLX_Portugues Você é multilíngue? Nós também! Nosso site de classificados grátis está disponível em 39 idiomas! http://www.olx.com.br

RT @OLX_English Who doesn't want a pool table for their man room? OLX has plenty of tables to choose from: www.olx.com

RT @OLX_Espanol ¿Perdiste un perro gran danés en el rumbo de Boulder, Colorado? Alguien lo encontró y lo ha puesto en OLX!
www.olx.com

RT @FreshAirFund Volunteered for The Fresh Air Fund before or are interested in more info? Get our newsletter: http://bit.ly/16qSE

On Sunday the 26th at 3:00pm live on blogtalkradio, Marketing as Conversation introducing abrahamharrison http://ping.fm/7loJN

RT @abrahamharrison Attend Our Free Twitter Webinar on April 30 at 1PM EDT http://bit.ly/dy6fj #fb

RT @OLX_English Are you a designer lover with a small budget? Check out the designer purses, shoes and clothes on OLX: www.olx.com

RT @OLX_Espanol ¡Olvídate del lío de buscar un coche usado! En OLX hay más de 60,000 vehículos anunciados. http://www.olx.com

RT @OLX_Portugues Comprar e vender mercadorias online pode parecer difícil, mas não com o OLX. Nosso sistema simples torna tudo muito fácil

RT @FreshAirFund Open your heart to a city child. Donate, volunteer, host or sign up your child with The Fresh Air Fund: http://bit.ly/K8LS

RT @FreshAirFund We make donating to help NYC youth easy-just 3 steps and you've given summer fun to inner-city kids! http://bit.ly/vB7h

RT @OLX_Portugues Ainda não conhece o OLX? É a última geração de classificados gratuitos online. Confira! http://www.olx.com.br

RT @OLX_Espanol Quieres cuidar del medioambiente? ¡Busca con quien compartir tu viaje al trabajo, usa menos gasolina y ahorra tu dinero!

RT @OLX_English Looking for a job? From CEO positions to assistant duties, you'll find jobs that suit your skills on OLX: www.olx.com

RT @OLX_Espanol Crees que eres la próxima American Idol? Asegurate de que estés buscando audiciones en la sección de trabajos de OLX

RT @OLX_English Thinking about taking a summer trip with the fam? Don't forget to look on OLX for campers and RVs!: www.olx.com

Free webinar on Twitter for business. Featuring Anamitra Bannerji of Twitter, part of the Twitter product team http://ping.fm/1MYe3

RT @FreshAirFund Help cover the cost of a bus ride to Fresh Air camp. It takes just $10! You can easily donate here: http://bit.ly/jvVX

RT @OLX_Espanol A la diferencia de craigslist, puedes tener tu perfil en OLX para manejar tus ventas, compras y actividad en la comunidad

RT @OLX_English Are you an aspiring musician? Don't buy your instrument new! Check out guitars, pianos, drums, etc on OLX: www.olx.com

The @FreshAirFund Facebook Page now has over 1,500 Fans (1,504)! Become a fan! http://ping.fm/VkGWF

RT @OLX_Espanol Estamos en recesión. ¡Asegúrate de que estés buscando trabajo en los mejores sitios! Tenemos 415,225 empleos en www.olx.com

RT @OLX_English Just moved into a new place, but don't have the $ to outfit your apartment? OLX has some great furniture: www.olx.com

RT @FreshAirFund Thinking about being a host family? Read our Summer Stories to see what The Fresh Air Fund is all about: http://bit.ly/lHX0

RT @OLX_English ¡Nuestro sitio de anuncios clasificados gratis está disponible en 39 idiomas! http://www.olx.com

RT @OLX_English Is your kid graduating this year? Don't forget to snap some pics! Look for great deals on cameras on OLX: www.olx.com

How Does OLX Support Itself?

OLX http://www.olx.com/ mostly makes money from advertising. OLX displays text ads on listing, search and item pages, but does not display advertising on the home page. We are one of the few online businesses where advertising works well and is a sustainable business model.



Advertising works well on OLX http://www.olx.com/ because users are in a search behavior - they are looking for something. As a result our contextually relevant ads have a high click through rate. Combined with the high value of our top categories - real estate, jobs and real estate - it leads to a reasonably successful and sustainable business model.



