Phil Scroggs has been Gigwalking in the Seattle area and quickly developed a reputation with our client as the “Leonardo da Vinci” of business panoramas.  It turns out the artful nature of his Gigs comes naturally; Phil is an accomplished illustrator and professional multimedia designer.  

Why did you start Gigwalking and what does it mean to you?

I started Gigwalking just to try out an interesting new app that I had read about. I kept Gigwalking because it was a great way to earn extra money while getting some exercise and exploring parts of Seattle that I don’t usually get to see. 

Besides combing the streets for Gigs, what else do you do? 

By day, I’m a multimedia designer for a healthcare company. I design print materials, presentations, videos and web graphics. When not doing that, I’m usually out shooting photos. The iPhone is just one of several cameras I use. I also make/show/sell acrylic paintings, illustrations and linocut prints as “Phillustrations.” 

How has Gigwalk made a difference for you? 

The main benefit is that my Gigwalk earnings let me say “yes” to things more often. I used to be more cautious when it came to small expenses like stopping for coffee on my way to work or going out to dinner. Now, I don’t think twice about it. With the money I’ve made doing this, I purchased the new iPhone and some accessories that I can use both on and off the job. 

What are your two best tips for new Gigwalkers?

#1 Read the FAQ in Gigwalk Talk and ask questions when you need help.   

#2 Plan your day before getting started. Pick a spot with lots of clustered gigs. If you’re shooting a lot of restaurant gigs, catch them right when they open so there will be fewer customers in your way. If you know of several closed businesses on your map, save those for when the open restaurants will be most crowded.

What was your best Gigwalking experience so far?  

One restaurant owner bought me a coffee of my choice before I got started. Another nice couple of owners boxed up some Chinese food for me to take, insisting that I try it even after I had declined the offer. 

Besides Gigwalk, what is your favorite iPhone Application?

 I love Instagram. It’s fun to shoot with and share your images.

I also like checking out the photo feed to see what other people are posting. 

Which current event would you be discussing at the Gigwalk Watercooler?

I’d probably be talking about the new iPhone and the future of Apple without Steve Jobs. 

What would be your theme song while Gigwalking? Why this song?

I’m going to pick something corny like “Secret Agent Man” by Johnny Rivers.  Although I usually get the business owner’s permission first, I still try to move fast and be as invisible as possible while I’m working. If I can blend into the background during my gigs, I have a better chance of staying out of the way, getting great photos and moving on to the next gig quickly! 

Besides your phone, what accessories do you pack in your bag for the job? 
(Asked by  Fernando Navales last week’s Featured Gigwalker): 

I pack sunscreen, headphones, and my charging cable - in case I stop for lunch somewhere that I can plug in. I also have a Mophie Juice Pack for recharging on the go.

What question do you want to ask the next featured Gigwalker?

Have you ever encountered another Gigwalker in the wild?

I have. Michael S. was trying to work the same restaurant I had just started and couldn’t figure out why the pin had disappeared on him. Great guy - we had a nice conversation about doing Gigs around Seattle.

Fernando discovered Gigwalking only a few weeks ago, but already he’s cut a swath through San Francisco completing almost 300 Gigs. All the while exploring new neighborhoods and making friends along the way.  His background in acting and connecting with people helps him quickly build rapport with business owners on Gigs and makes him an excellent Gigwalker to kick off this new weekly Gigwalker profile series.

Why did you start Gigwalking and what does it mean to you?

I needed to start working immediately and I wanted something that was flexible enough for me to manage my own time and work.  For me, Gigwalk is a metaphor for life: you get out of it as much effort as you put in.  I also am healthier (because I ride my bike to Gigs), I meet new people, get to explore new parts of the City and I find the work incredibly rewarding. 

Besides combing the streets for Gigs, what else do you do? 

I’m an actor – I studied at the Circle in the Square Theater School in New York City.  I’ve performed Shakespeare on Broadway as well as internationally.  I’m also really into mixed martial arts (Jujutsu and boxing) and I love bicycling all over San Francisco.

How have your Gigwalk earnings impacted your life?

