Craigslist is the dominant force in online classifieds. But it doesn’t take much sifting through its 1990s-era design and scrum of irrelevant, obviously fake or just plain dirty ads to spark the question: Can’t this be done better?

Santa Barbara-based startup Bonqo.com believes the answer is yes. And its solution is to use real, live human beings to screen out the dirty stuff and make sure the ads are legitimate.

“We’re hoping to offer a safer environment for people using online classified services,” said Kamil Ozornek, CEO of the self-funded firm.

The full version of this article is only available in the print edition. To view everything the Business Times offers, see this week’s print version or SUBSCRIBE to the print edition for $49.99 today.