Being a free ad supported site generates much lower revenues than if we charged for postings, but we feel that it leads to more listings, provides a better public service to the community and greater value to visitors.

Mobile post sent by chrisabraham using Utterli.  Replies.

Haircut on the Hill

Ollie and I trying out a barber Minh recommended on the Hill called Hair by Charlie. Charlie has been cutting hair here for thirty-five years. I will follow up with the end results. In the photo is Charlie working on Ollie's shaggy head of hair.

Mobile post sent by chrisabraham using Utterli.  Replies.

Haircut on the Hill

Ollie and I trying out a barber Minh recommended on the Hill called Hair by Charlie. Charlie has been cutting hair here for thirty-five years. I will follow up with the end results. In the photo is Charlie working on Ollie's shaggy head of hair.

Posted via email from Chris Abraham

On Conservative Talking Points

Mobile post sent by chrisabraham using Utterli.  Replies.  mp3

Tax, Borrow, and Spend Hypocrisy

Mobile post sent by chrisabraham using Utterli.  Replies.  mp3

Dominion Power Substation

Sometimes I just like reminding myself that there is ugliness behind our cultivated curtain. Industrial ugly when form follows function.

Mobile post sent by chrisabraham using Utterli.  Replies.

Dominion Power Substation

Sometimes I just like reminding myself that there is ugliness behind our cultivated curtain. Industrial ugly when form follows function.

Posted via email from Chris Abraham

I Would Love to Mod This Into a Ute

Imagine modding it into a cross-country all-road camper! Convert it to veg and turn the back into lodgings and set off into America, Canada, and Mexico. Very Mad Max! :)

Mobile post sent by chrisabraham using Utterli.  Replies.

I Would Love to Mod This Into a Ute

Imagine modding it into a cross-country all-road camper! Convert it to veg and turn the back into lodgings and set off into America, Canada, and Mexico. Very Mad Max! :)

Posted via email from Chris Abraham

First Day

My new Android phone.

Posted via Pixelpipe.

Online Classifieds Site OLX is the Next Generation

I heard about OLX when I got on the phone with co-CEO and co-founder, Fabrice Grinda. He laughed and admitted that OLX is the largest free classifieds site no one’s ever heard of. He was right, no-one else I know have ever heard of OLX. Until now, OLX has played the back end to other sites. OLX was the engine behind the Friendster classifieds, for example, amongst many other. OLX is now ready for prime time as it moves boldly into the United States in direct contest with monsters like Craigslist and EBay. This is a burgeoning David and Goliath story.

And, they're rocking out abroad, with a presence in over 80 countries and over 30 languages. Until now, OLX has been a lot like David Hasselhoff, post-Baywatch and pre-America's Got Talent: the Hoff is huge in Europe and so is OLX. And also in Brazil, China, Argentina, Chile, Russia, India, Poland, and others.

While we spoke, I farted around with the OLX site and quickly realized that OLX allowed me to search as geographically widely or as targeted as I wanted, based on city or zip code.

It was simple to search narrowly or broadly, by keyword or category, using check boxes and sliders. If there were too many results, I could slide it down to narrow the results; if there were too few, I could open increase the radius included in the search.

Craigslist limits its searches to cities and tight metro areas. Cities like Washington, DC, include Maryland and Northern Virginia, but not Baltimore or Richmond, although Baltimore is only 45-minutes away via the freeway.

But, no. I have to pop in, and then pop out. There have been attempts that 3rd party online services have made to allow federated search, but Craigslist keeps on shutting it down -- because that's what Craig Newmark of Craigslist does: makes arbitrary decisions that indulge his belief of what is right instead of what people might want and need. Like federated search, for example.

When I have some commerce to do, I have generally pointed by browser to one of three: Amazon, EBay, and Craigslist. When I need something new, I'll grab it on Amazon, but check EBay first. When I am looking for something used, I will check EBay and Craigslist. I will use Craigslist especially to grab something used if that thing is big, like furniture or a bike.

Sadly, there are too many limitations on all of these things and it really depends.

