The Arrival Of The Internet Offers Another Medium For Classified Ads

Before the internet, everything from buying a car, meeting the person of your dreams, getting a job, or even buying a house was mainly done via the Yellow Pages or the classifieds ads section of the local newspaper. Now, you can enter a few search words into Google and you’ll have millions of options at your fingertips! But has this sounded the death knell for traditional classified ads?

To answer, let’s examine exactly what some of the internet’s success stories entail. Google was originally set-up as an enthusiast's search engine but has rapidly grown into one of the world’s most well-known brands and a company worth billions of dollars. That value comes on the back of selling goods and services via their exhibited results. Because of the fact that few people ever go beyond the first page of results, Google are able to charge for sponsored results to appear on the right hand side of the first page, effectively creating classified ads for every single search term.

Another shining example of an effective, online classified ads internet vehicle is eBay. Although essentially an auction website, it performs exactly the same function as classified ads, but one step on from Google. Whereas the latter directs people to other companies’ websites for the information, goods or service for which they are searching, eBay keeps them on site by getting sellers to register on their website.

Moreover, eBay then takes a cut from every listing and sale on the website. In the old days of classified ads it was ‘first come, first served’. Once you’d scoured the ads and found what you wanted you rang up and did the deal. However, with eBay the main difference is that you can search for what you want and then you have to bid against others, unless there is a ‘buy-it-now’ price attached to the item in question.

Popular social network site MySpace has also altered the traditional format of online classifieds on its homepage, enabling users to select categories to explore, from cars for sale to casting calls! On the other hand, MySpace's biggest rival - Facebook - has recently launched Facebook Marketplace, which localises market offerings. This gives users the choice of searching local classified ads, or the opportunity to search the entire world for the latest must-have item.

So, whether you are a user of Google, MySpace, eBay or Facebook, - or all four! - You'll have access to millions of online classified ads. And if you’ve ever bought anything from those sites, you’ll have been keeping the small ads tradition alive and well.

Andrew Regan is a freelance online journalist.