Updates from September, 2010

• A Big Day For Change

  4:24 pm on September 13, 2010 | 10 Comments » Permalink | Reply
  

  

  It is with great pride that Geebo has removed it’s Personal Ads section, effective today. While we are pleased to be the first classified outlet, both digital or print, to make such a move, we want to be clear that this decision isn’t premised on our desire to distinguish ourselves from any other classified service. This is about social responsibility and our concerns about human rights violations occurring on OTHER classified ad sites. Please be assured that Geebo has never encountered any problems or concerns regarding our personals section or any other content. This we attribute to our thorough review process and exceptional staff.

  Currently, Geebo is experiencing more first-time visitors than at any other point on our 10-year history. We are also enjoying endorsements and partnerships with a wide variety of service and support organizations that share our focus on social responsibility. While we are ecstatic over our numbers and our partnerships, we want to be sure that all of these new users are as protected as possible. Removing the personals component is purely a precautionary measure.

  We do want to emphasize that there is nothing wrong with utilizing sites such as Match.com or eHarmony.com in pursuit of love, lust, or friendship. These sites are large, trusted organizations that have done a terrific job monitoring their content. Being as Geebo is much more than a dating site, and a smaller company, we feel that it is in the best interests of our users to focus on what we are best at and most equipped for.

  Thank you for your continued support. As we grow, we will continue to do all we can to provide you with a safe, enjoyable community classifieds experience.

   

  Reply Click here to cancel reply.

  Name (required)

  Email (required)

  Web Site

   

• Easy Summertime Living

  3:19 pm on September 7, 2010 | No Comments » Permalink | Reply
  

  

  What did you do on your summer vacation?

  Remember when this was this first thing you discussed once you returned to school each September? Man, I miss those days. People do some amazing things over the summer months, and I for one would like to hear about it!

  As for what I did… I loved life. Seems simple enough, and maybe even a bit cliché, but it is true. This summer has been exceptional between work and family. For me, summer has the ability to slow down the work pace, but not the work load. I take advantage of the feeling that I can relax a bit and spend more time with family and catching up with long-time friends. I hope everyone does this. I would recommend it to anyone. Work (of any sort) will always be there waiting.

  Summer also seems to provide the best time to escape. I think it is the years of having summer vacation as a child that translates into a sense of vacation entitlement as an adult when June, July, and August set in. Heck, I am as guilty as the next person. I didn’t go anywhere crazy or exotic, but I got in enough to satisfy that urge to be elsewhere.

  Now the air has turned a bit brisk and college football has begun (Go Bears!). It is definitely not summer any more. My hope is that this summer’s warmth, both in temperature and in adventure, will sustain me through the pending months of snow and sleet. If nothing else, I will do my best to employ my summer state of mind. Life, and summer, are far too short to be stressful.

  Whether you went out of town or embraced the recession-friendly staycation, I hope you celebrated summer. And if you feel like sharing what you did on your summer vacation… please drop me a note at greg {at} geebo.com. I’d love to hear about it.

  Dang, I miss the beach already.

   

• No Such Thing As Craigslist Censorship

  5:14 pm on September 4, 2010 | 6 Comments » Permalink | Reply
  

  In the last twenty-four hours Craigslist has “censored” their adult services section. When users go to access that facet of the site they will now be met with a black bar reading “censored.” I wish this post was a celebratory one, or at least a sigh of relief for a step in the right direction. It, however, is not.

  Last month, Craigslist founder Craig Newmark gave an interview to CNN where he attempted to dodge and disarm questions regarding whether the Craigslist site facilitates child prostitution. Craig’s shaky, tangential response was far from an answer and it wasn’t just the correspondent who noticed. In the wake of the interview, 17 attorney generals multiple states called for the removal of the adult services section. In typical Craigslist fashion, Newmark and Bucky (Jim Buckmaster) pointed the finger elsewhere and attempted to direct attention from the obvious…that their site facilitates child prostitution! AND THEY KNOW IT!

  Shockingly, Craigslist minimally acquiesced by censoring that part of their site. Removing it, however, is obviously out of the question. It is likely that once this bit of bad press dissipates, the adult services section will again be up and running. How do I know? Empirically, this tactic has been employed multiple timnes by Craigslist over the past few years. Even when a murder or rape has been attributed to the site, Craigslist has managed to do as little as possible during the headlines, and then revert back to their regular practices once a new tragedy occurs. It is a sick twisted cycle that is in full swing throughout media outlets today.

  The last thing people should be doing is applauding Craigslist’s “effort.” Their personal ads section is still fully functioning, providing the same prostitution promoting features as their adult services section. Such illegal activities are simply being posted under a different name. Instead of “adult services,” one can access “casual encounters.” Last time I checked, casual encounters were still very adult. They are also full of the same ads that adult services section contained…including those that facilitate the exploitation of children.

  The personal ads section also lacks any sort of regulatory features. Posting in this section does not subject a user to a more rigorous screening simply because the classification is more PG. Craigslist is able to operate per usual, while receiving an undeserved commendation for change. This is not right.

  It isn’t the existence of one section over another that makes a difference…it comes down to regulation and responsibility. Until Craigers and Bucky opt for accountability, no one should cheer on their manipulative tactics. A headline today does not ensure safety for their users tomorrow.