Be adventurous, swap your home on Love Home Swap’s new Facebook app

If you’re traveling and need a place to stay, there’s a new option that won’t stress your wallet. Home-exchange website Love Home Swap has launched a Facebook application that may introduce a little more serendipity to your life.

The movie “The Holiday” tells the story of two lost women, looking to reconnect with their lives in new places. Kate Winslet, who plays a unlucky-in-love Londoner, switches homes with the uptight Southern Californian, Cameron Diaz. The … Continue Reading

N-Control to replace Ocean Marketing with… Craigslist? [update]

Update: Moisés Chiullan, chief sales and marketing officer for N-Control, Inc., got in touch to let VentureBeat know that this Craigslist ad was merely one in an ongoing smear campaign by unknown entities:

We did not post these ads (we found out there was another one), nor do we know who did. We have asked Craigslist to remove them, and they have. We have experienced a number of phishing attempts and harassment over the last … Continue Reading

Vegas startup Rumgr raises $500K for a better, prettier Craigslist app

Startup classifieds service Rumgr has just received funding to be a sort of suped-up Craigslist. It’s a mobile and web location-based marketplace that lets you snap images of your unwanted stuff, browse pictures of other people’s unwanted stuff, sell, trade, barter, and buy to your heart’s content.

You can post items for sale with just a picture if you like, no description needed, then you field offers from would-be buyers. When you decide to accept … Continue Reading

No more paper resumes! GetHired.com uses video to snag your dream job

Finding a new job isn’t easy, but a new company is trying to give you the best advantage. GetHired.com is video-based job market where you can hunt for jobs and get recruited by employers. The site launched Sunday with $1.75 million in seed funding.

“The whole idea behind GetHired.com is that employee hiring is inefficient. Most job boards are expensive, costing around $400-$500 to post jobs; smaller businesses can’t afford that. Our whole system is … Continue Reading

Watch out Craigslist: ShopSavvy launches Savvylistings, a dead simple mobile marketplace

Even with the advent of online marketplaces like eBay and Craigslist, it’s far too easy to accumulate junk that you’d be better off selling. Now there’s an easier way to sell your aging and neglected collection of vintage records.

ShopSavvy, maker of the popular mobile bar code scanning apps, is today announcing SavvyListings, a service that will let you offer anything for sale simply by scanning a bar code. Afterwards, you only need enter the … Continue Reading

Founders of Reddit, Veoh and Craigslist join forces in anti-SOPA/PIPA discussion

In advance of testifying at a congressional hearing tomorrow, a group of technology industry leaders participated in a public discussion about the ill effects of the proposed SOPA and PIPA anti-piracy legislation.

The discussion, held in Washington D.C. today and sponsored by lobbyist group P Street, included such panelists as Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, Craigslist founder Craig Newmark, Scribd founder Jared Friedman, Managing Partner at Union Square Ventures Brad Burnham, Veoh founder Dmitry Shapiro, and … Continue Reading

Thumbtack helps you find trusted local professionals, makes sure they’re not sex-offenders

Local service finder and community marketplace Thumbtack, which does background checks on the people offering services, announced Monday that it has secured its first round of funding for $4 million.

Thumbtack helps connect people who need work done with those who are qualified to do it. Instead of looking in the phone book for a plumber, you can go on Thumbtack and get bids for the work you need done. Beyond home improvement, just about … Continue Reading

Dylan’s Desk: The time to start a company is now

Much of what happens at a startup happens out of sight of journalists and their readers.

It’s not the stuff of compelling reading, either. Running a business involves a vast amount of logistical work, stuff that has to be learned step by step if you don’t already know how to do it.

You don’t find this out in business school. The only way to learn it is by doing it. That’s why, if you’ve got … Continue Reading

RentAStudent connects startups with hungry, eager students (exclusive)

Startup RentAStudent has a lofty goal: to be a Craigslist-like service that connects startups and small businesses with talented students for one-time projects.

“A lot of businesses are struggling now to get all the work they need done with small budgets, and a lot of students are looking for ways to get exposure.” RentAStudent CEO Morgan Dierstein told VentureBeat. “We help both parties connect.”

RentAStudent’s purpose is to connect students and businesses for any imaginable … Continue Reading

Meg Whitman joins Zaarly’s board, company gets $14M from Kleiner Perkins

Mobile marketplace Zaarly announced today that Hewlett-Packard chief executive Meg Whitman is joining its board of directors, and that it’s getting a $14 million investment led by Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers.

“I just love her,” said Bo Fishback (pictured left), co-founder and chief executive of Zaarly, in an interview with VentureBeat. “She built the biggest peer-to-peer marketplace on the planet Earth … I just know she’s going to make me a better CEO.”

Meg … Continue Reading

Zaarly employee tries to poach Craigslist advertiser

Is it fair to comb through Craigslist ads looking for people to win over to your own online marketplace?

That’s what Zaarly, an online marketplace for people to post items they need, appears to be doing.

In an email thread obtained by VentureBeat, a Zaarly employee reached out to a Craigslist seller about a possible item for sale. Upon response from the seller, the inquirer responded with what appears to be a pretty canned email … Continue Reading

Demo: Tradepal brings bartering of physical goods online

Tradepal is bringing bartering of goods back into style, this time virtually.

The company, which launched today, has a lot in common with eBay, Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace. But where Tradepal differs is, in addition to selling goods for whatever price you choose, you can also accept bartering offers of other physical goods. You sign up on Tradepal through your Facebook login and can view products up for grabs from your friends and their friends. … Continue Reading