MCS News
Merrymeeting Community Shares is growing significantly. We are excited to share with you the bright new changes that are underway. We are privileged to draw our membership from a population wealthy in innovation, resourcefulness, creativity, skills, talent and wisdom. So thank you for supporting our growth!
"Community is the relationships it’s members build and share."
Photo Gallery
The new Merrymeeting Community Shares Photo Gallery is now up. See images of local exchanges in action.
New Accounting Software Installed
Cyclos Project
The Cyclos project started in February 2003 and currently there are seven developers working full time on the software. The objective of the project is to develop open source community currency software that is easy to use and maintain, flexible, secure, and highly customizable. When the project was started we were aware that various software products already exist and a lot of work has been done in this field. Still, the number of community currency systems is growing strongly and many communities and organizations decide to develop their own software because the existing software does not respond enough to their needs. We thought (and still think) that it could save much time if programmers and other people involved in community currency software would bundle their efforts to develop standard software. Instead of having to invent the same solutions, more time could be spend in improving and extending the software.
Because communities and organizations have mostly different approaches and ideas about how community currency systems should work, we did not implement any fixed methodology in the design. The whole Cyclos structure is dynamic, including the accounting system, member groups, profiles, loans and loan groups, taxes, and fees. This means that it is possible to 'build' a monetary system from scratch. For organizations/communities that want a basic system we provide Cyclos with a default database and standard configurations that can be easily enhanced. Currently Cyclos is used for mutual credit systems like LETS, Barter systems, administration of Micro credits, Time banks, and backed currency systems.
Community Contra Dance
Sponsored Contra Dances are a regular scheduled event by MCS. Mix community spirit with terrific live fiddle, guitar, and other music!
You don't need to bring a partner, just an extra pair of soft-soled shoes for dancing and a smile.
Come if you've never danced before. The event is beginner friendly, a very affordable way to spend an evening out, and a fun way to support Merrymeeting Community Shares, as any money after expenses benefits MCS. All are welcome!
Stay Tuned for a Contra Dance Coming Soon!
Using What You Have
Recent Video on Service Exchanges
Unemployed people can trade on a commodity they often have in abundance: Time. As the economy continues shedding jobs, 'time banks,' in which members exchange labor instead of money, are becoming increasingly popular.
In Maine, Service Time Swapped to Help Stretch Dollars in Recession
Notic: This web site content is often associated with the following keywords when searching for it through search engines such as Google &Yahoo: Words like: "time bank, local currency, LETS, services exchange, Edgar Cahn, bartering, services exchange, maine community, core economy and finally time dollar", will often bring you favorable results. Thank You, http://www.zellous.com