If I want a casual bike for weekend use spent with friends, that's one thing, but if I am looking for a classic Kestrel carbon fiber criterion racer, it is much better to go further afield. To me, Craigslist is best for people who are looking for deals or things that have become commoditized, such as refrigerators, mattresses, and couches.

If you're looking for a replacement piece for a patter of china or if you're looking for that 80s-era Porsche 911 you wanted in Highschool, you'll need to go somewhere else, such as EBay.

OLX is flexible and easy-to-use, offering users -- me -- the sort of simple tools required to be able to fine-tune searches using check boxes, price limiters (high- and low-end), and sliders. I can use it the way I want to, not the way the founders envision.

Same thing goes when it comes to mobile access. In a world of mobile phones and mobile access, it is surprising that most online classifieds and auctioning sites limit their mobile access to just a couple of smart phones like the iPhone. Well, I live on my Blackberry, my Nokia N95, and my soon-to-arrive Android G1, and there's no way to buy and sell via mobile and Craigslist, EBay, and Amazon do not offer non phone-specific, non app-based, mobile WAP interfaces. OLX offers access to all of its services via mobile, accessed via m.olx.com.

Mobile OLX doesn't require an expensive iPhone to access the web interface or download an application, it can be accessed by any phone that can access the web at all, even lower-end phones that can only support very basical browsers. Not only that, but I can easily continue my browsing and searching and listing from my mobile interface with a very similar experience to when I am at my desktop.

Also, there are lots of hidden fees, especially listing fees, hidden in real estate and jobs listings in Craigslist and, of course, listing fees on EBay -- fees that have been growing for the last decade -- the the point where loads of Power Sellers are getting skittish, wanting to pull their listings and find something else, something better. OLX is completely free. I dug further and there are premium listings available for a fee in the English/American market, but this isn't restrictive, this is value-added. The premium listing fee is in addition, not a barrier to listing.

And, admit it, in the world of social media, social networks, and web2.0, Amazon, EBay, and Craigslist haven't changed much in the last decade.

Then there's the obvious and very annoying -- and intentional -- limitations that man and ego, instead of service to customers, have implemented.

On the buyer's side, on one hand, one of the most frustrating things about Craiglist is that each city is insulated from the other -- you just can't search for the stuff you want country-wide; on the other hand, while EBay does allow you to search for stuff anywhere, it is an auction site so you need to be willing to bid or to Buy Now, which doesn't lend itself to the sort of creativity and playfulness that Craigslist tends to produce.

To be honest, if I am searching for listing for things like cars and motorcycles, I want to expand my search to neighboring cities and states. Hell, if I finally decide to buy that 1989 BMW R100GS Adventure Tourer, I am willing to search the entire country for one. The perfect thing of my dreams does not want to necessarily be limited by geography or proximity.

For the perfect thing, I am sure I would go on a road trip or take a flight. A buddy of mine always wanted to own a Ferrari. When he ultimately found the car he wanted to buy, it was almost three-thousand miles away in a barn, well-taken care of and just waiting for him, like a faerie tale.

Even searching for the perfect apartment can be taken to the perfect space, the perfect price, instead of just the perfect place. How could that be, you ask? Well, since I am a virtual worker, working for a virtual company, the quality of my home and the price of the rent or purchase could well be more important to me than whether the car is near the metro or bus line or is necessarily in metro Washington at all.

When I reread the above, I see a trend. OLX seems to be a next-generation online classifieds site because it not only takes Craigslist into the 21st century but it also rolls in some of the great things about Ebay as well, such as the sophisticated tools that allow Ebay's users to limit and expand searches, based on proximity and search terms, and whatnot.

Long story short, OLX isn't revolutionary, it is evolutionary. Craigslist and its cousin Ebay are seriously stunted, unwilling to respond to the needs of its users. "They don't need that -- they don't even know what they need -- why would they need to look outside of their city, this is about community, and I encourage community so I intent to block federated search from my classifieds site," I can hear Craig Newmark saying to his board of directors. Well, while Craig's gloating, Fabrice is innovating, adjusting, evolving, and meeting the needs of his community.

And, when it all comes down to brass tacks, it is about making ends meet. And when it comes to ends meeting, having more choice is better. More in better when it comes to value. In one fell swoop, you can double and triple your reach into not only neighboring cities and states but further afield.

