The idea has been around for ages and we just started doing something about it - "it" being the promotion of local commerce. By local commerce we mean the exchange of goods and services between members of the local community. That includes individuals, groups, businesses owned by local people, etc. but not chains and big box stores owned by non-local corporations.

The first seeds can be seen at http://downtowngalax.com/. We are pretty sure the eCommerce module will be replaced. Auctions are difficult. I envision a system where local people can publish "goods" and other people can contact them with an offer. The seller can accept or reject any offer, make a counter offer, publish the best offer and see if anyone wants to make a better offer. Settlement will probably be off-site; remittances look like a nightmare.

If you would like to participate, use the Contact link on the left and we will see what we can come up with. Content is pretty easy to add using the WYSIWYG editor.Image uploads aren't bad. We will add "help" pages as we go along. To prevent ugly postings, only "members" can post and "members" must be approved. That includes buyers as well as sellers.

Barter is encouraged. Sharing too. Under utilized resources can be loaned or rented. For example, I have a cement mixer I haven't used in years and a little use might keep it functional. Books, CDs, DVDs make sense too.