Internetworkers: http://www.ibiblio.org/internetworkers/

["Tony Spencer" <tony AT tonyspencer.com>]

These are eally good points here Scott.

> marketting is always a fun topic to kick, but apparently nobody on the 
> list thought so here' my $0.02...

Thanks!

> 
> >I'm launching new features such as allowing users to upload unlimited
> photos
> >to their posts and a better internal site search.
> 
> That sounds like a good feature set as mainstream people are 
> comfortable using the web but may not have the resources(lack of web 
> space || web space provider limits off-site linking)/ability to post 
> their own images.

Yeah, I'm working on it now.  I think the site search feature is lousy too.
I emulated craigslist with the drop-down category selection for searching
and I now realize that is bad design.  I will rework it to be a simple
search field searching across all categories.

> 
> >If anyone has any ideas for local promotion of raleighlist I
> would love
> >to
> hear it.
> 
> Paul really hit the nail on the head when he mentioned, and I'm 
> rephrasing/generalizing here, the value of any transaction-based 
> website is the people that it attracts. So you have to define who your 
> customer is, why they'll use service over what's existing, and where 
> they are.
> 
> One of the techniques that made people so aware of hotmail was adding 
> their tagline text to the bottom of any messages.
> Adding such text to any messages sent from the site would give 
> validation to those that have advertised goods/services.

Great idea and a simple one too.  I'll surely implement that.

> 
> The real question is what is the goal? Do you just want a nice site 
> with a good vibrant community around it? Or do you want it to a  
> commercially self-sustaining ? It seems the real-estate section is the 
> most active area.
> 

The goal is definitely the former.  I have no have aspirations to ever make
money from the site.  My goal is to attract enough user base to make it as
usefull as craigslist SF is.

Real estate is definitely picking up.  Classifieds are quite active.  Jobs
are dead on the site.