Want to Make Money by Taking Pictures With Your iPhone? There's an App for That.

Gigwalk is a fairly new project with an interesting approach to user involvement. Instead of paying the folks at Gigwalk, they pay you. Sounds like a good deal, right?

Gigwalk gives you the opportunity to make some extra cash by taking pictures and video with your iPhone. There's no catch, and that's about as simple as it gets. Companies pay Gigwalk to receive photos of various establishments and locations in major cities. And you do the photography.Gigwalk is a brilliant idea because it's a type of crowd-sourcing in which everyone wins. Companies pay Gigwalk to pay Gigwalk users. The users that Gigwalk pays provide the companies with relevant, location-based information.

Companies of all sizes can use Gigwalk's user base to collect local data pertinent to their marketing and general business.

GigaOM reports,

"Ariel Seidman, CEO and co-founder of Gigwalk, said the iPhone is creating the opportunity to build a purpose-based network where companies can leverage the distribution of all of these phones for business purposes. That in turn can create a new economy that benefits both companies and iPhone users looking for some extra money.

"We're turning iPhones into a global workforce where businesses can collect real-world data on the ground," Seidman."

Reports have said that Gigwalk users (or "Gigwalkers") have made up to $1,600 a month snapping pics of requested locations and completing simple tasks. Gigwalkers can make anywhere from $3-$90 a gig.

Companies like TomTom have already utilized Gigwalk for things like map verification. Real estate agencies could use Gigwalkers to snap pictures of properties, or restaurants, hotels, shops, etc. could use the service for customer feedback.

Gigwalk presents a very interesting opportunity for companies to begin utilizing a mobile workforce that has never been available before. If Gigwalkers are getting tipped real coin for their services through the app, companies can make very specific requests and expect those requests to be completed.

At the moment, Gigwalk is only available in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York City, Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston and Miami. The app is available for free in the App Store.

The success of Gigwalk is obviously dependent on how many people use it, but it's definitely a cool idea nonetheless. It will be interesting to see if people really take to the whole "mobile workforce" concept. An extra $1,600/month definitely sounds good no matter how you look at it.

What do you think about Gigwalk? Would you snap some pictures around your city for some extra cash? If you live in one of Gigwalk's supported cities, let us know if you decide to try the app!