"Wanted: Someone to finish writing this newspaper story. Will pay not-so-handsomely. Deadline-writing experience a must. Must have own pencil."

These days, just about everyone could use a hand. And thanks to the power and global reach of the Internet, just about anyone is willing to lend a hand.

There are several web-based services that have cropped up online that are trying to carve a new niche in the social-networking landscape. Think of them as a cross between Craigslist and eBay that rely on crowd-sourcing to get any job done.

"I just see it as a completely new means to find work," said Rob Matthews, chief executive of Chicago-based AirRun, which makes an iPhone app that posts odd jobs in any area. "There's 9-to-5 jobs and part-time jobs, but this is you doing what you want and doing it on your time and solidifying relationships in the process."

AirRun calls those who post jobs "seekers" and those who need work "runners." Someone looking for work can use the iPhone app and the phone's GPS receiver to find what jobs are posted in the area. So far, there are no postings in Utah, but the free app has only been available on iTunes since March, Matthews said.

Another service at Zaarly.com only went live about two weeks ago, but there's already been "thousands of transactions done," said Bo Fishback, co-founder and chief executive of San Francisco-based Zaarly (which is a play on "bazaar").

In Utah, there were postings for work for a social-media job near Bluffdale and one for website development in Orem. Anyone interested could just click the "I've got that" button and then must tell the poster why they should be picked for the job.

But as with all of these services, it's not just people wanting a job done. There's also postings for the odd desires. In Los Angeles, for example, one person on Zaarly.com wants "to enjoy the wonder that is on-campus dining just once more before I graduate."

In fact, the idea for Zaarly.com came to Fishback over his own unusual want — the desire for exit-row seats whenever he flies.

"I've offered people money for their exit row seat, and they always say yes, but it also feels really weird, like an indecent proposal," said Fishback, who says he's too tall to be comfortable on a plane. "After doing this 10 times, I thought that there had to be a better way to do this."

Meanwhile, New Jersey native Dave Girgenti came up with the idea for his service, Wish Upon a Hero, after the Sept. 11 attacks and then began working on his site after Hurricane Katrina. Wish Upon a Hero allows a user to post a "wish" in hopes someone can help.

"As soon as Katrina hit ... I thought the fastest way to get help isn't to wait for some big organization to help you. The fastest is from the neighbor across the street," Girgenti said.

But while Wish Upon a Hero started as a place for noble wishes or necessities, it now also hosts wishes that don't involve dire needs.

One woman in Murray has asked for someone to give her a henna tattoo kit. And someone from Logan just wants UPC (barcode) labels from Kelloggs cereal boxes.

Girgenti said that while there have been plenty of wacky postings, Wish Upon a Hero has been the resource for a number of noble causes.

"The most amazing one was the woman who posted up a wish for her father who needed a kidney, and we actually found a donor. That's not something you can go out and buy at Walmart," he said. Another raised $10,000 for a chemotherapy patient, and another posting raised enough money to send a World War II veteran to Pearl Harbor for his birthday.

But there are inherent dangers to services that invite strangers into your home. These companies say they have policies in place to mitigate problems: no transactions involving illegal activities, peer reviews from other customers, ratings for posters and monitoring by the companies.

Still, caution is advised when using a service like these, said Rick Cline, project manager for Salt Lake City-based NetSafe Utah, an Internet safety program designed for educators, students and parents.

"Like any kind of business, we recommend finding out references, checking those out, and also finding out if they have any kind of a track record," he said. "It's difficult to decide whether someone's legitimate, especially in the beginning. Just like any business, you just want to check it out before paying them money."

vince@sltrib.com

ohmytech@sltrib.com

Twitter: twitter.com/ohmytech