Hi - Thank you @surpassinggoogle! Your post is quite timely, just a couple of weeks ago I was lamenting the current gigging services, and I could see how the Steem blockchain could make a much more cost effective version of Thumbtack, Gigmasters, Gigsalad, etc. Right now, the people that bid on the services pay big bucks to be a part of it, and can get very little return.

Case in point. I am a magician doing services mostly in Indiana. I recently bid on a gig using the service Thumbtack. Here's how that panned out:

Me and 6 other people bid on a gig. Each of our bids cost us around $5. The customer looked at all of the bids, and rejected all of them. On Thumbtack, the best case scenario is 6 magicians get nothing for their $5 bid, and one performer gets something. Worst case scenario, like this, the customer walks away, the performers get nothing, and Thumbtack pocket $5 per performer.

Another disadvantage against the current services is, it's all a "black box". I don't really know what the current market value is of what I'm bidding on until after I bid. That's because there are so many different factors in bidding on a performance. Buying a magician is not like buying a pizza! :-D I have equipment, and years of study, and gas, and insurance, and a website, etc. So, I vary my costs depending on the number of people I entertain, whether it's for a personal performance

In this particular instance, I was bidding in a blind bid. I ended up bidding $300 for a family magic show, which ended up being the highest bid. That's really what I need to bid to do this lovely hobby as a job. The lowest bid turned out to be $75, which is how you get a hobbyist hack who doesn't need the money to live. Not that I'm bitter or anything! :)

So, being pissed off about this, I was considering THIS VERY IDEA that you were working on. I would love if @steemgigs could implement and improve on some of the features of Thumbtack, Gigmasters, Gigsalad. Basically, allow the people wanting a worker to describe what they need, and shop for just the right person to do it for them. Allow workers to bid on projects. Allow workers and customers to rate each other.

Those are just my thoughts off the top of my head. So, hell-yeah. I have a bit of programming skills. I've got a lot of ideas. I'll catch you on Utopian.