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Community outsourcing... Awesome idea

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Edvard:
So I'm going to be laid off at the end of this month, and I've come to the conclusion that short-term contracting is my best bet in this economy until I can rack up a few certs.
As experienced as I am with many things, I don't have any real marketable skills or fancy pieces of paper to impress potential employers on places like ODesk or Guru.com, BUT...

Looky what I found...   :tellme:

TaskRabbit
http://www.taskrabbit.com



Get just about anything done by safe, reliable, awesome people.
...
1. Post a Task
    It’s free to post a Task! Include all the necessary info for the TaskRabbit to do the job.
2. TaskRabbits make offers
    The background-checked TaskRabbit who makes the lowest bid will automatically be assigned and run your task.
3. Pay when Task is done
    Pay the TaskRabbit conveniently online; no cash needed.
--- End quote ---
Fees run around 15%, and folks can get paid via check in the mail, or PayPal.
If you are a good TaskRabbit, you can gain reputation and do pretty well.
The top guy on there is making ~$5000 USD a month  :o
Too bad they're not in the Seattle area yet...   :(



DoMyStuff
http://www.domystuff.com



Too Much Stuff to Do? Not Enough Time? Let Other People Do Your Stuff!
...
The tasks you post can range from the mundane, such as mowing the lawn or picking up dry cleaning, to the extraordinary, such as arranging dinner with a celebrity or chartering a private jet. Don't limit yourself. Post anything you need done, and get back to living your life!

1. Post your day-to-day chores, errands, and other tasks that clutter your life
2. Choose the bidding duration for your task
3. Limit bidders based on location, rating, and more
4. Assistants bid to do your task
5. Review bids for your task and choose an assistant
6. Communicate with your assistant
7. Leave feedback for your assistant
--- End quote ---
Very similar with a feedback system and reputation building, and they have a private message board for communication between employers and bidders.
Says they charge a "small fee" to get contact information for the prospective employer. :huh:



Zaarly
http://www.zaarly.com



Zaarly is changing how the economy works. That's all... just a little global economic disruption.

Zaarly enables people to ask for anything from people nearby.
A simple idea; but when it takes root in a community, the impact is profound.
Buyers decide what they want and the price they want to pay and someone from the community makes it happen, creating a job and keeping money local.
Zaarly helps anyone invest directly into their local economy.
--- End quote ---
Zaarly seems more informal and kinda like an open market; stuff you want to buy or sell are mixed in with job offers.
They've got a mobile app, and you can sign up through Facebook.
They only charge a fee if you do a credit card transaction (10%) and they use PoundPay for all their transactions, though the Help says you can get paid via direct deposit or PayPal, or even cash from the buyer.



Neat ideas, I hope these catch on.
I like the idea of community-level economy building like this, and just like they say in the spam ads, I can set my own hours and work from home (more or less...).  :Thmbsup:

tomos:
it's nice to see a bit of creativity!
I'd love to see more community orientated stuff going on in these troubled times - would help if governments encouraged it, but I guess they dont tend to think that way (e.g. I heard some interesting stuff lately about local currencies, and mutual credit systems - if they could be used, people wouldnt even need $$.)

Ath:
That's just nicely inbetween full selfemployment and being a job-slave :D
Just enlist to all that you can afford, and see what it brings you. With your positive attitude you're going to be just fine :Thmbsup:

JavaJones:
I'd heard of Zaarly and Task Rabbit recently and was also intrigued. I have no current need for that kind of work, but I think it's a nice option to have not only with this economy, but also for distributing the increasing task load of people more evenly. Those who are over-tasked can easily delegate some work, maybe the lower-cost/wage work, to someone who needs it. Maybe Joe isn't skilled enough to do the work that Jane does, but Jane doesn't have time to keep her office organized and shop for groceries, so Joe gets work (albeit lower paid than Jane) and Jane gets more free time, which she pays for with the higher wage she earns from her skilled work. Interesting...

- Oshyan

sri:
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