Many turning to Web to ask for help

ByABC News
February 11, 2009, 1:09 AM

— -- People who have lost their homes, jobs or economic stability are turning to the Internet to broadcast their troubles and plead for help.

"Please give me a chance. I'm looking for a job but to no avail," single mother Rachael Kirk, 32, of Las Vegas wrote on Craigslist last month in an attempt to find housing for herself and her two children.

"I was recently laid off from my job, and I am job hunting, but I am finding I have very few 'interview-worthy' outfits," said a Craigslist posting by Mary Ann Hurst, 24, of Hillsborough, N.C. She's seeking professional attire.

"We HATE asking for help but we don't have anywhere to go if we lose our house. … If everyone gave $1 or $2 we could get caught up!!" wrote a seller on eBay offering pictures of jellyfish drawn by her 4-year-old son for a minimum bid of $1 each.

Craigslist doesn't have hard data on appeals for help, but the trend is clear, spokeswoman Susan MacTavish Best said. "In the last six months, we've seen a significant increase in postings on Craigslist where users are asking fellow members of the community for help in making it through these dismal economic times," she said in an e-mail. EBay spokeswoman Evonne Gomez said the online auction company doesn't track such requests because users post millions of new listings every day.

Scams are rare, MacTavish Best said, but she cautioned people who want to help others to follow one primary rule: "Deal locally with Craigslist users you can meet in person," she said. "Virtually all scam attempts come from distant 'sellers' who try to entice people to wire money."

Ross Mayfield, president of Socialtext, a company that sells social-networking software to connect employees within businesses, said more people are using the Internet to share their stories because "cultural norms" have changed. Online communities that allow people to post for free also have increased.

"Today, it's common behavior for people to express themselves on the Web, engage in communities and seek support, even from strangers," Mayfield said.