Whether a runaway cat, looking for an apartment or a recommendation for a hairdresser: There is hardly a topic that has not yet been discussed in the Facebook group "You are from Wolfratshausen, if ...". Administrator Michael Ballon ensures that all rules are followed there.
- Over 5100 people are now exchanging information in the Facebook group "You are from Wolfratshausen, if ..."
- Michael Ballon is one of four administrators
- The opinion of the members is also asked again and again when it comes to local politics
Wolfratshausen - Who saw my runaway cat? Where can I buy good wine in Wolfratshausen? What do you think of the parking lot situation? In the Facebook group “You're from Wolfratshausen, if ...”, over 5100 people are now exchanging ideas. But because the rule that many cooks spoil the broth also applies to Internet discussions, someone is needed to ensure that the recipe is correct: Michael Ballon is one of four administrators who ensure that everyone in the group obeys the rules of the game.
"You are from Wolfratshausen, if ...": now over 5100 members
"At most half an hour a day," Ballon clicks through the new posts in the popular group. “I don't have to check everything,” he says. The absolute majority of Wolfratshausers would adhere to netiquette and group rules. "Every now and then there is an extreme case where we have to intervene or delete posts," says Ballon. Advertising for companies, for example, is taboo.
“We are a platform with a very wide reach,” says the 52-year-old, “and therefore also interesting for businesses that want to advertise themselves, but we don't want to be flooded with free advertising”. If you would like to introduce yourself and your company, the administrators will let you. Even “when there is a very special campaign” one can turn a blind eye. Other commercial posts in the group are usually removed quickly.
Platform doesn't want to be flooded with free advertising
After all, the same golden rule applies to entrepreneurs as to everyone: "Topics that are of interest in Wolfratshausen are welcome to be discussed in the group." : "The subject also affects the Wolfratshausers, but it still has no place in the group," explains Ballon. Discussions on global refugee policy or national political disputes are also regularly deleted.
Nevertheless, you will find a wide range of topics of conversation in the group: From runaway pets and photos of special motifs to event tips: There is almost no topic that has not yet been discussed in the “You are from Wolfratshausen” plenum. Perhaps this diversity is a recipe for success for the group that has been attracting more and more social media users for the past eight years. There is no larger community on Facebook in the entire region.
Almost no topic has not yet been discussed in the group
The large number is particularly remarkable because only those Internet users who have something to do with Loisachstadt are allowed to participate: “I believe that at least 80 percent of our members live in the city.” The rest of them have a past in Wolfratshausen or at least points of contact with the city.
This is one of the reasons why the opinion of the 5000 members is required when it comes to local politics: Topics that came up in the group keep cropping up on the city council's tableau. The other way around, many resolutions of the committee are discussed in Wolfratshausen's virtual living room.
The opinion of the members is asked again and again in local politics
"In conversations like this, you have to look carefully to ensure that the discussions run smoothly," says Ballon. For the IT system administrator, this is not a tiresome job - on the contrary: "I'm Wolfratshauser myself and follow the topics out of my own interest."
When I'm on Facebook privately, that's my private opinion.
Michael Ballon, administrator of the group "You are from Wolfratshausen, if ..."Because Ballon also has his own opinion on most topics, he himself diligently comments. Sometimes this leads to confusion: "Every now and then I am accused of not being allowed to express an opinion as an administrator." He sees it differently: "When I am privately on Facebook, that is my private opinion". Then he is simply one of more than 5,000 people who exchange information about lost pets, good wine or the parking situation.
dst