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Facebook takes another poke at classified ads

5 Mar 2009

Facebook is taking a second swing at online classified ads, teaming up with Oodle to launch a classified section that combines selling with the more social aspects that Facebook's users have grown accustomed to. How Facebook will make money from them is still to be determined, however.

Facebook has revamped its online classifieds page. Its new look and feel is -- surprise, surprise -- very reminiscent of a Web 2.0-style community, with features that allow for more conversation and networking.

Facebook previously had a classifieds page, Facebook Marketplace, which it launched about 18 months ago, but the site decided to pull it and start again, Oodle CEO Craig Donato told the E-Commerce Times. It selected Oodle, whose online classified software platform supports communities on AOL and MySpace, to relaunch the page, which will carry the same name.

"Online classifieds in social networking communities, as it turns out, is a harder nut to crack than many people would expect," Donato said.

Facebook is rolling out its new classifieds page over a 60-day period.

The site's goal was to keep the buy and sales interactions as lightweight and conversational as possible, Donato said. "The ads just become part of the general conversation -- 'Bob' is writing about remodeling his home and selling furniture that he doesn't need and here is an ad for a sofa."

Read the full article here.