I set up prescotteggs.com with the idea that the community could help its own food security by matching up people who have excess eggs to sell with people who want to purchase eggs from producers just around the corner.  The site uses a web form, powered by Google Docs.  Users can fill out the form, and the data is then piped into a spreadsheet in Google Docs.  Then an administrator can simply sort through the data and put egg producers in touch with their best-fit egg consumer. (usually based on proximity).  Google docs is free and makes it easy to have a handful of administrators monitoring and managing the data.

On the website, a simple advertising model has been set up with the idea to make the project self sufficient, and pay for web hosting, and other misc. expenses.  Maybe it will turn into a full fledged business, maybe it will morph into a community outreach program.  Who knows.  At this moment in time, it just helps me find a source for my extra eggs! :)

A few other pages exist on the site, listing FAQs, and basic policies such as how to label the eggs etc.  In Arizona, we have a short form to fill out to register as an unclassified egg producer, so the site also makes this form available for download.

If this model is to be replicated, improved, or modified, a person could start in their own community by setting up a simple website, and using Google docs to manage the data.  The beauty of Google Docs, is that you don't have to be a programmer to incorporate live data and user input.  It could even be done with a freebie website, although I preferred to go with an actual domain name.

Why not just use Craigslist?  I see CL as a possible marketing method for this kind of thing, but the ability to log and easily manage data far surpasses a ton of e-mails and Craigslist ads, in my opinion.  Having some level of central control of the match-making is preferred to the somewhat anarchistic aspect to classified ads.   I think having a website also adds some credibility to the concept.

If anyone has any questions or suggestions, or ideas, please use the discussion forum so we can talk about ways to improve the concept.  BTW, the model could be used for all sorts of things.  Eggs was just my current focus of interest.  But it could be modified to work for produce, live animals, seeds or whatever.

Scott