Craigster version 1.1 out

[Lycias]

Hey everyone, I know this a long time in coming but our first and newest update of [app]Craigster[/app], an application which lets you search and post craigslist listings, is out.

The new version now supports all international cities, has a simple name change, and a small explanation below the location button for those of you who were confused as to how to change locations (SF is not the only city!). We've also fixed posting issues that have been plaguing our application for the past 2 weeks. There should be no more problems from here on out.

For those of you who haven't already tried our application and would be willing to write a review for us on the App Store, you can PM me for a promo code.

You can e-mail me at scwang@viscerallabs.com for any questions. I'll also be checking on this thread occasionally to answer any questions as well.

Note: Like the situation other craigslist applications have been experiencing for the last month, we cannot support the personals section of craigslist due to Apple's policy towards offensive content on the App Store.

 

[Four20]

does it search all cities at once?

 

[Lycias]

No, it does not have the capability to search all cities simultaneously. Our purpose was to give the feel of the original craigslist in a more reactive and user-friendly interface than iPhone Safari could offer while, at the same time, exploiting the iPhone's capabilities to connect to the Internet, make calls, and take pictures to further expedite your craigslist experience.

 

[mkrishnan]

It looks like a nice app. Congratulations!

And your comment prompted me to look at what Craigslist personals have become. Ho mai gott.

 

[Lycias]

Yes, it's quite the jungle in that section. We're still trying our best to add personals, but it's hard trying to build an intelligent enough filter that can tell the difference between an actual person looking for a date or just a "happy ending."

Alas, as I've said to numerous email complaints about other issues, because Apple rejects versions in its entirety and not in parts, every time we submit a big update AND add in personals, we get shunted. This has put us severely behind schedule for updates (that plus exams/schoolwork). So, for the time being, we'll be putting our efforts into offering the updates we promised a long time ago.

 

[mkrishnan]

I'm not usually one to cry censorship, but if all your app is doing is providing a formatting to make C/L usable, I don't see why Apple should not let you list the personals segment. There are "adult" things on eBay. The eBay app isn't prevented from searching for them. I'm not sure why your app's standards are so different....

 

[Lycias]

That's a problem with Apple's review process. Everything's so shady, we're not sure why we get rejected minus a general "offensive content" citation and a screenshot of the listing. We have no control over the listings people post and we have no desire to control what our users see. It's their iPhone and their life. However, Apple's putting us up against a wall on the situation. We want to offer personals in its entirety since we don't want to limit what users can do, but since it's Apple's platform they have the final say....

Now I'm not going to argue whether their rules are fair or not, that's a different discussion.

As for ebay, we've tried citing that example and explaining that what we're offering is simply like a portal. What people choose to see is based on their discretion. However, the responses we get are lackluster (if any) stating the same dried-up SDK user agreement:

"Applications must not contain any obscene, pornographic, offensive or defamatory content or materials of any kind (text, graphics, images, photographs, etc.), or other content or materials that in Apple's reasonable judgement [sic] may be found objectionable by iPhone or iPod touch users."

Note the vague leeway they give themselves with "Apple's reasonable judgement [sic]."

In the end, assuming this roadblock stays, the question boils down to, "do we want to quit offering this application?" or "continue going as is." And given the effort and time we've spent since September making this application into a reality, we decided we'd continue offering it.

We'll continue improving this application to try and fully encompass craigslist as far as Apple will allow and, in the meantime, we will be planning our next application (an original work this time) which hopefully won't be mired down by any Apple policies.

 

[mkrishnan]

Yeah, it is a bit sketchy. Congratulations, again, in any event, on the milestone for your app.

 

[Lycias]

Thank you, I appreciate it!