In fact, when you look at Craigslist and see how picked-over all of the listings are by the time I get to it, I should think that OLX is a competitive advantage since it is -- for now, anyway -- the largest free classifieds site no one’s ever heard of, OLX is an undiscovered gem. OLX is like discovering an undiscovered flea market, second-hand store, or consignment store.

All said and done, this is not about revolution or paradigm shifting but it is about bringing buyer to seller and seller to buyer. It is about community and commerce. It is about making connections as completely and as easily as possible in exactly the way that makes it easiest for everyone involved and I honestly believe that OLX fills that bill, be they my client or not.

OLX is Online Classifieds, Evolved

I heard about OLX when I got on the phone with co-CEO and co-founder, Fabrice Grinda. He laughed and admitted that OLX is the largest free classifieds site no one’s ever heard of. He was right, no-one else I know have ever heard of OLX. Until now, OLX has played the back end to other sites. OLX was the engine behind the Friendster classifieds, for example, amongst many other. OLX is now ready for prime time as it moves boldly into the United States in direct contest with monsters like Craigslist and EBay. This is a burgeoning David and Goliath story.



And, they're rocking out abroad, with a presence in over 80 countries and over 30 languages. Until now, OLX has been a lot like David Hasselhoff, post-Baywatch and pre-America's Got Talent: the Hoff is huge in Europe and so is OLX. And also in Brazil, China, Argentina, Chile, Russia, India, Poland, and others.



Fabrice GrindaWhile we spoke, I farted around with the OLX site and quickly realized that OLX allowed me to search as geographically widely or as targeted as I wanted, based on city or zip code.



It was simple to search narrowly or broadly, by keyword or category, using check boxes and sliders. If there were too many results, I could slide it down to narrow the results; if there were too few, I could open increase the radius included in the search.



Craigslist limits its searches to cities and tight metro areas. Cities like Washington, DC, include Maryland and Northern Virginia, but not Baltimore or Richmond, although Baltimore is only 45-minutes away via the freeway.



But, no. I have to pop in, and then pop out. There have been attempts that 3rd party online services have made to allow federated search, but Craigslist keeps on shutting it down -- because that's what Craig Newmark of Craigslist does: makes arbitrary decisions that indulge his belief of what is right instead of what people might want and need. Like federated search, for example.



When I have some commerce to do, I have generally pointed by browser to one of three: Amazon, EBay, and Craigslist. When I need something new, I'll grab it on Amazon, but check EBay first. When I am looking for something used, I will check EBay and Craigslist. I will use Craigslist especially to grab something used if that thing is big, like furniture or a bike.



Sadly, there are too many limitations on all of these things and it really depends.



If I want a casual bike for weekend use spent with friends, that's one thing, but if I am looking for a classic Kestrel carbon fiber criterion racer, it is much better to go further afield. To me, Craigslist is best for people who are looking for deals or things that have become commoditized, such as refrigerators, mattresses, and couches.



If you're looking for a replacement piece for a patter of china or if you're looking for that 80s-era Porsche 911 you wanted in Highschool, you'll need to go somewhere else, such as EBay.



OLX is flexible and easy-to-use, offering users -- me -- the sort of simple tools required to be able to fine-tune searches using check boxes, price limiters (high- and low-end), and sliders. I can use it the way I want to, not the way the founders envision.



Same thing goes when it comes to mobile access. In a world of mobile phones and mobile access, it is surprising that most online classifieds and auctioning sites limit their mobile access to just a couple of smart phones like the iPhone. Well, I live on my Blackberry, my Nokia N95, and my soon-to-arrive Android G1, and there's no way to buy and sell via mobile and Craigslist, EBay, and Amazon do not offer non phone-specific, non app-based, mobile WAP interfaces. OLX offers access to all of its services via mobile, accessed via m.olx.com.



OLX MobileMobile OLX doesn't require an expensive iPhone to access the web interface or download an application, it can be accessed by any phone that can access the web at all, even lower-end phones that can only support very basical browsers. Not only that, but I can easily continue my browsing and searching and listing from my mobile interface with a very similar experience to when I am at my desktop.



