I have always been fascinated by the idea of sites like Craigslist. These sites offer a platform for people to buy and sell just about anything. About a year or so back, I sat down with my wife and watched a documentary called Craigslist Joe. It featured a young man that wanted to travel and survive with no money and no contacts, only using Craigslist for one month. It was super interesting. It was a surprisingly feel good movie that helped me to see that human kindness is not lost. He manages to meet new people, bum some rides, find places to crash and food to eat. It left me with a whole new feeling about Craigslist.
Recently I have been fascinated yet again with a similar site. San Tan Valley Online Yard Sale-Barter & Trade! on Facebook. It has over 22,000 members. It never ceases to amaze me what people will try to sell. I have seen it all from concert tickets to Alpacas. Boats,goats,and automobiles! If you are looking for something, there is a pretty good chance there is someone out there that wants to sell it. I even got in on the action. I bought a Fender Guitar autographed by the Eli Young Band. I don’t even play the guitar but it seemed like something cool for my man cave. I feel that there is so much good that comes from this. We are reducing the amount of trash we put out as well as make a little money in the process.
All that being said what I really like the most about it is the sense of community. Almost every day I see strangers helping one another. They offer advice. They recommend each other’s businesses. They reach out to those in need to offer a helping hand. Most of the time asking for nothing in return. It has become a great source of information about what is going on in the community as well as a great source of inspiration. Sure there are a few squabbles with dishonest people and tempers flare when people become passionate in their opinions. Every community has those issues. It just makes me feel good to know that people still want to help each other. If you have never been to the page, I highly recommend that you check it out sometime.
