Thanks to the Internet and smartphones, there are some
interesting new ways to earn extra spending money for holiday gifts.
Tens of thousands of people pick up pocket money every day by
performing quick field-work tasks for companies.
Many businesses - big and small - post micro-projects through
a free iPhone app called Gigwalk (an Android version is in the
works).
A national retailer or restaurant chain might need someone in
your town to mystery shop or dine at a local outlet and evaluate the
experience. An automaker may need to know what a new parking garage
in your town charges so the data can be added to in-car navigation
systems.
It's important for companies to get these micro-jobs done, but it
makes no financial sense to assign them to full- or part-time
employees.
Many Gigwalk jobs involve photographing businesses or product
displays in stores. It's how Microsoft is gathering the thousands of
panoramic photos it needs for its Bing search engine.
You don't necessarily need to invest in expensive camera gear -
the iPhone's camera is good enough for most vendors. A few jobs
might require DSLR-quality photos.
Once registered with Gigwalk, you're notified of tasks that come
up in your city. You compete with other Gigwalkers and "apply" for
gigs with a 140-character message.
As a newbie, you'll make $10 or less for many tasks. But as your
reputation and positive feedback snowballs, you're shown
increasingly lucrative jobs of $50 or more.
Some companies invite experienced and reliable Gigwalkers to
private teams, which is sort of like becoming a regular freelancer.
TaskRabbit is another popular micro-job platform. Currently
serving a dozen major cities in the U.S., TaskRabbit started out as
a safe way for homeowners to get help with odd jobs like house
cleaning, pet sitting and assembling Ikea furniture.
TaskRabbits must pass a screening process that includes a video
interview and a thorough background check.
A lot of business owners have discovered that TaskRabbit is also
a great way to find on-demand virtual assistants, event staff and
delivery drivers. Bakery shops and other boutique retailers often
need extra help to handle holiday orders.
Are you the kind of person whose friends always ask you about
fashion and shopping advice?
Turn your sense of style into spending money by using social
media to drive traffic to online retailers.
For years, bloggers have been receiving rewards from marketers
for favorably mentioning new products to readers. The model is being
extended to posters on Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter and other social
networks.
Shopping site Beso recently threw open the doors of its Affiliate
Program to all account holders. As an Affiliate, every time friends
and followers click on products you share, you make money.
Pay ranges from 5 to 90 cents per click, with 14 cents being the
average in categories such as clothing and shoes.
Kim Komando hosts the nation's largest talk radio show about
consumer electronics, computers and the Internet.