Also, there are lots of hidden fees, especially listing fees, hidden in real estate and jobs listings in Craigslist and, of course, listing fees on EBay -- fees that have been growing for the last decade -- the the point where loads of Power Sellers are getting skittish, wanting to pull their listings and find something else, something better. OLX is completely free. I dug further and there are premium listings available for a fee in the English/American market, but this isn't restrictive, this is value-added. The premium listing fee is in addition, not a barrier to listing.



And, admit it, in the world of social media, social networks, and web2.0, Amazon, EBay, and Craigslist haven't changed much in the last decade.



Then there's the obvious and very annoying -- and intentional -- limitations that man and ego, instead of service to customers, have implemented.



On the buyer's side, on one hand, one of the most frustrating things about Craiglist is that each city is insulated from the other -- you just can't search for the stuff you want country-wide; on the other hand, while EBay does allow you to search for stuff anywhere, it is an auction site so you need to be willing to bid or to Buy Now, which doesn't lend itself to the sort of creativity and playfulness that Craigslist tends to produce.



To be honest, if I am searching for listing for things like cars and motorcycles, I want to expand my search to neighboring cities and states. Hell, if I finally decide to buy that 1989 BMW R100GS Adventure Tourer, I am willing to search the entire country for one. The perfect thing of my dreams does not want to necessarily be limited by geography or proximity.



For the perfect thing, I am sure I would go on a road trip or take a flight. A buddy of mine always wanted to own a Ferrari. When he ultimately found the car he wanted to buy, it was almost three-thousand miles away in a barn, well-taken care of and just waiting for him, like a faerie tale.



Even searching for the perfect apartment can be taken to the perfect space, the perfect price, instead of just the perfect place. How could that be, you ask? Well, since I am a virtual worker, working for a virtual company, the quality of my home and the price of the rent or purchase could well be more important to me than whether the car is near the metro or bus line or is necessarily in metro Washington at all.



When I reread the above, I see a trend. OLX seems to be a next-generation online classifieds site because it not only takes Craigslist into the 21st century but it also rolls in some of the great things about Ebay as well, such as the sophisticated tools that allow Ebay's users to limit and expand searches, based on proximity and search terms, and whatnot.



Long story short, OLX isn't revolutionary, it is evolutionary. Craigslist and its cousin Ebay are seriously stunted, unwilling to respond to the needs of its users. "They don't need that -- they don't even know what they need -- why would they need to look outside of their city, this is about community, and I encourage community so I intent to block federated search from my classifieds site," I can hear Craig Newmark saying to his board of directors. Well, while Craig's gloating, Fabrice is innovating, adjusting, evolving, and meeting the needs of his community.



And, when it all comes down to brass tacks, it is about making ends meet. And when it comes to ends meeting, having more choice is better. More in better when it comes to value. In one fell swoop, you can double and triple your reach into not only neighboring cities and states but further afield.



In fact, when you look at Craigslist and see how picked-over all of the listings are by the time I get to it, I should think that OLX is a competitive advantage since it is -- for now, anyway -- the largest free classifieds site no one’s ever heard of, OLX is an undiscovered gem. OLX is like discovering an undiscovered flea market, second-hand store, or consignment store.



All said and done, this is not about revolution or paradigm shifting but it is about bringing buyer to seller and seller to buyer. It is about community and commerce. It is about making connections as completely and as easily as possible in exactly the way that makes it easiest for everyone involved and I honestly believe that OLX fills that bill, be they my client or not.

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Suburban Bee Keeping

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Suburban Bee Keeping

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Potato Skins and Guiness

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Potato Skins and Guiness

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Write Ins for Powell Tate

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Write Ins for Powell Tate

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Twitter by Powell Tate at Lounge 201

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Twitter by Powell Tate at Lounge 201

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American Grandeur

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American Grandeur

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Washington Statuary

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Washington Statuary

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White House Gray Sky

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White House Gray Sky

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My Freshman Dorm We Called The Zoo

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My Freshman Dorm We Called The Zoo

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Where the GWU English Department Lived in My Day

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Where the GWU English Department Lived in My Day

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My Memorial Brick at George Washington Universit

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