New Exchange Welcome Letter

Dear Administrator

Welcome to the Community Exchange System!

The new Exchange Name is up and running. So far we have only created the Administrator’s account, which is built into the system. You can immediately begin adding new users through the administrative interface (see below). While you are in there, please change the passwords and fill in the full contact details of the Administrator of your exchange. This will be required by the users of your exchange.

We have given the Administrator translate rights, which means that whenever you see “Translate this page” at the bottom (in your language) you can click on that to translate or edit the page. Not all translatable pages have been translated into your language yet so if you would like to assist with the task please go ahead and translate or edit whatever you can. If you would like other members to assist with the task, you can give them translation rights in their personal profile records.

There is a Telegram discussion group for CES administrators, which you are invited to join. From the chat, online sessions are arranged through which you can learn how to administer your exchange. Please only share the link below with your admin staff and not your members or any non-members:

https://t.me/joinchat/… (Contact us for the full address)

As there is great demand for this web service we have to limit the period that we can give you to get this new exchange operational. If there is no trading activity within six months of today then unfortunately we will have to take the exchange down to make space for others.

Please confirm that you have received this welcome letter.

Accessing the CES web site

There are five interfaces to the CES:

(1) The normal user interface at www.community-exchange.org. You can log in straight away with the Administrator’s account using the following account details:

Account number: AAAA0000
Password: pAsSwOrD

Account numbers can be typed in upper or lower case.

The Administrator’s account is a special account on the system. It gives you access to the Administrative interface (see below) and special rights to do various things that ordinary users can’t do. Do not use this account for your personal trading; rather set up a separate account for yourself. Please access the Administrator’s account and fill in or change the contact details.

When you log in for the first time you will be asked to change the password given above (and below). Please select a secure password, as the Administrative interface is where all members’ information is accessible.

(2) The Administrative interface. This is where you manage the AAAA exchange.

To access the Administrative interface, log into the user interface as described above. When logged in, hover over the [Home] button and select ‘Admin’ from the drop-down menu. Alternatively, click on ‘Administrator Functions’ in the left hand column on the home page. These will take you directly to the administrative interface.

To return to the user interface click on the ‘CES User Interface’ icon or select ‘User I/F’ from the [Home] button drop-down menu.

There is also a separate admin login here:

https:// www.community-exchange.org/_admin

The login details are the same as above, namely:

Name: AAAA0000
Password: pAsSwOrD

Don’t share the Administrator’s login details with anyone except those authorised to manage the exchange.

New members can sign up at www.community-exchange.org (by clicking on the [Join] button at the top) or directly at https://www.community-exchange.org/home/ces-exchanges/?xid=aaaa. You will receive a notification by email when someone signs up. To add them to the AAAA, log into the administrative interface and then click on the ‘Users’ icon. Select ‘Approve Applications’, which will bring up a list of new users waiting for approval. For each one, check that all details are correct and then press the [Approve] button. You can also add new users manually.

Account numbers are created sequentially by the system but you can change any suggested number to one of your own. However, it is best to follow what is offered by the system otherwise you will create ‘holes’ in the numbering which the system will try to fill.

There is a [Help] button on the menu bar at the top where you can find information about how functions work. If a page has insufficient or no information, please do not hesitate to ask for assistance. We are happy to help.

(3) The Membership Coordinator’s interface. This is a special interface with limited admin functions if you want to employ a separate membership coordinator or secretary to manage your membership affairs (e.g. adding new users etc.).

To grant a member the right to access this interface, go to their profile record in the Admin interface and check the Membership Coordinator option under the Defaults & Settings sub-heading.

Membership Coordinators access the interface through their regular user accounts. A Mem Coord option can be found in the [Home] button drop-down menu.

The Administrator can access the interface here:

www.community-exchange.org/_members/_members

The login details are as follows:

Name: AAAA0000
Password: pAsSwOrD

All the functions in this interface can be found in the full Admin interface so you will not need to go there.

(4) The Coordinator’s interface. Co-ordinators are trusted members who have been given coordinator status. This allows them to perform certain actions on behalf of others (e.g. enter transactions, offerings/wants etc.) without having to log into other users’ accounts. Coordinators see a ‘Coordinator Functions’ option on the home page of their accounts and on the [Home] button drop-down menu. Normal users do not have these options. This gives co-ordinators a range of functions to perform actions for others (e.g. those without computers). In effect they become ‘branches of the bank’ and can perform the functions of a normal bank branch. To make someone a coordinator you simply tick that they are a coordinator in their profile records in the Admin interface. You should have one co-ordinator per sub-area and they should only be trusted individuals who have proven that they are keen users of the exchange.

(5) The mobile phone interface. There is a mobile phone interface at:

https://mobi.community-exchange.org

This site is intended for smartphones and tablets but you can also access it using a normal web browser on a computer. The mobile phone interface is a cut down version of the full site, but all the main functions are there. Use your normal user login details. Encourage new users to set up their mobile phones according to this article.

