HOW TO: Make Craigslist Better & Prettier With a Browser Extension

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So, how to ease the pain of using Craigslist while keeping its simplicity and utility? Allow us to introduce you to Craigslist Helper.

This handy browser extension (available for Chrome, Firefox and Safari) lets you preview text and thumbnails from your Craigslist search results. You can also bookmark listings and even make your own notes on them.

For example, if you're househunting, you might use the app to see images of your new pad options without having 30 tabs open; then, you'd be able to prioritize them and even keep track of conversations with potential landlords, all without leaving Craigslist.

Other features include:

Alerts when new listings that match your search appear

Multiple searches by geographical area, or even a whole-site search

Hide ads

Filter by keyword; for example, choose not to see listings with "freeway"

Map popups to show locations

Phone number highlighting

Here's an example screenshot showing housing listings within 350 miles of San Francisco:

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As the extensions' mysterious developer writes on Quora, "My guess is, [Craigslist doesn't] innovate simply because they can afford not to -- at least until a Facebook to their MySpace comes along." And until another classifieds startup successfully challenges Craigslist -- and believe us, a few of them are trying -- apps like Craigslist Helper will have to do.