What Is Emma?

I love Craigslist as much as the next person. How else do you think I unloaded all the baby stuff I don’t need anymore? However, sometimes it can be downright creepy dealing with some of the people out there who want to buy what I’m selling. After having one weirdo show up at my door when my husband was gone, I decided maybe I needed to make sure he was going to be around for future dealings, or just give up on the whole process.

Emma is a new way to make online dealings a little more comfortable for both parties involved. It’s like a friendly Craigslist – it’s a social marketplace where you can trade, swap, buy – find a carpool or rideshare, a new roommate, you name it. Even find a date! You access it with your Facebook account, so each party can feel they know a little more about whom they are dealing with. Facebook access also allows you to share your listings with others who may be interested in them.

The bidding process is easy. There are two parties involved – the listing owner who creates what is to be bid on – and the bidder. Listing owners start by choosing a specific category for their item/service, enter all the details, and then wait for potential bidders to find them. The bidders go through the listings and if something catches their eye, they can click on it. The listing owner will then be able to view the bidder’s profile, and send their own profile back. Listing owner can easily accept or decline bids — making the whole online market experience faster. It’s also more organized — you can click on the top to see all of your own listings, bids you’ve made and more.

Go to www.emma.com to learn even more about Emma, or download the free iPhone app.

Would you try Emma?