
Y Combinator Challenge #25 - Craigslist Competitor - drm237
http://astartupaday.wordpress.com/2008/09/17/y-combinator-challenge-25-craigslist-competitor/
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maxklein
The key to making a craigslist competitor is to take away the painful parts
and the embarassing parts:

1\. Carrying your old school monitor to the post office to send it

2\. Meeting people face-to-face and that uncomfortable stilted conversation.

Solve those two problems.

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vaksel
meh, I just have them meet me at one of the rest stops on the parkway...they
show up, give me the cash, I give them the stuff and I drive away.

Its public so no slasher worries for the buyer or seller.

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maxklein
Yes, _you_ do.

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vaksel
Well it doesn't hurt to have a CCW permit...or worst case scenario a tire iron
within reach

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Herring
I'm curious, has any company (IT or otherwise) ever beaten an incumbent with a
long headstart & network effects _by creating their own walled garden_? I
can't think of any, but surely there must be one.

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whatusername
MSN vs ICQ comes to mind. (note that AOL is a non-start for the other 5.7
billion people in the world) Facebook vs. Myspace?

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Herring
Hmm facebook hasn't yet beaten myspace. I think MS vs lotus also works, though
the network effects arent' as strong. I wonder whether all the examples are
from microsoft.

