Reposted from MSNBC.com
NEW YORK - It's not necessarily only celebrities, high-ranking professionals and the wealthy who can enjoy having personal assistants at their beck and call.
A growing number of Web sites are making it easier to outsource virtual errands overseas, making it cheaper to indulge in the luxury of never having to write another thank-you card or sit on hold with with a credit card company.
Those who use the sites, for everything from ordering takeout to managing online dating, say the cost is affordable and a small price to free up their time — even in the face of a sputtering economy.
Most people are hesitant to consider having a personal assistant because they don't think they can afford it, Forker said. But she and others argue that tedious tasks and inconveniences can be eliminated for the same cost as cable TV.
They may be right. The prices and packages vary from site to site: On AskSunday.com, users can pay $29 a month for 15 "requests," while the site GetFriday.com offers pay-as-you-go and monthly plans, in increments of 10 or 15 minutes. The monthly plans start at $120 a month for 10 hours.
Tim Ferriss, author of "The Four-Hour Workweek," uses what he calls a "small army" of virtual assistants for everything from checking his e-mail to screening his phone calls and sending gifts to family and friends. He has even had a team find and schedule dates for him online.
Ferriss, 30, who lives in San Francisco, estimates that the services are affordable to anyone who makes more than $30,000 a year. A day of that person's time would be valued at more than $100 — making outsourcing well worth the investment, according to Ferriss.
"It's like having a three-day weekend every week, for the rest of your life," said Ferriss.
The popularity of online outsourcing has sprouted successful sites including YourManInIndia.com, Elance.com, and Guru.com.
Small business outsourcing became popular in 2002. But person-to-person offshoring for personal errands has boomed in just the past two years, according to Alok Aggarwal, Evalueserve's chairman, adding that even the bleak economy won't slow the sector's growth.
"If you look at the people who use these sites for personal reasons, they aren't likely to stop doing what they're doing because of inflation," Aggarwal said.
Antonio Thornton, a 34-year-old marketing consultant, uses Elance.com to find graphic designers for his Web site. But he has also used the services to find vegetarian-friendly restaurants, organize his Netflix account and to plan a baby shower. Recently, he had a virtual assistant bid for swimming gear on eBay.
Ferriss has seen at least one long-term benefit from using virtual assistants — they found him a girlfriend. And they have allowed him time to pursue his hobbies of scuba diving and tango dancing.
"Ultimately, time is the most valuable, nonrenewable resource that we have," he said.
Oh, dear God -- my very own minion? Can I call her Emma and throw my cell phone at her when she doesn't get me what I want?
ReplyDeleteDear Tylor, Taffy, and Rodan:
ReplyDeleteI have been a long time listener and fan of your podcast. I think all three of you are great. I was wondering whether I could just say one thing here:
Please let Rodan finish his stories, and please please give him more air time. I think he is really fun and what he talks about is more relevant to we gay men. So, please let him talk more, and please do not stop him in the middle of his stories. It is rude and irritating.
Sincerely,
Matt from Souther California
I'm in love with Matt...Hey...how you doin? =-)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the kind words...=-)