Wanted: Facebook’s Largest Solidarity Community in France
Wanted Community, the leading self-help community on Facebook in France, will soon have a physical meeting place in the form of a café-restaurant designed by and for the community. We spoke to Jérémie Ballarin, co-founder of Wanted, who agreed to be interviewed by Obvy.
Could you introduce Wanted Community and tell us how the project came about?
Wanted is a community for mutual aid and social cooperation on Facebook. Today, Wanted Community has 82 geolocated groups representing over 800,000 members, mainly in France and French-speaking countries. We have very active communities: 60,000 posts per month, 500,000 comments, 1,000,000 reactions and around 15,000 new members every month.
The origins of the project go back to 2011, following the creation of a first group where good tips were exchanged. With the arrival of Luc in Paris (one of the co-founders of Wanted), it seemed appropriate to take advantage of Facebook groups to better integrate and take advantage of the various local opportunities. We realised the potential: the group quickly found its place in the Paris community. Subsequently, other Internet users came forward to ask for a group to be created for their city. We started with Bordeaux (110,000 members today) and then other French cities.
Just the fact that a Facebook community can change lives is incredible.
How is Wanted part of the collaborative economy?
Firstly, because there are many recommendations of professionals by individuals. As far as relationships between members are concerned, our groups are now real marketplaces for the sale of goods as well as services between individuals (carpooling, breakdown assistance, mutual help, etc.). Beyond the collaborative aspect, it's above all an economy of sharing between members!
Facebook's groups feature has breathed new life into the dynamic of forums, which were ubiquitous on the Internet but have run out of steam as a result of social networking. Ultimately, groups have created similar spaces in which Internet users can get in touch and exchange ideas in complete simplicity, with different intentions, whether it's simply to forge social links, sell items, or ask for advice on choosing the right professional.
As you say, you don't earn a penny from Wanted at the moment. What keeps you going?
We refuse to allow intrusive advertising on our groups, which would undermine the logic of mutual support, our independence and, quite simply, our desire to leave these spaces in the hands of our members and not the brands. Today, our project makes sense, quite simply because it allows people to help each other.
Adopting an intrusive business model would drain our project of its DNA. It's by going as far as we can without intrusive advertising that we'll eventually find a relevant way to make a living from it, without betraying the values we stand for. We pride ourselves on having created spaces where members can interact in a natural and human way. You can't put a price on that!
And it's also the search for our business model that keeps us going. It's very exciting: we have lots of projects, we're testing lots of things, and we're convinced that we'll find a model that suits us without being unnatural in the eyes of our members.
Can Wanted help the world get better?
At our humble level, the value we defend through this project - helping others - is a way of making the world a better place, isn't it? On our groups, thousands of people are mobilising to help people in need in a matter of hours (finding a roof for the homeless, offering jobs to people who are far from employment, organising marauding operations to distribute meals to the most destitute...). But there are also thousands of everyday acts of mutual aid.
We've seen some crazy things on your bands. Can you share with us the most beautiful and moving situation and the most worrying and frightening?
The most moving situations are the people who get off the streets, who find jobs and homes thanks to the mobilisation of our members. Just the fact that a Facebook community can change lives is incredible. As for the most worrying, it's the members in situations of intense distress who share their darkest thoughts and who need to find support, which, fortunately, comes in large numbers.
You're about to open the first Wanted café-restaurant in Bordeaux! What soul do you want to breathe into the place?
We want to make Wanted Café a place where members of our community can live together, but also for others. We've created virtual spaces for people to help each other, so it was only natural to create a physical place that embraced the same values of helping each other, sharing and social cooperation.
This place is not ours but the community's, and will be, as much as possible, co-constructed with the wantedians. For the start of the work, we were delighted to be able to count on 50 members who came forward after a call on the groups. Another example: a member of the community gave us the idea of creating a solidarity loyalty card (the tenth meal will be offered to a person in need).
It's a collective and collaborative adventure, during which everyone's ideas will be listened to and could potentially take shape at the Wanted Café. We want to translate the experience of our groups into real life. For us, this is a pilot site in that we want to create a network of sites in other towns with strong Wanted communities. Facebook is paying close attention to the opening of this venue, as it's the first time that a community created on a Facebook group has opened a physical location for its members.
Do you have an exclusive to share with us?
The venue will be on the Place du Marché des Capucins in Bordeaux, next to the library... And it's due to open in mid-July if all goes well!
How do Obvy and Wanted complement each other for consumers?
The complementary nature of Obvy and a community like Wanted is clear. A significant number of posts concern buying and selling between private individuals. The service offered by Obvy can provide our members with a guarantee of security and foster a climate of trust between them. It's all the more natural that services like Obvy are adapted to new uses in our groups, which our members are very keen on.
The last word?
A maxim of Victor Hugo's that we particularly cherish: "Nothing is solitary, everything is united".
Where to find you and how to contact you
On our Facebook groups, on our wanted.community website and from July at Place des Capucins in Bordeaux at Wanted Café.
Do you like a good story? Read the article on the Save Eat start-up that helps you to consume better and avoid industrial waste!
UPDATE :
That's it! The Wanted Café adventure is now underway! You can find them directly at 2 rue des douves 33800 Bordeaux.