I just had a significant, seasonal job done by a TaskRabbit.
TaskRabbit is a new on-line Web service that allows renters and home owners to post small jobs and accept bids from member workers of TaskRabbit (whose pictures are posted, along with rankings from those for whom they have done jobs.) The service is a great way to help hard workers quickly find jobs (and income), and to help home owners, pet owners, and working parents, who might also be financially strapped, find pre-screened, affordable, trust-worthy help to do odd jobs -- from assembling furniture to winterizing a pool, and everything in between.
The bid for my task came in $12 less than the $200 I estimated (more than $100 less than commercial prices), and the job was properly done in record time. An additional surprise for me was that Diane' Sawyer's TV crew showed up to interview my hard-working TaskRabbit and to film him executing my task. I had noticed Diane was featuring stories on how people are finding work, generating income, and making ends meet in the challenging economy. I will be watching to see if my task -- and my TaskRabbit -- make prime time.
PostScrip - IT DID MAKE PRIME TIME: CLICK HERE to see Diane's story on TaskRabbit. Very nice piece. Kudos to TaskRabbit's Director of Marketing, Jamie Viggiano, and her PR team.
