Craigslist’s Craig Launches Social Network For Good Causes

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Craig Newmark doesn’t just want your online classifieds anymore. After 15 years of Craigslist, Newmark’s two new online ventures focus less on localized For Sale ads and more on community and social awareness, and – like Craigslist – both are surprisingly simple, effective ideas.

The first of these, CraigConnects, launched a few weeks ago and is described by Newmark as “a small project,” even though it’s actually the beginning of a planned 20-year commitment to helping nonprofits use lessons learned from Craigslist customer service experience.

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The newly-launched second site, LikeMinded, does something similar, but with more user participation. Instead of merely telling people about worthy causes, LikeMinded allows users to share information about projects they’re involved in to build awareness and encourage participation from others. Think of it as Facebook with more purpose than just Liking something.

Currently, the site’s in beta mode, and looking for help improving before the official launch this Spring (specifically: ideas on how it might be more useful to its users).

Anyone suggesting a Missed Connections section, however, may be missing the point.

More on TIME.com:

Five Rich Tech Titans And What They’ve Given To Charity

Official Craigslist App Coming To BlackBerry and Only BlackBerry

People Do What The Net Tells Them To