Gigwalk has given me the opportunity to make more money than I made sitting at a desk.  I love to work and be active, so this is perfect for me.  It’s nice to be able to spend time with friends and take my girlfriend out to dinner without worrying about how I’m going to pay. Today, I’m wearing a great sweater from Brooklyn Circus that I bought with Gigwalk earnings.

What are your two best tips for new Gigwalkers?

#1: Be efficient and charming.

#2: Practice before you go out and don’t be afraid to redo your work.  I stitch my panos right away and do them again if I mess up.

What was your best Gigwalking experience so far?  

At a restaurant Gig for Bing Maps at Lavash  in the Inner Sunset, the owner’s wife, who was dining with her family, introduced herself and then took me to show off her flower shop and then invited me to hang out with her whole extended family.  They were such wonderful people.

Besides Gigwalk, what is your favorite iPhone Application (or Android application?)

  Chess with Friends! 

Which current event would you be discussing at the Gigwalk Watercooler?  

I’d ask about Occupy Wall Street.  I’m interested to see who has run into protesters around town.

What would be your theme song while Gigwalking? 

Definitely “Eye of the Tiger.”  It just says: “Go for it!” Which is my philosophy toward Gigwalking.

What question do you want to ask the next featured Gigwalker? 

Besides your phone, what accessories do you pack in your bag for the job?

This blog post is part of a new series featuring amazing Gigwalkers. Look for a new Gigwalker profile to be posted every Wednesday afternoon.

Stop Spinning Your Wheels
You know what sucks? Sitting at your computer hurling your resume at the black hole known as Craigslist job listings.  You know what sucks even more? Doing incredible work for a short-term job and not having a place to capture the fantastic work you did — so the next time you are looking for a short-term job you are right back in the same pool with everybody else.  You are spinning your wheels but not getting ahead. That is unfair. 

We built Gigwalk to change the status quo.  We believe that great work on Gigs should be rewarded with improved access to Gigs in the network.  Now, building your reputation on Gigwalk is going to get even better with skills and endorsements.

Get Endorsed to Make Your Skills Work Harder
You are a master of a skill - anything from photography to writing - so show it. Then ask your colleagues and business partners to endorse you. With endorsements, your skills will work even harder for you.  For example, perhaps you did some freelance photography work at a local event a few months back.  Asking the person who hired you for that freelance job to endorse your photography skill on Gigwalk, combined with your performance and Streetcred, will help you get new Gigs.

How it Works

Ready to start building your Gigwalk reputation? Getting started is easy. 

1. Setup your Skills
First, go to your Gigwalker Profile in the App. From here you can choose to add skills, and specify your area of expertise within each skill. The last step is to add a description. Descriptions are important because they provide additional detail and information about your areas of expertise.

2. Get endorsed
Once your skills have been identified, it is time to ask for endorsements. Click on “Get Endorsements” and you’ll be taken to a page where you can send an email to ask for an endorsement or select from contacts within your phone’s address book. We’ve made the process of asking for an endorsement easy by providing email content. 

When a person receives your endorsement request via email they will be asked to go to a Gigwalk web page where in few clicks they will be able to endorse your skills.  Before endorsing you they’ll login via Facebook to verify they are a real person.  It’s really that easy! 

Have questions or feedback about these new features? Contact us anytime at community@gigwalk.com

Hey Boston Gigwalkers,

We’re invading your City this week and we’ve scheduled numerous events to meet, mingle, and learn with you.

You can register for individual office hours or join us for a Happy Hour at Plough and Star on Thursday.

I look forward to meeting you,

Todd

Office Hours

Wired Puppy: Wed., Sept, 21, 11am to 1pm

Espresso Royale Coffee Shop on Newbury St: Wed., Sept 21, 2011 6pm to 8pm

Plough and Stars: Thurs., Sept 22, 2011 3pm to 5pm

Flour Bakery on Washington St.: Friday, Sept 23, 9:45am to 12pm

Capitol Coffee House, Sept 23, 2pm to 3:30pm

Please RSVP for time slots

Happy Hour - Thursday Sept. 22th, 5:00 - 7:00 PM 

Seafood Apps and Drinks @ Plough and Stars
912 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge MA
617.576.0032 
Please RSVP

(photo by Maxf)

Tonight, President Obama is going to share with you his view on how to solve the American crisis of unemployment. This is a serious issue and one I care about deeply — it’s one of the key reasons we founded Gigwalk. I wanted to share some of my thoughts on how we can solve this critical problem.

