"From: New York Times By: Matt Richtel

SAN FRANCISCO -- When they write the history of the greatest Silicon Valley entrepreneur that never was, they should remember to mention his pedometer.

If anything symbolizes the efforts of Craig Newmark, founder and keeper of Craigslist (www.craigslist.org), a Web site used each month by millions of people to exchange goods, services and points of view, it is the gadget that measures how many steps he takes each day. It was given to Mr. Newmark by his nutritionist.

''She says I'm not walking enough,'' Mr. Newmark said.

No wonder. He does not get out much. It has been four years since Mr. Newmark, 51, took a day off from sitting at his computer admonishing spammers, scammers, ne'er-do-wells, meanies and others who would demean or pollute the community that bears his name.

It is a tribute to the success of his efforts that the auction giant eBay bought a 25 percent stake in Craigslist.org for an undisclosed sum last month. On its face, the purchase poses a challenge for Mr. Newmark, a man committed to a goal most entrepreneurs would revile: he has steadfastly avoided maximizing his commercial success.

That is not to say Craigslist has been a financial disaster. Far from it. Jim Buckmaster, the chief executive of Craigslist and Mr. Newmark's right- and left-hand man, said the company's revenues approach $10 million a year, although he declined to offer more specific numbers. And the partnership with eBay, a very profitable Internet company, raises the question of whether the site's grass-roots values are at risk. Could Mr. Newmark be on the road to taking his list to the bank?

Sitting at his desk last week, Mr. Newmark said the reverse was true. He said he hoped to make his online community more accessible by using expertise from eBay to cope with increasingly sophisticated attacks from spammers and hackers.." [Via New York Times]

Craiglist.org's Mission:
1) Giving each other a break, getting the word out about everyday, real-world stuff.
2) Restoring the human voice to the Internet, in a humane, non-commercial environment.
3) Keeping things simple, common-sense, down-to-earth, honest, very real.
4) Providing an alternative to impersonal, big-media sites.
5) Being inclusive, giving a voice to the disenfranchised, democratizing ...
6) Being a collection of communities with similar spirit, not a single monolithic entity.

Pretty cool idea and very rare these days! Keep on doing "yo' damn thang" Craig!