The word “classifieds“ usually represents advertising in news papers , periodicals journals etc. Sometimes we might get a separate free ads paper as well containing extensive categories of ads. Actually classified advertisements are called so because they are generally grouped within the publication under headings classifying the product or service being offered (headings such as jobs, housing, community, services, for sale, gigs, resumes, personals, etc.) and is grouped entirely in a distinct section of the periodical, which makes it distinct.

Classified ads are basically textual. But what makes them different from display ads is that display ads display the product( for eg. a pic or graphic image of the same) where as you'll find the contact address, the contact number , the article's description but not the image. This has led to a new hybrid method of advertising called the " classified display advertising " which has the traits of both forms of advertising, from baby products to cosmetics, from electronics to furniture, from real estate to vehicles all find place in classified ads.

In recent years the term "classified advertising" or "classified ads" has expanded from merely the sense of print advertisements in periodicals to include similar types of advertising on computer services. classifieds has also found its way to the internet.Internet classified ads do not typically use per-line pricing models, so they tend to be longer. They are also more readily archable unlike their offline brethren, and tend to be local classifieds with a great sense of urgency because of their daily structure.

The classified ads have grown to such an extent that they constituted for about $15.9 billion (newspapers), $14.1 billion (online) according to market researcher Classified Intelligence in 2003 alone.The worldwide market for classified ads in 2003 was estimated at over $100 billion.some companies offer free online classified ads such as Craigslist in the US, Webcosmo.com in the US and internationally , and Kijiji and Gumtree internationally. Some companies, like Bay Area Classifieds focus mainly on regional centers, while others blanket urban areas by using zip codes. Craigslist was one of the first online classified sites, and is currently one of the largest. Other companies, like Oodle, aggregate classifieds from many websites into one site, but do not take listings and zMobs enables users to post free online classifieds with privacy within their own personal network and community.

Among all the big guns its worth mentioning about Webcosmo.com which provides an elaborate listing of ads in a manner easy to surf and easy to find for something we are looking for. Its aesthetic beauty, ease of use, FREE TO POST on all categories are playing an important role establishing Webcosmo.com on seperate standards.