Craigslist and the Spammers from Across the Ocean

Posted by: Eric Key in web designoutsourcingcraigslist.comCary NC on

 I have been using Craigslist.com since I first moved to San Francisco in 1997.  It was small then and had not yet crossed over the great oceans.  As a young man from Alabama who knew absolutely no one in California, Craigslist became the website that I depended on most.  I was discovered by the recruiters at Mindscape and life in the design biz began for me there.

I found my apartment on Craislist - then filled it with used furniture I found on Craigslist - I bought a car.  Hell, I even found girlfriends on Craigslist.  It has been my friend through thick and thin.  Ten years later Craigslist still serves a purpose, but the big dreams and expectations of what once was are now small and predictable.

If you place an ad wanting a web designer in cary, north carolina, you get bombarded with offers from -- well you know where.  It has happened to us all.  Not that there is anything wrong with people trying to pose as southernerns for the first few email exchanges until they gain your trust and sell you something.  But it is wrong when you say local only and they ignore it.  Now I don't want to go off on a rant here... 

I have a friend who once received a cold call from a firm in India.  The salesman told my friend his name was Lionel Ritchie.  My friend told him to pick a new name and call back.  I'd bet Michael Jackson is still dialing his number to this day.