eileenw - 8:46 pm on May 12, 2008 (gmt 0)

Another key point is that because Craigslist is local, it builds community offline. If I want a sofa, I need to call someone up and actually meet with them in person to make the transaction. Also, you can find events that you can actually go to and participate in your local community.

To that end, I think what some e-commerce sites are lacking is being tied into a real community both online and offline. I don't think you need to host a community to be part of one though and reap the benefits.

My husband has a very niche business with a successful website. We tried a forum initially, but like others, we realized that we'd rather spend time building our business than promoting the forum. But being part of the community is important, so we frequent other forums, we participate in social websites, and most importantly, we go out and socialize with people in the real world. Going to conventions, sponsoring events and meeting people offline has really helped our online presence grow and in a very natural way.