• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, October 9, 2010

Craigslist founder Craig Newmark likely wants to move past last month's controversy that shut down erotic-service ads worldwide -- and a court battle to prevent eBay from acquiring his shares from heirs after his death that would allow the auction site to take a controlling interest in the entrepreneur's company.

Newmark, a self-proclaimed geeky entrepreneur, is steering clear of the hullabaloo and immersing himself in the philanthropic endeavors he's long pursued (Newmark established the Craigslist Foundation in 2000 to fund non-profits). His latest efforts raise awareness for the arts. "I'm trying to figure out how to use social media so anyone can stand up and support groups and individuals they believe in throughout a growing network across the world," he told MediaPost on Friday.

So, Newmark will auction off online a Power Lunch through Charity Folks to benefit The Louise Blouin Foundation. The auction runs through Oct. 12. The winner and three guests will join Newmark for lunch and have the opportunity to pick the brain of one of the social media pioneers.

As of Friday, the asking bid for lunch with Newmark stood at $500. When asked "what do you think two hours of your time during lunch is worth?" Newmark says, "honestly, I have no clue, and frankly as a nerd this kind of thing makes me nervous."

Newmark, basically a private person, hesitates to publicly put himself out there as the center of attention. Although he wants to participate in social media and philanthropic work for several causes, he's only willing to do it if he can contribute value.

"The arts in general -- such as movies, television and literature -- can become an effective tool to disseminate important messages, and people often forget that in all the excitement about emerging technologies," Newmark says, adding that he just finished the book "Zero History" by William Gibson, whose ideas have "great implications for online media."

The only downside to the lunch, he says, is an awkwardness and sense of humor that he believes comes off as a bit odd.

Craigslist turned from a hobby into a real company in 1999. Newmark has no interest in starting another company, and says that sometimes the biggest contribution one can make is helping others. A big part of leadership is knowing when to "get out of the way and knowing when to stand in the way," he says.

Newmark, a computer science college major born and raised in northern New Jersey, first connected to the art world as a bystander while living in Detroit. He hung around the local arts community, the Michigan Gallery, an artist-run gallery. As a San Francisco resident, he lends his time less frequently because the arts receive a lot of support already. He does, however, support the community literary festival Litquake.