Wired News: iPods In New York

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"If I can make it there, Iill make it anywhere.
Itis up to you - New York, New York."

- "New York, New York," by Fred Ebb and John Kander, Made popular by Frank Sinatra

There are more than 8 million people who live in New York City. Thatis a lot of folks by anyoneis count.

If you wanted to understand whatis important to all of those folks -- the iPod for example -- how would you go about finding out?

Leander Kahney of Wired News asked that very question, and came up with some very interesting answers: He searched the personals in Craigslist.

What is the Craigslist? Think of it as the personals for the Internet. You can post and find anything on Craigslist, from a job in Montreal to a lost poodle in Pittsburg. You can find a printed counterpart in every city, but Craigslist is unique in that you can check out the personals for every listed city from one place; your computer.

What Mr. Kahney found out in his research is the subject of his latest article, iPods Beat in Heart of the City. Hereis an excerpt:

Search for the word "iPod" on New Yorkis craigslist classified ads and you open a window into the psyche of the city.

Naturally, a revealing search isnit conducted in the "for sale" section, which simply brings up a pedestrian list of iPods for sale. A truly illuminating search must include the personal ads, which offer some insight into the culture of iPods, but reveal more about the city.

Last week, for example, a boy from Brooklyn wanted advice about his girlfriend, who had dismissed his gift of an expensive handbag: She wanted an iPod mini instead.

According to the boyis report, the girlfriend complained the bag was good only for a single season, and besides, if they broke up sheid have the iPod to remember him by.

"Like should I dump her because this is just one more reason why I feel we canit be together?" he wanted to know.

Alas, the advice he received wasnit much help. Someone recommended dumping the girl and selling the bag on eBay.

Thereis more in the full article at Wired News, which we recommend as a very good read.