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ARRRGHHH So Frustrated with Craigslist!

by erinwrites
12 replies
I posted an ad for my writing services yesterday and today. Both were posted in the services offered section of my city and, as far as I can tell, both totally adhere to Craigslist's guidelines/TOS/whatevertheheck. An ad I posted earlier in the week got ghosted.

BOTH TIMES it was flagged for removal. I suppose it's possible that a competitor flagged it out of spite but GAH.

So! I am asking: what other sites do you use for Craigslist type posting besides Craigslist because I'm tired of this.

Alternatively, if this has already been asked and answered recently, can someone point me to the thread?

Thanks bunches! You all look great! Have you been working out?
#arrrghhh #craigslist #frustrated
  • Profile picture of the author Chris Chicas
    Why don't you approach sites like Elance, Odesk, and other outsourcing sites? I know this is a little bit different than Craigslist but perhaps you would get better results?
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  • Profile picture of the author David Braybrooke
    Here is a 5 star Craigslist thread. Worth a read? http://www.warriorforum.com/offline-...s-kicking.html

    My Pilates classes are paying dividends then, you thing you!
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  • Profile picture of the author erinwrites
    I've been looking through Elance and was just about to explore ODesk. I just figured the more places I offered my services, the better the chances of not having to take super low offers.

    To be honest--I haven't really had to market my writing for a while. I have a couple of regular clients and a fair amount of referrals but I'm starting to see a major slowing down with the recent algorithm changes as people panic about how to live with Hummingbird. Once upon a time I was pretty good at "the hustle" but now I'm rusty.

    Thanks for the advice though! I appreciate it!
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    • Profile picture of the author awesummer
      Originally Posted by erinwrites View Post

      I've been looking through Elance and was just about to explore ODesk. I just figured the more places I offered my services, the better the chances of not having to take super low offers.
      Hi Erin, are you open to work full time? I think Staff.com ( https://www.staff.com/ ) is right for you. applicants there have reasonable rates. They get hired not because they have a really low bid on a job post but because they are the perfect candidate for the employer.
      I've been a freelancer on oDesk so I know how frustrating it is to get to compete with applicants who bid less than $1 per hour and what's more surprising is, employers go for the cheaper ones no matter how unfit they are.
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      • Profile picture of the author erinwrites
        I am open to work full time (though I'm not open to work exclusively, if that makes sense). I'll definitely check out Staff.com--today is the first I've heard of it. Thanks Awesummer!
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  • Profile picture of the author erinwrites
    Thanks for the link David, I'll check it out!
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  • Profile picture of the author hustlinsmoke
    Well first let talk about flagging.
    Flagging can have nothing to do with guidelines. It is a bot for the most part that when your ad gets flagged enough they take it down. So no way to tell why it was taken down.

    Next do another post or two in an area geo wise away from you. If your in Dallas do it in Los Angeles and see if that is removed, that should tell you if you have a competitor that is flagging you with bots or manually and removing your posts.

    Next the easiest way to get by bots that are not flagged by members is to make a picture of your add and use that. The bot can't read the picture and it will pass the test for that.

    If you want to take it one step farther, download tor browser bundle and use a seperate ip because you may of been flagged as a spam poster by now and your ads will be taken down alot easier.

    Craigslist is getting harder and harder to post on. For a free site they have some of the best security measures available.

    Another thing you can do is hire a craigslist poster if it is cost beneficial to you. they are well worth the money.
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  • Profile picture of the author erinwrites
    Thanks! I'll definitely try posting in nearish cities--it has the added benefit of attracting even more clients (if it doesn't get flagged, that is)
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  • Profile picture of the author Matthew Trujillo
    Craigslist is a big waste of time in my opinion if you are marketing online.

    If I was you I would try other methods, even if you get it to work, traffic will mostly be junk.
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  • Profile picture of the author erinwrites
    Thanks Matthew: do you have favorite other sites/tools to recommend? I'd love to check a few of them out!
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  • Profile picture of the author vedremo
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    Originally Posted by erinwrites View Post

    I posted an ad for my writing services yesterday and today. Both were posted in the services offered section of my city and, as far as I can tell, both totally adhere to Craigslist's guidelines/TOS/whatevertheheck. An ad I posted earlier in the week got ghosted.

    BOTH TIMES it was flagged for removal. I suppose it's possible that a competitor flagged it out of spite but GAH.

    So! I am asking: what other sites do you use for Craigslist type posting besides Craigslist because I'm tired of this.

    Alternatively, if this has already been asked and answered recently, can someone point me to the thread?

    Thanks bunches! You all look great! Have you been working out?
    Odesk and elance might frustrate you due to the low offers and high competition. In this case, it's best to check this site: thumbtack dot com.

    Good luck and more power!
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