Okay, so Craigslist's big advantage over everybody else is its user base, right?
But at least in my experience, most people who use Craigslist wish that there were something better that had a large user base. They don't like the UI, they don't like how many scammers there are, etc. They tolerate Craigslist because that's where the results are, but they would be happy to jump ship if they could get those results elsewhere, but with more pros and fewer cons.
It seems like this would be a good case for "conditional commmitment."
Kickstarter is a great example of a service that allows conditional commitment. Here's the problem it solves: People are reluctant to donate to a cause unless they know there is enough other support to make the goal viable. Kickstarter lets them conditionally donate, and their donation is only collected once some threshold of total pledges have been reached. (Side note: A Kickstarter for politics would be a great way for a third-party candidate to make inroads, don't you think?)
In the case of a Craigslist alternative, perhaps one strategy would be to have people commit to a proposed new service -- on the condition that some threshold of other people also commit. Once the threshold is reached, boom, it's like Black Friday, with a line of people at the door waiting to rush in en masse.
I would argue that Kickstarter in its current form is not as scaleable as Craigslist is. If they would follow an anything-goes policy as Craigslist does, the same problems would appear i.e. illegal content, scams, etc.
In regards to Kickstarter for politics: Might work better if these were bi-partisan "internetsy" themes, i.e. ACTA, SOPA. But the problem with politics is, that there might be not immediate results.
The "moneybombs" many candidates use to drive up cash in certain timeframes could be seen as somewhat similar to Kickstarter. They are often affiliated with a specific fund rising goal, some (made up) reason for the "bomb", and often even list contributor names and messages.
I agree with you about the reaching a "threshold" of users. Creating a large base of returning users is difficult.
I am interning for an indirect Craigslist competitor. (zealousgood.com) We help nonprofits get/receive in-kind donations. Instead, of putting up a free item on CL, one can pick a nonprofit to donate it to.
Many people view CL as a the simplest solution. It has the least resistance. Regardless of its cons, people continue to use the system.
But at least in my experience, most people who use Craigslist wish that there were something better that had a large user base. They don't like the UI, they don't like how many scammers there are, etc. They tolerate Craigslist because that's where the results are, but they would be happy to jump ship if they could get those results elsewhere, but with more pros and fewer cons.
It seems like this would be a good case for "conditional commmitment."
Kickstarter is a great example of a service that allows conditional commitment. Here's the problem it solves: People are reluctant to donate to a cause unless they know there is enough other support to make the goal viable. Kickstarter lets them conditionally donate, and their donation is only collected once some threshold of total pledges have been reached. (Side note: A Kickstarter for politics would be a great way for a third-party candidate to make inroads, don't you think?)
In the case of a Craigslist alternative, perhaps one strategy would be to have people commit to a proposed new service -- on the condition that some threshold of other people also commit. Once the threshold is reached, boom, it's like Black Friday, with a line of people at the door waiting to rush in en masse.