Craigslist considers Limiting HTML - "Goodbye vFlyers & Postlets!"

I have never really been impressed with Craig's list as a real estate tool. I can use it to drive traffic to my website, but I haven't seen any buyers come from it. I think it's mostly bargain hunters and we don't have many bargains in my market.

Do you think Craigslist has been inundated by agents and homesellers after Redfin's comments about using Craigslist?

I sort of have mixed feelings on this one. I can see where they are coming from wanting to limit the HTML, however it will mean a little re-working of my clients marketing plans. I feel that whatever changes Craigslist decide to make, the other companies (i.e. vFlyer and Postlets) will likely make corresponding changes to their platforms.

Just my two cents. ;-)

Rich, I use HTML in my own craigslist ads, and the proposed restriction does not seem to limit any of the HTML I am using.  They are still proposing to allow: Tables, Font Colors (basic), images, formating text, hyperlinks to our own websites, etc. Thus, I don't think my HTML posts will be impacted much.  (btw - my AR Blogged listings look like my craiglist ads).

Craigslist already limits the use of the text-font color White, presumably to prevent a poster from burying white text into a white background (hiding keywords and other messages); they screen out java script; they also corrupt the direct links to the RE/MAX website's videos.

I'm not using vFlyer and Postlets in that so many agents are now using those services, that those services are losing their ability to allow an agent to differentiate themselves from other agents.

I also don't use vFlyer and Postlets since I see that much of the SEO juice they create is for their own service, and not for my website, my blog and my real estate business.

In the end, I've heard that Craigslist is ranked No. 4 for web-traffic to a shopping site.  Not too bad for a company with 18 employees!  We will adapt and not ignore this source of web-leads.

This is a bummer.  I have had some good sucess with Craigs list using vFlyer.

Will be watching AR for other sites to use.  Will have to check of Graigs list, from the suggestion above.

I'm not too happy about the proposed limit either.  Postlets really makes it easier to manage listings and generally if you know how to code using HTML it creates a better presentation than what the standard Craigslist options gives you.  I do use my own custom HTML coding on Craigslist, check out our ad HERE

Alexander's point is great but however I believe poslets allows users who don't know basic HTML to be able to modify the code (if they can understand it and know what they are doing) and personalize it to differentiate from other agents.

Maybe if they limit HTML they would allow the use of API's or flash interface...yea right!

Ral Ndubaku
Commercial Brokers International

I am extremely disappointed by the proposed limits on using HTML. Like many of the other commenters I use Vflyer and Postlets and really love the ability to have a clean and crisp ad where the information is easily accessible to the potential buyer. I know when I was looking for a home before I was in real estate I hated reading the text ads one after another in search of pertinent information. Let's hope they reconsider the proposed limits.

Rich - any new news on craigslits and the html issue that you've heard?

thanks for the update -- I am not really sure how valuable the post there is anyway -- sure the consumer wants the information everywhere but what real value does high end real estate have there -- It would be interested to see how Craigslist ranks as a search engine portal for consumers.

Any updates on this Rich? I'm guessing there was more outrage for it's dissapearance that they decided to stick with the bad to keep the good?

This is very interesting, and I would like to know if there have been any updates to this post?  How is craigslist dealing with this issue, and when might we see a change, if there is going to be one?

Really, I did not know this.  While I would be sad to not be able to use postlets anymore since it's such a good visual, I cannot argue with their reasoning.  They gotta do what they gotta do.  But I hope they'll also be working on a way to weed out the good intentioned from the bad so we can eventually use HTML again.

I just posted a property yesterday with ListingProducer.com that generates the html to copy into Craigs List -- worked fine as of yesterday.