Erika Dumaine, 24, logged onto TaskRabbit this April and saw the following plea for help: "Buy me shoes ASAP. I stepped in dog poop." So Ms. Dumaine, now a full-time nanny, bought and delivered a requested new pair of navy blue Toms shoes from Nordstrom's to the poster, Guillermo Rauch. (Her payment: $17.) Aura Montano, a 21-year-old nursing student, stood on the Brooklyn Bridge holding an "I heart Anie Lewis" sign one Friday evening in August so she could attract the attention of Eric Lewis's wife and hand her flowers as she walked home from work. (She earned $19.)
Those handful of dollars per job can add up to a substantial sum:
After submitting an online application, completing a video interview and going through a Social Security number trace and a federal criminal background check, Ms. Greenham joined the San Francisco-based company's crew of about 2,000 "TaskRabbits." She does odd jobs via the service every day, aiming to clear at least $25 an hour. So far, she's completed about 250 jobs and has racked up around $1,500 a month.
Like the guy who started renting out his personal possessions, we're seeing more and more people using the Internet to create their own jobs and run microbusinesses. Isn't that awesome?
Link -via Marginal Revolution | Photo (unrelated) via Flickr user mahalie
1) WeGoLook.com - WeGoLook.com has over 7,000 nationwide lookers (background check verified) who will go anywhere in USA for an onsite inspection. They provide visual confirmation and a personalized report, completed by a real person, to verify a product, person, property or thing.
2) Zaarly: Zaarly is a proximity based, real-time buyer powered market. Buyers make an offer for an immediate need and sellers cash in on an infinite marketplace for items and services they never knew were for sale.
3) Agent Anything: People can post any service they need accomplished as well as the price they are willing to pay, and college students can perform these services to get paid.