Connecting Wausau To The World
Social media group reconnects Wausau natives across the globe.
A pedestrian walks on the sidewalk on a rainy day in downtown Wausau, Friday, May 12, 2023. Rob Mentzer/WPR
One Wisconsin Facebook group is proving that a virtual community can thrive when rooted in nostalgia, positivity and hometown pride.
Kyle Silvers, a Wausau native now living in the Twin Cities, created the Facebook group “You know you’re from Wausau WI if” 17 years ago. Today, the page boasts nearly 40,000 followers and high engagement, with thousands of active users interacting around the clock.
Unlike many social media pages, Silvers’ group focuses explicitly on historical posts and community memories, deliberately excluding politics and advertisements to foster a family-friendly atmosphere. Wausau residents past and present can celebrate their shared history and community identity.
In a conversation with WPR’s “Morning Edition” host Shereen Siewert, Silvers said the group has facilitated many real-world connections among users.
“People have reconnected who haven’t seen each other in decades and probably never would have without this,” Silvers told WPR. “I can’t really fathom the immensity of the connections that have happened because of this thing in our community. It has happened on a major scale.”
Looking ahead, Silvers hopes the page will continue its steady growth and deepen its role as a testament to the community’s strength and resilience.
The following interview was edited for brevity and clarity.
Shereen Siewert: What inspired you to create this group in the first place?
Kyle Silvers: It started back in 2008, but really started to take off in about 2011. Basically, what this thing amounts to is that it is the community’s social media site. It’s something I wanted to do for my hometown. It is pretty large for the Wausau area, approaching 40,000 followers, and at any time there are thousands of people on this thing, even in the middle of the night.
It has a lot of engagement compared to other social media sites that have a similar setup. I think it’s doing things that other sites are not, and I’m not entirely sure why. I do think there is a lot of civic pride in the Wausau area, and that shows in this group. People never stop commenting or posting.
The nice thing is that it’s not about making money. There’s no financial motive here. It’s just people celebrating themselves and their community, and I think that is incredible. I’m glad to have that foundation started because it is what I want to see, for people to have a lot of fun with it.
SS: Why do you think people are so drawn to reminiscing about their hometown? There are members of this group that live in places around the world.
KS: I think nostalgia is a powerful force and that’s a big part of it. What we do in the group is largely focused on historical information.
It’s also very moderated with people behind the scenes who keep an eye on things around the clock. That means you aren’t going to see any advertisements in there and you won’t see anything political. It’s very family-friendly, very community-oriented and open.
I feel like what drives people there is the pride they have in the city. We love Wausau. There are people living overseas, people living much closer, people right in the city, and what they have in common is a love for the community. I don’t know that any social media site has that level of engagement. It’s just extraordinary — almost hyper-viral for such a small city.
SS: What kind of posts tend to resonate the most with the members of this community?
KS: I think the historical posts pull people in. For example, a few years ago, my grandmother, who is in the group, saw an old black and white picture of a street on the east side of Wausau. That’s where she used to ride her bike across the bridge to her grandma’s house back in the early 1950s. Seeing that brought back so many memories, and it was something she hadn’t seen in many years.
It’s almost like a time machine, seeing the past inside the present. People see the community in a different way. And because of that group, they see what it used to be. It gives us an appreciation of the evolution of time in which our city has changed and grown. We see it, we can be part of it that change, and it helps us feel like we can have an effect on the community as well.
SS: How challenging is moderating these discussions?
KS: There are a few people who help and do a great job, and they make sure that people are posting the kinds of things we want on the page. It’s a lot of work doing it throughout the day, every day and every week, and I’m so appreciative of that.
I think it could be the most successful community site in Wisconsin because it is so moderated and that means you expect a positive environment. When you visit, you’re not going to see Trump battling Biden, or negative news stories or advertisements. The continuity of that keeps people coming back. This is something that really affects people’s lives.
SS: What do you hope the page continues to offer the Wausau community in the future as time rolls on?
KS: I’d like to see it keep going how it is, and I think it will only get stronger. Wausau is strong and resilient. I think this is a showcase of how strong the city is, and one that moves forward.
If you have an idea about something in central Wisconsin you think we should talk about on “Morning Edition,” send it to us at central@wpr.org.
‘Seeing the past inside the present’: Social media group reconnects Wausau natives worldwide was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.
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