FAQ!

Who are you?
I’m Batman.

Okay, actually, I’m drmk, otherwise known (for some reason) as the llama-nun. There’s also Dan, also known as the ostrimu. The names came from the avatars we’ve used since we began the site; our readers christened us as the llamanun and ostrimu, and the names stuck.

Here’s a link to a short interview with the vampire me. (A warning: the link may not be safe for work, as there’s usually at least one girls-on-cam ad on the page.) In the interview, I talk a little bit about me, and about why I choose to be anonymous right now.

The short version is that I’m an academic by day, and I don’t want my students — or my tenure committee! — knowing about the blog. I’m happy being the llama behind the curtain.

“Why do you do this?”
During the summer of 2008, I was spending time on my local Craigslist. I started posting some of the funnier ads I encountered to a personal blog of mine; my friends claimed to like them, and one night I thought to check whether anyone had done a blog of bad Craigslist ads. The URL www.yousuckatcraigslist.com was available, so I decided to take it and write a blog to amuse my friends. It gained speed, and here we are today!

“Do you have a book deal yet?”
No, not yet. If you’re a literary agent who’s interested in representing YSaC, feel free to email me at yousuckatcraigslist@gmail.com. I’ve talked to a couple of people about it; one person suggested I “dumb the site down” to make it more marketable. Seriously? No thanks! I like it the way it is. I’m open to working with an agent and publisher who “get” the site. I’m not actively pursuing anything, but I wouldn’t say no to a good opportunity, either!

“Why don’t you link to the original Craigslist post?”
The reason is that eventually the site would be full of dead links. In large markets (LA, Chicago, NYC, etc.) posts in most categories disappear after only a week, and they are not archived anywhere. In smaller markets, the posts disappear one month after posting. That’s longer, but not permanent.

It seems silly to me to provide a link that’s going to be a dead one sooner rather than later. If I did that, I’d have to have an FAQ here for all the people who ask, “Hey, what’s with all the dead links?”

Instead, I copy the post and any pictures, and post those so that they remain here for posterity.

If you’re dead set on finding the original Craigslist post, you can always email me and ask what market it was posted in. Or you can use one of the many Craigslist aggregators. Or you can Google it. Keep in mind, though, that there’s a lag between when I’m sent a post and when it actually hits the site, so — again — if the post is from a large market, it may already have run its week and be gone … which, just to be sure we’re clear on this, is why I don’t post links to the original posts.

Thanks. Have a sammich.

“You spelled your tag ‘spelling problems’ wrong, and therefore shouldn’t be allowed to make fun of other people’s spelling mistakes.”
Um. Right. Anyone with a GOOD question?

“What’s with the ‘Have a sammich’ thing?”
Dunno. It seems like good advice though, doesn’t it? Who doesn’t love a good sammich?

How can I get a customized avatar like all the cool kids in the comments?
Go to Gravatar.com and sign up using the same email address you use to comment with here. Note: It sometimes takes a little while for the avatar to update, and you might have to clear your cache or quit and restart your browser in order to see your new avatar.