Many turning to Web to ask for help
— -- 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.
Hurst, who was laid off from her job as a receptionist in November, said she posted on Craigslist because it offered "a great opportunity for me to get stuff other people are trying to get rid of." Two women have responded and supplied suits and other clothing for her job hunt.
Kirk, who said she lost her home through foreclosure about six months ago and lost her job in phone sales in November, was in a homeless shelter with one of her children, a 3-year-old boy. Her 4-month-old girl was being cared for by a grandmother.
"I didn't have anywhere else to go," Kirk said. "The fact that Craigslist is free helped, too."
Another single mother opened her home to Kirk. In return, Kirk watches the woman's children while she works.
Candy Hill, a senior vice president of Catholic Charities USA, said she's not surprised people in need are searching the Web. Her group's agencies around the country are seeing a "dramatic" increase in requests for food, housing and financial assistance. "Why wouldn't somebody turn to the Internet?" she said. "They're desperate and they don't know where else to find help."
Contributing: Wendy Koch