Getting Started

  • In the administrative interface click on the Admin Guide icon and then look for Getting Started for more detailed information on setting up your exchange and getting started.
  • Go to {URL}/home/ces-concepts/ to understand the main CES concepts. This will help you get to grips with how the CES works and should be set up. The document is also available from inside the administrative interface. Look for ‘CES Concepts’.
  • Much of the above as well as a lot more is available in the CES User Guide, which is available from the home page of your user account.
  • Please go into the administrative interface to familiarise yourself with it, as you will probably be spending a lot of time in there. Click on each function to see what it does. You can’t do any harm. Most of the settings for your exchange are under the Control Panel sub-heading. This is where you can change the administrators’ passwords too.
  • You can also customise the home page through the Control Panel (‘Edit Home Page Text’). The text that is there is just some default text to fill the spaces. Please add your own text and pictures.
  • If you have a logo that you would like to use please send it to us and we can replace the default CES one. Please note that the space for a logo is limited so send something that will fit in the space and not be illegible when reduced in size.
  • If you would like new users to log in from an existing web site you can download the HTML code for a login box that you can place on your site. To obtain the code, go to the admin interface and click on the Admin Guide. Under the sub-heading “Getting Started” click on the item “6. Log in from another web site”. This login box will take members directly into their CES accounts without having to go to the CES home page.
  • It is also possible to set your own web site as the destination after your members log out of their CES accounts. This is set in the Control Panel.
  • After your exchange has been set up you can make a backup of your database. You should also do this at regular intervals (at least once a month) so that in case anything goes wrong you have a backup of your data. To download your database, go into the admin interface and click on the ‘Management’ icon. In the Management index you will see an item ‘Download database’. Click on that and follow the instructions.
  • Each exchange comes with a default email address in the format of code@community-exchange.org where ‘code’ is the four-letter exchange code. Yours is thus aaaa@community-exchange.org. Currently this is aliased to your address but if you want it changed just let us know. You can contact the administrator of any other exchange by using this address format. Just substitute the code before the ‘@’ with the code of the exchange.
  • The CES has a built-in levy system that can be used to generate revenue for the administration. The levy subtracts a small percentage of each transaction entered from both the buyer and seller accounts. This is set to 4% on both the buyers’ and sellers’ accounts by default but if you would like to turn it off then set it to 0%. Again this is set in the Control Panel. Our recommendation is that you begin to use this from the start and leave it set to 4%. This can ultimately replace the need for fees and with it the need for annual membership. The levy system allows your users to be in there for life, like they are with the conventional money system.
  • It is possible to set debit and credit limits. This is also done in the Control Panel. While breaching a limit in no way affects the functioning of an account, users who have exceeded their limits are reminded of this and other users can also see it.
  • You should carve up the area covered by your exchange into several sub-areas. These are geographically distinct areas that members identify with. You can create your sub-areas in the admin interface (Control Panel) and after doing that you should assign all members to their respective sub-areas. On the home page of the user interface it is possible to filter out all other areas so that users can treat the site as if it applies to their sub-area alone. Even searches and statistics will apply to just the sub-area and so in effect you can have multiple mini-exchanges operating semi-autonomously within your broader exchange.
  • It is good to have a set of Terms & Conditions for the users of your exchange. A default Terms & Conditions document is available from the administrative interface (Management). You can edit and save this, or remove it completely and insert your own. It will only become active when you check the ‘Active’ checkbox. When active, it will appear immediately before the member registration form when a potential new member wants to join your exchange. They will need to accept it before proceeding.
  • There is an Invite a friend to join the CES feature on the home page of the user interface. Use this to invite potential members to join your exchange. You can edit the message that gets sent or use the default one that is there.
  • There is a mailing list for CES administrators to which you will automatically be subscribed. This operates through the Groups feature on the CES web site. You will only be able to see it through the administrator’s account. Occasionally we send out information that is of interest to administrators and sometimes there is a bit of discussion between the administrators. If you want to get off this list then just let us know.
  • The CES is completely free to use in terms of your national currency. However, to ‘fund’ the development of the system, the central CES administration may levy the administration accounts of all exchanges on a quarterly basis. The levy amounts to 1% of total turnover during this period. If you keep the levy of your exchange at the default 4%, it will mean that one eighth of whatever is raised through the levy will go towards the central CES, leaving most of it for your own administrative ‘expenses’.

Please log in and have a look around. I am sure there will be many questions so do not hesitate to ask them.

I hope the ExchangeName will grow rapidly. Please advertise it widely in your community and get everyone off the old ‘money-based’ exchange system and onto the new one. With the global money system in a state of implosion there is no time like the present to build alternatives to the dominant exchange system (money) that threatens to bring us all down.

Regards,

Registrar
CES Registrar