New
Web site offers ‘Oodles’ of
options
By
Carmen Viliesid
Daily Forty-Niner
Contributing Writer
Oodle.com, a San Mateo-based company, is a new search engine with the potential
to help the e-generation find the best deals for off-campus housing. Though
there are already Web sites that list classifieds and rental information,
what makes Oodle special is that the user can go to “la.oodle.com,” then
refine his or her search to specific geographic points.
Also, a student can be specific: one can click on “roommates,” “Long
Beach” and “under $1,000,” and only listings filling the
criteria will appear. If what you want is not listed, the user may opt to have
an e-mail sent when such listings are posted, and an e-mail will be sent to
you only if all criteria are met, without the barrage of spam and advertisements.
Part of the charm of Oodle is its community-oriented design. For instance,
they are about to launch “csulb.oodle.com,” which is designed specifically
to cater to Cal State Long Beach students. This site will have links not only
to affordable student housing but also to textbook trading Web sites, ads for
cheap or free furniture and local job listings.
So how did they get a name like “Oodle”? Well, it all happened
over an Italian dinner in San Francisco, when words such as”“ravioli” and”“noodle” were
being tossed around, when suddenly, epiphany: Oodle! The place where you go
to get oodles of classified listings.
As a search engine, Oodle makes it easier for people to get to multiple classifieds
sites. With its help, you can go to a single site to access several ad agencies,
including specialized agencies. Oodle’s philosophy is to get people off
of their Web site and onto other sites as quickly as possible—they are
a free-of-charge linking agent.
“Some publishers are still clinging to the old business model where people
pay [to post] classifieds, but they will fail because there are so many free
options, such as eBay,” said Zuzana Fedorkova, Oodle’s marketing
assistant, who ironically found her own job using oodle.com after a friend referred
her to the site.
One listing category unique to Oodle is its charitable contributions section.
The list helps the community in two ways. First, it makes giving donations
or volunteering less of a hassle because one need not research which charity
accepts or picks up what items and everything is listed in one place. Second,
of course, the list helps the charities themselves by making them more accessible.
Student organizations and clubs that want to do volunteer work can search the
list in order to find the type of service they prefer and are suited to.
Oodle.com is a new company and is changing everyday. They want to be as useful
as possible, and encourage students to send suggestions through e-mail.
Visit http://la.oodle.com or http://www.csulb.oodledemo.com and see if there
is something out there you are looking for.
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