New classified ad Web site available at UWGB
Jen Quinn
Fourth Estate
The Fourth Estate launched a new and free service to students today, a classified listing Web site, 4eads.com.
This Web site is different from other classified sites, such as Craigslist, because it gives students a more localized and college student-friendly atmosphere, said Greg Edson, the Web site developer.
There are over 100 categories, which range from dating, collectibles, campus life, intramurals, textbooks, apartments, end-of-semester sales, therapeutic services and parking, that are available on the site.
Everything is free to post, except job listings, which have a charge of $25. The job listing will remain posted for 15 days, which is the same for every other listing.
However, with job listings, people also have the opportunity to post at different universities’ Web sites.
“It’s a collaboration among colleges throughout the country,” Edson said.
The thing that makes this site unique is that it has more categories than you would find on a typical classified page, Edson said. The categories are made specifically for college students.
Although it is very college-orientated, it is also open to the public. Keeping it open to community members allows for a connection between the university and the outlying community of Green Bay.
Because it is open to so many people, the Web site will not necessarily be regulated. However, if someone posts something inappropriate, people can flag the listing and the Fourth Estate will be able to remove it. Essentially, the Web site is user controlled, Edson said.
Each listing has its own category and people are allowed to post up to four photos along with their listing.
With so many categories, there are several places a student can post, but there is no limit to the number of posts a student can make, given they are different subjects. Therefore, a student can post just one listing or they can post hundreds; the number of posts is unlimited.
Each student can also create a personalized account. This area can be used for storing listings, e-mailing services and uploading photos.
With the account, students can mark their favorite listings to come back and look at another time if they are unsure if they want to pursue the listing or if they do not have much time. This makes future visits efficient, as students are able to get to what they want faster.
The hope is students will see this as a place to go to instead of Craigslist, Apartments.com, Roommates.com and other similar sites, Edson said.
Craigslist and other similar Web sites often only have bigger cities like Milwaukee and Madison as an area to post in, leaving Green Bay residents and students with no free place to post classified ads.
“It’s more localized,” Edson said. “Why would you want to go through other sites?”