Tuesday, March 13, 2007

MetroProper.com : a Craigslist like site.



Much like Craigslist uses city-specific sites like chicago.craigslist.org and sfbay.craigslist.org, MetroProper.com also acts as a mothership to scores of subsites.

ChicagoProper.com, LondonProper.com and more than 200 others around the world are then localized for each metropolitan area’s given community. Each site features blogging, RSS feeds, buddy lists, forums, event listings, real-time online status awareness, e-mail, instant messaging, classified ads, photos, tagging and bookmarking.

While the MetroProper network is meant to mirror MySpace by way of online personals, the other half of the sell is for small businesses and their customers through paid placement and other text ads.



For example, businesses can create a profile to be featured on the front page of a given city for $100 per month.

Companies and their customers can create local profiles and add tags indicating what they sell and what they’re interested in buying.Matching companies with customers can happen through search queries on specific tags. In addition, run-of-network text ads – like Google text ads – cost $10 for 5,000 views and $2 for each additional 1,000 views.Classified ad listings for anyone posting are free and are deleted after 60 days.

The company’s first marketing emphasis will be on the Chicago metropolitan area where the firm is headquartered. MetroProper will also run traditional national ads and will slowly add live promotional events in other cities. Funding for a first round of investment has already been provided and MetroProper is now seeking funding for operations moving forward.

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