Make it Easier to Start Working
We need to change the way in which regular Americans find jobs. Sorting through thousands of listings and blindly submitting a resume isn’t working. At Gigwalk, we are trying to change that by facilitating the connection between people who are interested in working and available work. 

Fill the Underemployment Gap
Simply put, Americans do not have enough work — even those who are employed are often “underemployed.”  Leveraging data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and Gallup’s Employment Polls, we estimate that just under 30 million Americans need more work. 

Right now, we have over 70,000 Gigs available in 8 metro areas and people are earning thousands of dollars a month. They do this through Gigs that involve taking a photo of a menu, verifying an obstruction at an intersection or updating local business data. Anyone with an iPhone can take advantage of these opportunities to earn additional income. We’ve seen a number of Gigwalkers already doing just that:

• Travis Lowry, Boston, MA Travis is a recent Tufts graduate and entrepreneur working on a new startup venture. But there’s a gap in his income that Gigwalk is filling.  It’s enabling him to pay for critical essentials, like heating and even niceties like a weekend beer with friends. 
• Mark Ramos, San Francisco, CA Mark works full time as a professional photographer, but he’s Gigwalking to earn additional income. 

Innovation is the answer
It used to be that the help wanted signs were how people found work. As newspapers took over, along came the classifieds. Then Monster.com, HotJobs and Craigslist dominated the search for employment. We are now in need of a new medium that reflects our mobile world and that facilitates how we find and do work. We think Gigwalk is part of the innovative solutions that we’ll need to turn the corner on unemployment. 

— Ariel Seidman
     CEO & Co-Founder, Gigwalk

Gigwalk is funded by leading investors, including a co-founder of LinkedIn, the world’s #1 social network for business. 

Folks, we’ve caught a fever over here at Gigwalk Headquarters…

a Photosynth Fever…
and it is causing us to hand out bonuses to Gigwalkers.

Here’s how you can catch the Fever:
Earning Photosynth Fever prizes is easy, just hit the required number of approved Photosynth Gigs, that have a Panorama, within the one week time period and earn rewards. If you submit in the Mega Fever range the bonuses go insane! These bonuses are in addition to the payout you will already earn from doing the Gig successfully.

Fever Bonus Levels
# of Approved Photosynth Gigs → Bonus Amount
10 → $15
25 → $50
50 → $125

Mega Fever Bonus
100 → $250
200 → $500
400 → $1000

The first official week of Photosynth Fever begins tomorrow at 12:01 AM on Monday August 29th and goes through next Sunday, Sept 4th at midnight. 

 Some rules:

• Only one individual per account, as per the Gigwalk Terms of Service. 
• Fever bonuses are calculated the week following the Fever, typically within 2-3 days. 
• Fever bonuses are paid approximately 14 days after the Fever period ends. Bonuses are paid through paypal to the e-mail address currently associated with your Gigwalker account.  
• Only approved Gigs, with an associated Panorama, count. Shut down businesses or Gigs for other clients (other than Photosynth) do not count toward Fever bonus levels. 

Thank you to everyone who tuned in for the New Gigwalk Training Webinar on August 25, 2011. It was a fantastic experience and we enjoyed speaking with so many of you. 

For those who weren’t able to attend, the Slides from the Webinar above cover the following:

• Overview of Gigwalk — who are we, what is Gigwalk, how to get started
• Getting your Gigwalk account set up — setting up your profile and preferences
• Doing your first Gig - what to think about, how to get prepared
• Becoming a Gigwalk Pro - mastering Photosynth Gigs
• Q & A period — we answered almost 40 questions! 

We will be hosting regular New Gigwalker trainings and we will update the blog with upcoming opportunities. 

