Celebrity Kindle: Craig Newmark
Craigslist.org founder Craig Newmark has a Kindle, and really enjoys it. In a recent interview with The Seattle Times, the interviewer asks some interesting questions about Craig’s Kindle:
Q: I hear you have an Amazon Kindle.
A: I do have a Kindle, I like it a lot. It does have flaws, but it is a good device and I’m on my 23rd book and I have several more lined up. On a trip, typically I’ll have at least three books and on a long trip probably four; now I just have a Kindle. My life is a little easier.
Q: That’s interesting, because one thing about Kindle is the digital rights attached to the Kindle version of books. Unlike a physical copy, when you’re done, you can’t give the books to a friend or sell them on Craigslist.
A: I am painfully aware of the plight, particularly of independent bookstores, and I want to help and I don’t know what to do about it. I could use some advice from Jeff Bezos, because I know he’s concerned.
Q: Have you talked to him much?
A: I met him a year ago, that’s it. I like his hair.
The interviewer brings up one of the very few things I think is a drawback for the Kindle - not being able to resell a book after reading it. I’m used to passing books on to family members and friends, selling them (on Amazon, of course), or trading them on PaperBackSwap.com. With the Kindle, however, you have a digital copy and it’s attached to your specific Kindle. I’ve gotten around this so far by purchasing Kindle books that I think I’ll read again at some point.
You can click here to read the full interview, which discusses politics, Wal-Mart’s classified ads that compete with Craigslist, and the future of Craigslist.
