Boston based PlugStar Inc. has launched a new community-driven Web site PlugStar.com; a free classified advertising service. PlugStar.com is a classified advertising directory that includes, but isn’t limited to, all 50 States where people can buy, sell, trade and/or swap items such as tickets, cars, furniture and musical instruments. Users can also obtain information on a wide variety of topics, including real estate, relationships, jobs and local events.

PlugStar.com is not complicated in design nor does it require an abundance of help pages. Users simply enter their community page, choose a category and fill out a submission form as if you were writing a classified ad for your local newspaper.

According to the site’s founder Andrew Hillman, many have labeled PlugStar as another social software domain, but Andrew feels this opinion is far from the truth and identifies the site as a “social connection” service that can be organically grown and successfully embedded into society; serving as a more efficient community platform than your typical social software site.

“I have high hopes of PlugStar.com being well received and becoming part of the mainstream culture so more people can benefit from this type of free service," stated Hillman. "We built the site for the people, now it's time for the people to create and develop their prospective communities. I believe the simple ‘connection’ concept through classifieds is an intricate way to define the perception of a community. People are going to visit and return to our site to fulfill everyday needs. Social software sites seem to be attracting the masses, but are more interested in virtual networking or chatting through impersonal mouse clicks. In contrast, PlugStar.com is interested in bringing people together through personable handshakes of gratitude.

"Like Craigslist, PlugStar has the ability for users to compose and publish a 'plug' in a PSEUDO anonymous manner. If a user chooses to post a plug online, our server has the ability to strip the user’s identity and assign them a temporary address that will provide a privacy buffer between the advertiser and the public.” Hillman said PlugStar.com is also looking to connect with local companies by providing a service similar to popular employment and career sites like monster.com and careerbuilder.com without the costly listing fees.

“When we began this project at the end of 2003, our focus was to create a geographic based promotional engine powered by our dedicated users, rather than algorithmic persuasion. PlugStar.com is an electronic service controlled by practicality and community. The site is not backed by any venture capitalist. PlugStars users will be the ones contributing and determining the site’s overall success,” stated Hillman.