Would You Do a Micro-Job for Five Dollars?

Q: I heard a news program the other day discussing websites where people can post micro-jobs they’re willing to do for $5 dollars. How popular is this, and can people make a living at it?

A: For about a decade, freelance employment websites such as elance.com and odesk.com have provided an online meeting place where businesses can find people to work on projects, and where workers can offer their services for hire.

What’s new in the last couple of years is the popularity of websites -such as Fiverr.com– where people post smaller jobs they are willing to do for much smaller amounts. At this site everything is $5. The “gigs” as they’re called, range from the practical –creating a three word slogan for your business-, or a certain number of “hits” on a YouTube video of your product; to the quirky –like pretending to be someone’s girlfriend on Facebook for 10 days.

Could someone make a living at this? Probably not.

In a Yahoo story about Fiverr.com, the reported incomes for two of their Top Rated Sellers ranged from $9,000 for a speed-drawing illustrator to $15,000 for a maker of promotional puppet videos. They reported working a few hours a day, several days a week. My hunch is that people offering these services are already doing something similar on their own, of have regular jobs. These sites simply offer another outlet to sell services or supplement their income.

Not all of these websites cater to the $5 price range and the online world. There are some like JackRabbit.com based in Chicago that will physically help you organize your closet or garage, paint a room, do your groceries, or walk your dog. These will cost more of course, but the site works on a similar principle: bringing together people who need something done, with those who might do it. These workers are paid more and likely do better financially. According to JackRabbit.com founder, Leah Busque, approximately 20% of their TaskRabbits (her endearing term for workers, no sarcasm) are doing it “as the primary source of their income.”

Read more in this excellent article at Boston.com