Uncovering The Freelance Economy

Freelancers fly solo, take on projects and make bank – like a boss, because they are the boss. With specialized skills and mad self-discipline, US freelancers brought in over 400 billion dollars last year! As you can see in the graph, the money is coming from a variety of fields including software development, writing, design, fine art and photography. These fields are notoriously difficult to score fulltime work in, but incredibly lucrative on a project-by-project basis. In fact, there is only going to be more of a demand for these creative individuals in the future – so why not you? If you dabble in any of the fields depicted, consider making it a full-time gig and become your own boss.

<a href="http://blog.zaarly.com/2011/08/23/uncovering-the-freelance-community/"><img src="http://zaarly.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Uncovering-the-freelance-economy-sm.jpg" alt="Freelance Gigs with Zaarly" width="590" height="3527" /></a><br />[Via:  <a href="http://www.zaarly.com">Freelance with Zaarly</a>]

ZaarlyLIVE: Chicagoland

Alright, Middle America, we did our thing on the West Coast, it got a little crazy and we had a lot of fun. Now, we’re coming for YOU! ZaarlyLIVE: Chicagoland is happening August 20-21.

For this installment, we are taking our crew to the small suburban town of Libertyville, which is located 30 miles north of Chicago. Upon arrival, all eyes will be on: Janelle Rominski. Finally, ZaarlyLIVE is featuring a lady. (more…)

10 Ways to Make Money Without a Job

Disregard the 9% unemployment rate; one does not need a “real” job to make money. Zaarly has figured out several ways to cash-in — no pyramid scheme necessary.

Can you sing? Perform illusions? Work your magic on a popular street corner and prepare to rake in $15-$70 an hour, depending on the day. Not an extrovert? Hole up with your laptop and think of a blog – if your idea can rival the likes Perez Hilton and Smashing Magazine, you’ll be making six-figures in no time. Not confident in your skills? Bodily fluids can score you hundreds a month!

Utilize your community to make money: walk dogs, do yard work or tutor students. Each of these endeavors will put your wallet in the double, or triple digits.

For more ways to supplement your funemployment, check out the infographic below:

<a href="http://blog.zaarly.com/2011/08/16/10-ways-to-make-money-without-a-job/"><img src="http://zaarly.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/10-ways-to-make-money-sm.jpg" alt="Make Money With Zaarly" width="590" height="3527" /></a><br />[Via:  <a href="http://www.zaarly.com">Make Money With Zaarly</a>]

Top Zaarlyer: Sir Aaron

For Zachary Tombley, business success is more than dollars, customers and projects. This budding entrepreneur is committed to infusing some manners and morals back into the business world. Known as “Sir Aaron” to the Kansas City Zaarly community, Zachary is currently in second place on Zaarly’s national leaderboard. Read more about his story and vision for business:

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Why Zaarly Loves the Chicago Tech Community

Announcing ZaarlyLIVE: Bay Area

We tried to resist the urge to lock up another human for an entire weekend, but we’re insatiable. ZaarlyLIVE: Bay Area is happening August 6th-7th.

Last time, Los Angeles’ southern charmer, Wes Tate lived off of Zaarly in a Culver City strip mall for an entire weekend. This time? We’re taking the show north to the famous Dutch Goose in Menlo Park. We found another man with a distinguished name, brave enough to rely on Zaarly for an entire weekend: Ryder Darcy. (more…)

The Best Neighborhood Music Festivals in America

Concerts and festivals have always been a go-to destination for summer fun. This summer, music-lovers are using Zaarly to find one-of-a-kind experiences at the hottest music events across the country, including seat and parking upgrades, backstage passes and unique hard-to-find band souvenirs. Not to mention scoring tickets to sold-out shows! From Lollapalooza, Pitchfork and Sasquatch, to U2, Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys and Lady Gaga, people ramping up their summer experiences thanks to Zaarly.Festivals bring the community together and stimulate the local economy. With that in mind, we thought it would be fun to look at the numbers behind the most popular music festivals to see what kind of impact the music has on these neighborhoods. Just check out the infographic below to see some of the best neighborhood music festivals in America.

Want to embed this beautiful image on your blog? Feel free:

<a href="http://blog.zaarly.com/2011/08/03/the-best-neighborhood-music-festivals-in-america/"><img src="http://zaarly.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/festivals-infographic-590.gif" alt="" width="590" height="3527" /></a><br />[Via:  <a href="http://www.zaarly.com">Zaarly Marketplace</a>]

Top Zaarlyer: Brian Burke-Green

Until last week, Brian Burke-Green was the reigning rockstar. The self-described “First Responder” vowed to use Zaarly as a means to gain new experiences and challenge himself. His prompt responses have opened the door to some new, interesting experiences – like the a cameo on the Gadget Girl show and purchasing a patriotic Speedo.

But, a three-week vacation to Jamaica put a slight damper on his leaderboard glory — he’s currently in 2nd place; however, he’s confident he’ll remain in the top-5. How? Read more….  (more…)

Zaarly’s New Top Rockstar: Liz Langer

At TechWeek Chicago earlier this week, one of Zaarly’s founders, Eric Koester, was scheduled to speak.  He thought it would be fun to demonstrate how Zaarly can work by having a Chicago-style hot dog delivered in the middle of his speech.  Liz Langer to the rescue! She fulfilled Eric’s hot dog delivery request.

But there was more! Tim McDonald, the Chicago team lead, had also Zaarly’d for a hot dog costume, so Liz brought the Chicago-dog on stage in costume to thunderous applause!  It’s that willingness to have fun and meet new people, while making a few extra bucks, that has made Liz the most active Zaarly fulfiller/seller in the country.

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Zaarly Security

This evening, one of our Zaarly community members discovered a potential security flaw that could expose user information. As soon as we were notified, our team immediately fixed the issue.

We’ve built this company on transparency and community, which is why we wanted to let you know about this as soon as possible. Most importantly, I want you to know that your privacy is of utmost importance. That’s exactly why we don’t keep contact information and credit card details on the same server.

Rest assured that no one’s credit card information was accessed. If any private information was exposed, it was limited to phone numbers, but we believe even that was minimal. We greatly appreciate your continued support and goodwill as we work to bring a great product to market.

If you have any questions about this at all, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Email me anytime at boceo@zaarly.com.

– Bo