Why does Craigslist run kinky ads?
source: http://www.thebigmoney.com/articles/money-trail/2009/05/26/citizen-sex
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It's been a lousy few months for sex on Craigslist. First, 40 state attorneys general banded together to demand that the world's biggest classified site take down its "erotic services" (read: prostitution) ads.*(See correction at the end of this article.) Then, in March, right on cue, a man in New York was murdered by a teenager he met through Craigslist. Soon after, Boston cops arrested Philip Markoff, the med student accused of robbing, and in one case killing, escorts he found through Craigslist. Now South Carolina's attorney general is threatening to prosecute the site's employees.
"Just by being good guys, we've created a culture of trust and fairness," the site's eponymous founder, Craig Newmark, once told Wired. Well, sort of—if you don't count the occasional Jack the Ripper wannabe. Nothing spells "bad PR" like a sex and murder scandal.
If Craigslist were a conventional company, it would have a crisis PR firm gunning the engines to get as far away from sex ads as possible. But Craigslist is not. Many outlets have reported that Craigslist would drop its "erotic services" ads, but this is essentially a fiction. It has only reluctantly agreed to vet ads for explicit prostitution offers (ads that euphemistically offer massage or just leave the details of about what to expect are still OK) and replaced the controversial category with the essentially identical "adult services." Meanwhile, the "casual encounters" section—ads for "no strings attached" sex that are often more lurid than the paid-sex ads in "erotic services"—remains as active and unregulated as ever. And Craigslist has even managed to fan the fires by suing the attorney general of South Carolina.
All of which raises an obvious question: Why do the people behind the 13th most visited site in the United States run ads for prostitution and kink in the first place?
"Just by being good guys, we've created a culture of trust and fairness," the site's eponymous founder, Craig Newmark, once told Wired. Well, sort of—if you don't count the occasional Jack the Ripper wannabe. Nothing spells "bad PR" like a sex and murder scandal.
If Craigslist were a conventional company, it would have a crisis PR firm gunning the engines to get as far away from sex ads as possible. But Craigslist is not. Many outlets have reported that Craigslist would drop its "erotic services" ads, but this is essentially a fiction. It has only reluctantly agreed to vet ads for explicit prostitution offers (ads that euphemistically offer massage or just leave the details of about what to expect are still OK) and replaced the controversial category with the essentially identical "adult services." Meanwhile, the "casual encounters" section—ads for "no strings attached" sex that are often more lurid than the paid-sex ads in "erotic services"—remains as active and unregulated as ever. And Craigslist has even managed to fan the fires by suing the attorney general of South Carolina.
All of which raises an obvious question: Why do the people behind the 13th most visited site in the United States run ads for prostitution and kink in the first place?
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snackynak
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Nerds and rich republican buisnessmen need lovin' to.
- 3 years ago
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snackynak
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abbym0308
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According to Craigslist chief Jim Buckmaster, Craigslist is just a victim of a "witch-hunt" that's not even based in law.
My guess is that if Craigslist didn't allow people to advertise adult services, which are legal, they'd be accused of discrimination. - 3 years ago
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abbym0308
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twitterbot
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@HotHowardFan on twitter says "Citizen Sex: Why does Craigslist run kinky ads? | The Big Money"
- 3 years ago
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