Oodle makes it easy to use online classifieds. It brings together loads of listings from hundreds of local and national sources and helps you find exactly what you’re looking for - the right job or place to volunteer, the perfect home, or a great deal on a used ladder. Each day Oodle brings you thousands of new classified listings. Cars, jobs, pets, pianos, and more. Looking for a female beagle? Simply search “dog” then click “beagle” and “female.” Be the first to respond with Oodle Alerts. Tell it what you want and it will e-mail you the minute listings are available. This will be added to the Search Engines section of all the 2005 Internet MiniGuides.

Open Market for Classifieds

When we set out to build Oodle, we had a specific vision about the role we wanted to play in the market. We thought we could fill an important hole in the classifieds industry by helping buyers. We also wanted to create a business model that was complementary to existing classified businesses (that represent sellers, landlords, employers, etc.). As such, we made an early decision not take listings.

As we’ve walked down this path, we seem to have wandered into a larger industry trend. Vertical search engines appear playing a role in a new online topology - something I’ve begun to call open markets. Open markets are made up of online retailers loosely bound together by one or more vertical search engines. The vertical search engines act as a first stop, quickly guiding consumers to the right product at the right retailer.