Craigslist just got a little less free in Chicago. As of November 1, the Internet operation that’s raised havoc with local papers' classifieds departments will charge $25 to post a job notice. As is usually the case when fees are introduced or raised, Craigslist is presenting this change as progress. “Over the last 6 months,” Craigslist explains on its Web site, “we have received a lot of feedback in this forum and by email, the consensus of which is that a $25 fee for posting jobs in these four cities would be beneficial, with many recent comments to the effect that we have actually waited too long to implement such a fee.”

The 25-buck charge was already being imposed in New York, LA, Boston, San Diego, Seattle, and Washington DC. In addition to Chicago, Craigslist is extending it to Portland, Sacramento, and Orange County. In the San Francisco Bay area, Craigslist charges $75.