Flugpo, Not Just a Funny Name
August 24, 2008Want to reach a ton of people with a free online advertisement?
Flugpo is that service. Its kind of like “Myspace meets Craigslist,” only without the dark alleys, crime and spammers.
As one of many new social networks out there, Flugpo has created a good niche focusing on trusted classified ads, but with more transparency than existing online solutions. It focuses on representing real people authentically so that you can learn about them and earn trust.
Many of these people are entrepreneurs and highly connected web users in their own right, so the relationships have higher value. All Flugpo classifieds are also open to search engines, offering significant SEO and link opportunities. One user even got a call from the Rachel Ray show within 1 hour of posting a classified ad about her “kitchen remodeling contractor” business. Some speedy results.
Flugpo offers a free and effective classified ad section that should meet all of your advertising needs. These ads are picked up by the search engines and can produce big results. - Flugpo Blog
One of the initial things that I find attractive about this new network is you know up front that most people are there to network for their own benefit. This is usually always the case anyways, but at Flugpo, the site is built for you to advertise yourself, your products, or services, and everyone knows it. Add in the fact that your ads are connected directly to you, your face, and your website and the onus of trust is on you. To truly benefit from the site, you must be active and invest in others. The reciprocity is out in the open and to me enriches this new and growing online community.
Also, the site allows you to drill down geographically very well, which for most of us creates nice opportunities to reach our target audience, rather than getting lost in the crowd. Keyword options exist for your profile, ads, groups, etc. allowing easy browsing, similar to StumbleUpon.com but with an extra level.
It takes the best parts of Craiglist and Myspace, but improves on both by keeping safety and privacy as main goals. Spamming is all but impossible on Flugpo and by eliminating the anonymity features found with Craigslist, the tendency for people to use the service for malicious means is curtailed significantly. The service definitely has potential, but it is also a work in progress. They are just starting out, so they need feedback from knowledgeable users about how to improve the service. But I would definitely say the value is already there.
Each classified posting is linked to the profile of the member posting the ad. Given the current landscape of Internet safety, Flugpo is quick to address safety concerns by connecting all classified listings with a “face and name.” - Flugpo Blog
To check out what they have to offer for yourself, visit the official Flugpo website. Or connect with my profile here.
Its trouble when any site opens up the exchange of money without reputation. Craigslist does that, Ebay allows ratings and follow up, which is a good start, but I agree that seeing who your doing business with is key. Although anyone could set up dummy accounts with fake pictures and the like on this Flugpo, I have they apply some rating system or alert for people trying to scam the system. It WILL still happen.
I never really trusted craigslist. A lot of people use it to buy furniture or roommates, but I have heard horror stories for both. I think they probably get most of their traffic from people who pay with “roses”.
I was reading that Flugpo “relaunched” earlier this year with some backing (VC?). Why the relaunch? What was the service like before?
Sure, Good question. I do not know what the startup history of Flugpo is, but I will did a little when I get a chance and see what I can find.
Hello. I am Kelly and work with Flugpo. I saw this on Digg and I would like to thank the author for talking about Flugpo. I can answer some of the questions your readers posed.
John: You are absolutely correct, people will still try to pull their scams no matter how many safeguards are in place. Flugpo has taken every step possible to try and thwart their efforts.
1) There is a “testimonial” section in every profile. This allows other members to get a better idea of a seller’s reputation through people that have already conducted business with that member.
2) There is an automated system that recognizes when a member starts spamming other members and shuts them down from posting further. At that point, the member is reviewed and can be either “unspammed” and return to posting or banned altogether.
3) There are many methods put in place for other members to report abuse or misuse of the site or ads.
4) Ads are watched and if there is something fishy, it is investigated. There have been several instances where members and their ads were banned and removed from the system due to shady postings that were confirmed scams.
While we can’t stop people from trying to abuse the system, Flugpo goes above and beyond most sites to ensure the safety and privacy of its members.
SureThing: Yes, Flugpo did relaunch earlier this year. The relaunch happened when it came out of beta. The relaunch consisted of a new design and tons of new features to make the site even more user friendly and effective.
Sorry to have taken up so much room. Hopefully this helps shed some light on any questions you have. Please feel free to visit me and ask me any other questions you might have. Enjoy your day!