When I arrived in Kampala, I was frustrated by the lack of a craigslist.org or gumtree.com sub-site for Kampala. Over the many months I’ve been here I’ve found a huge expat population who’s also been frustrated by this, which got me thinking on multiple occasions about how hard it would be to create a site that could achieve similar goals of gumtree or craigslist.
Originally I was thinking I could get craigslist to add k’la as a city, but when I took a look at kenya.craigslist.org I was dishearten to find it’s very unused right now. It seems unlikely they’ll kick-off another city in Eastern Africa, and as I thought about it, the problem is more along the critical mass point. I can guess that there was no advertising in Nairobi, as craigslist doesn’t do advertising. You could let it go and it’ll build steam slowly, but this site has the capacity to make these areas much more dynamic and should be promoted. Basically it needs a push.
The more research I did, the more I realized that it’s feasible for me to set up a site and that I have a 50/50 chance of getting that critical mass if I push it.
A few weeks ago I gave in and put one up. I’m starting small and will expand as it warrants it. It’s nearly ready for public use. Right now I’m primarily focusing on trying to put the word on the ground. You can take a look at it while it’s still in beta. Feedback is much appreciated!
More as it comes!
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