Workstir Blog

Facebook Connect Hiccup

2008-12-20T00:44:00.000-08:00

There was a bug that was not saving posts after logging into Connect. Doh! We have since fixed the issue and apologize for the inconvenience. We are coding as fast as we can to build new amazing features, such as Facebook Connect -- and sometimes our Quality Assurance team plays too much Rock Band (World Tour) -- slackers.

If you posted a job recently and don't see it by clicking "Find Jobs", please repost your job so we can get you hooked up.

Thanks!

Workstir and Facebook Get Hitched

2008-12-18T00:02:00.000-08:00

We are proud to announce that in our latest build we've included the ability to register with your Facebook account. We feel this is a huge step to providing authenticity to the users on Workstir.

Facebook prides itself on having a true to life "social graph". In part, this means users must register with real names and valid e-mail addresses. It makes sense for us to allow users to use their Facebook account to login to Workstir because we believe users should be transparent when conducting business online.

When you 'connect' using Facebook Connect we will import your photo from Facebook, your location, your about section, and your company (this can be removed if unneeded). Since we are able to import your location, you can start using the site in litereally 30 seconds. We can show you new jobs or workers in your area immediately.

We are taking classifieds to a whole new level- a level where consumers with real needs are contacted by real people with ratings and reviews from real people. We hope you join us!

Text size: increase text sizedecrease text size Woman faces 5 years in car-scam robberies

2008-12-05T16:55:00.001-08:00

The
woman who masterminded a Craigslist robbery scam, advertising luxury
cars for sale at bargain prices then robbing prospective buyers in
Baldwin and Freeport, will face 5 years in prison, Nassau prosecutors
said Thursday.

Agnes Banach, 18, of Maspeth, Queens, and her seven co-conspirators
have pleaded guilty to an array of robbery, conspiracy and grand
larceny charges, Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice said.

"Ms. Banach's violent actions have left her no other option but to
serve time in prison," Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice
said in a statement. "We were prepared to take this case to trial
before she took responsibility for her actions."

Banach first placed a Craigslist ad on Nov. 26, 2007, claiming she had
a 2006 Porsche to sell and when a buyer responded she told him to come
see the vehicle in Freeport, Rice said. She told the victim her name
was Linda.

The victim, accompanied by his wife, brought a down payment of $4,800
and met her at an agreed-upon Freeport address. Using a prearranged
signal Banach dropped her keys to summon four co-conspirators who
attacked and robbed the victim and his wife of their money and a
BlackBerry, Rice said.

Following a second, similar Craigslist ad for a 2002 Porsche on Dec. 6,
2007, Banach told the victims, a father and son, that her name was
Lucy. She told them to bring $22,000 to a Baldwin residence as a down
payment on the car, and as the son knocked on the door of the
residence, his father was attacked by one of Banach's accomplices. He
repeatedly punched the father, displayed what appeared to be a firearm
and robbed the father of $100, prosecutors said.

Banach pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree robbery, four counts
of second-degree robbery, two counts of grand larceny, two counts of
conspiracy, and two counts of attempted robbery. She will be sentenced
Jan. 22.

Co-conspirator Khaliek Owens, 17, of Brooklyn has pleaded guilty to
first-degree robbery and is scheduled to be sentenced Friday.

Christopher Blanco, 19, of the Bronx, pleaded guilty to two counts of
second-degree robbery and is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 7.

The other five, Lavainna Seaton, 17; Chad Greaves, 18; Ronique Simpson,
19, all of Brooklyn; Wally Arias, 19, of the Bronx; and George
Obanyoun, 20, of Inwood, are scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 18 on
robbery, attempted robbery, grand larceny and conspiracy charges.

Fight breaks out, shots fired after Concord man solicits woman on Craigslist

2008-11-19T10:05:00.001-08:00

CONCORD
— A man got into a tussle at his home early Monday with a woman he had
solicited online and then was shot at by her male companion as she
escaped, police said.
The shooting was reported about 12:05
a.m. in the 4700 block of Matheson Court, police Cpl. Kerry Cerletti
said. The 37-year-old victim told police he was seeking female
companionship when he contacted a woman who went by the name "Angel" on
Craigslist, Cerletti said.
When the woman arrived at the home,
the man set down $100 on a table. The woman then asked for a drink of
water, and the man went to the kitchen for a glass. When he got back,
he saw the woman, cash in hand, heading out the front door.
The
two began to wrestle, and as they struggled, the woman called out to
someone outside. Soon after, a man carrying a handgun ran toward the
front door. When the victim saw the armed man, he pushed the woman out
and tried to slam shut the door. That's when the man fired two shots
through the door, striking the floor inside.

