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Craig Newmark Launches Craigconnects.org

When you think of Craig Newmark, the thought process usually goes something like this: “He’s the founder of Craigslist, right? Hmm… I wonder if anyone will buy my Snoopy lamp?” And if you ask him, that’s probably fine.

But now, by launching Craigconnects.org – a site aimed at helping organizations that are doing good in this world link up with each other – your way of thinking will most likely change.

In the media world, it’s sometimes difficult finding truly optimistic ventures, but that’s exactly what Craigconnects is. So while this might not be New York centric, it’s certainly worth telling you about.

Newmark tells FishbowlNY that the idea for the site came to him when he looked back on how often he’s lended a hand to various organizations. “Over maybe a decade, I’ve given a lot of nonprofits varying degrees of help, often social media expertise, web consulting, etc. I thought I’d helped maybe thirty, but it turned out to be around one hundred.”

This knowledge of public service businesses is incorporated into Craigconnects. Newmark says he’s only featuring groups that he knows are doing real, positive work. On the site they are separated into categories like “Journalism Integrity” and “Veterans Issues.”

Newmark has a few goals in mind for Craigconnects, such as spreading the word about good efforts from good companies, but the focus, like the name indicates, is connections. “I want the organizations I’m supporting to talk to each other and support each other more,” he says.

While Craigslist doesn’t take up all Newmark’s time anymore, he says the lessons learned from launching that site are helping him with Craigconnects. “I’ve learned that people will give each other a hand, particularly if they know it goes to something real.” In other words, there’s lots of good out there, so if you give him and his site a chance, they can help you find it.

And maybe even someone in the market for a Snoopy lamp.

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