Happy Gigwalking, 

Natala & Todd 

The iPhone launched only a short time ago; and in only a few short years, smartphones are transforming every part of our life, from how we work to how we play. 

Today, with over 116,000 paid Gigs moving through the Gigwalk network, earning a second income using your iPhone is a reality for many.  Members of the Gigwalk mobile workforce are earning between $50/week to $500/week.

Everybody has different ways to use the money they earn on Gigwalk.  Some use it for education, while others use it to celebrate a special occasion—like an anniversary. So, we thought we would share some of their stories.

A math tutor for my daughter.

Paul C., a writer and film maker living in Southern California, started Gigwalking ten months ago. He uses the extra money that he earns Gigwalking to pay bills and support his 13 year-old daughter. Being the thoughtful Dad he is, he hired a math tutor for his daughter to help her excel in school.

A new computer for school.

Délé Adio began Gigwalking this past Spring in Chicago. As a student majoring in pre-engineering, he has since bought a computer for school with the money that he earned Gigwalking. 

Learning a new language.

Aron G., is an attorney in Philadelphia who began Gigwalking four months ago. As a self proclaimed linguaphile, he’s constantly learning new languages and expanding his vocabulary. So it’s no surprise that he’s paying for Mandarin Chinese lessons with his Gigwalk money. 

How did they do it…

They hit the streets and improve their skills one Gig at a time. Some complete Gigs casually between lunch breaks, and others go out for hours at a time.  Veteran Gigwalkers can complete 5 to 10 Gigs in an hour and submit more than 25 Gigs a day on average.

Over time, casual sessions of Gigwalking are turning into sizable second incomes, allowing Gigwalkers to upgrade their computer, fund a hobby like learning a new language, or pay for a math tutor.  

So what’s stopping you? Turn your iPhone into a math tutor, a computer or some Chinese lessons now by downloading the Gigwalk App.

—The Gigwalk Team

Picture taken by Moohaha 

Hey Gigwalkers,

Get out from under your rock, and join us at the Fremont Troll in Seattle on Saturday, August 20th for our inaugural Gig-a-rama! 

What is a Gig-a-rama?

Good Question. It’s an all day event for Gigwalkers to scramble around town doing Gigs along side other Gigwalkers for cash and prizes ($100 bonus to the team and individual that gets the most approved Gigs, free Gigwalk t-shirts for everyone who participates, and a snappy Gymbl iPhone Tripod to the person who submits the days best photo). We’re even adding a dollar to all the Gigs performed in Seattle between 9am- 5pm*. Prizes will be awarded later in the evening at Gasworks.

New to Gigwalk?

If you need some orientation, meet us at the Troll around 9am for a mini-training session. We’ll show you some tips and tricks to turn you into a veteran Gigwalker and help you capture some prizes. 

Pre-register for the Gig-a-rama here (so you can qualify to win all the cool prizes and get pre-event details) and we look forward to seeing you next Saturday in Seattle.

—The Gigwalk Team

Small type: You must register and participate in the event to earn prizes including the $1 bonus on approved Gigs. 

In the immortal words of Police Chief Martin Brody, “We’re going to need a bigger boat!”

Why?

Because in addition to the tens of thousand of Gigs in our supported metro areas, we’re chumming the Gigwalk waters with tacos, beers, and treats to get all you Gigwalkers out in the open.

We’re hosting two little shindigs in San Francisco and Seattle next week where you can fill your bellies, share salty Gigwalker stories, and meet other interesting people in your area.

We hope to see you there,

-Todd B.

San Francisco Meetup - Tuesday Aug 16th, 5:00 - 7:00 PM
Join us for Taco’s & Beer @ Jones
620 Jones Street San Francisco, CA 94102
415.496.6858    
Please RSVP

Seattle Meetup - Friday Aug 19th, 4:00 - 6:00 PM 
Treats and drinks at the Community Table @ Oddfellows 
1525 10th Ave Seattle, WA 98122-3806
206.325.0807
Please  RSVP

As for other metro areas, your time will come soon…