Online classifieds represents 14% of overall domestic online spending

2008-10-08T14:50:00.001-07:00

According to data released by Barclay analysts, online classifieds represents 14% of the overall domestic online spending! This number is forcasted to keep growing until 2012, and is definitely a market we feel comfortable in with the economy taking a dive. We see more and more users doing business on a local level, and hiring people they trust in times like these. We feel confident that we deliver a product that solves both of these needs.

"The flow of dollars from newspaper classifieds is evident in a 5% growth in online classifieds (like Craigslist and Yahoo HotJobs) to $3.5 billion in 2008, representing 14% of overall domestic online spending. The Internet (led by search and Google) continues its double-digit growth, but a much slower 17% increase to $24.8 billion in 2008 and a more modest 14% growth rate in 2009."

U.S. online classifieds will grow from $3.9 billion to $9.1 billion

2008-10-02T12:20:00.001-07:00

According to The Kelsey Group Online, U.S. online classifieds will grow from $3.9 billion in 2007 to $9.1 billion in 2012.

"During the forecast period, U.S. online classifieds will grow from US$3.9 billion to US$9.1 billion (18.6 percent CAGR) and online verticals (such as home services, home and garden, health care, legal and auto repair) will grow from US$100 million to US$5.6 billion (461.4 percent CAGR)."

That is a huge jump, and as more and more people start using the internet, we believe this number could break expectations!

Robbery Suspect Uses Craigslist to Make Getaway

2008-10-01T14:56:00.001-07:00

A man wearing a yellow vest, blue shirt, and respirator mask sprayed pepper spay in the face of an amored car driver and took off with his loot. He ran down to a creek and jumped on an inner tube and floated away -- further down the road sat a group of nearly a dozen men dressed the exact same way waiting for a contractor that posted a fictitious job on Craigslist -- who never showed up.

Mike, who wanted to be identified only by his first name, told KING-5 that he saw a Craigslist ad last week seeking workers for a road-maintenance project. He inquired and was e-mailed instructions to meet near the bank at 11 a.m. Tuesday and to wear specific clothing."Yellow vest, safety goggles, a respirator mask ... and, if possible, a blue shirt," Mike told KING-5.

No contractor met Mike and about a dozen other similarly dressed men who showed up at the bank, and they thought they had been stood up. Then, KING-5 reported, a man told them about the bank robbery.

" 'Yeah, guys, we just got scammed,' " Mike said the man told him. "Bank robbery just happened to be right across the street, in the same attire in all the e-mails that everyone got."

Police are investigating the ad to determine whether it is linked to the robbery, Willis said.

Craigslist a haven for Crooks?

2008-10-01T11:44:00.001-07:00

Canada.com recently wrote an article titled, "Craigslist a haven for crooks..." -- here's an excerpt:

"Craigscrimelist also listed the experience of a Maine father of four who advertised his handyman services so he could feed his kids and was
e-mailed by someone offering to pay him to sexually abuse one of his children."

How much trust do you put in the anonymous people on the other side of Craigslist? It seems there is a real need for greater level of trust in the online classifieds market. Everyday we hear stories of people getting ripped off on Craigslist, and a number of other 'anonymous' listings sites. Why do people put trust in these people they have never met? Because they NEED something.

We all have needs, and we are willing to do sometimes crazy things to fulfill those needs. There needs to be a system that allows people to know WHO they are doing business with, and what others thought of doing business with those people...

But who shall provide that? :)

Stay tuned.Technorati Tags: craigslist, classifieds, jobs, work

Playing with a new look

2008-10-01T00:20:00.000-07:00

We are changing up the user interface of the site a bit. We are pretty excited about the new look, and think you guys will digg it! We completely changed the top level navigation, and made some user experience changes that make it easier for the user.

If you know me, you know that I am absolutely horrible about keeping secrets. My wife knows her Christmas gifts before Thanksgiving! So, I can't help but share a little sneak peak:

Consumer Centric

2008-08-24T15:19:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Workstir blog!

We are very busy building the next evolution of online classifieds, and can't wait to show it to you. One of the key components to Workstir is that we believe the consumer should have every possible way imaginable to post a need. This is illustrated by our homepage having a clear and distinctive flow of action.

You won't need an account to get your post started. We are encouraging our users to just start posting. We feel that the more posts we have in the system, the more likely we are to attract the right type of service providers. So when you receive your e-mail to start participating in the private beta, don't be afraid to just start posting needs you may have!