Same name, different story
What’s Going On Saratoga (question mark) PLUS: the Eddies, Saratoga Business Connect.
What’s Going On (had to), Dispatchers?
🏀 Great effort last night, Siena! Becoming the first 16-seed to hold a double-digit lead over a top-seed at halftime is a nice reward. #BraggingRights
Bring on March Madness…
Where’s everyone watching? If I beat this birthday cold, I’ll see you out there.
— Abby
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🍝 Join the Dinner Club: Say goodbye to awkward mingling and hello to likeminds.
How she hijacked our FB group—for the sake of good
“My name is Logan Spring, and I’m the administrator of this group…”
You probably saw Spring’s coming out post before I did — no less than 44,000 (!) of you at least caught a glimpse. The message, which included a stunning selfie of the curly-haired thirtysomething with rosy cheeks, was posted in the What’s Going on Saratoga? (the question mark is important) Facebook group last month.
She had, actually, done a similar post more than a year prior — before her group swelled to more than 52,000 members — but had been lurking in “the shadows” since, after the original recipe, What’s Going on Saratoga (no question mark), caught wind.
Confused? That’s why I’m here.
In 2016, Adam Israel founded What’s Going on Saratoga, a group that slowly gained traction before skyrocketing to fame (50k+ members) during the pandemic on a sea of Owen Wilson sightings and Chick-fil-a conspiracy theories jokes — before being taken down by the Facebook overlords (the reason is still a mystery).
Enter Spring, who had found the group a little too salty for her taste (comments on a post from earlier this week include “you all sound ridiculous,” “bunch of a holes in this group” and “shut up”) — but saw it as an invaluable resource. “I wasn’t spending any time in the group, but I would still use the search feature to find out what people have said about whatever I was in need of,” she says. “Then to see it disappear, I was so upset.”
So she started her own — same name, added punctuation.
What’s Going on Saratoga? (question mark) was launched on March 3, 2024.
But then Israel relaunched his What’s Going on Saratoga (no question mark) on — wait for it — March 4, 2024.
Be honest — how many of you just picked up your iPhone to see which group you’re in? My guess is both — Spring’s group has more than 52k members, Israel’s 50k+.
Spring says that her goal was to create a nicer, safer “What’s Going On.” And it seems to be working: A post from two days ago reads, “Hot take: Saratoga Springs is actually… amazing,” and comments on her coming out post mentioned at the jump include “Just woman to woman, you’re lovely and I wanted to take a moment to tell you!” and “This is a good group of people and I want to thank you for keeping it that way.”
The secret sauce, Spring says, is that she worked and reworked her page’s guidelines. “It’s not that hard to change group culture,” she says. “People tell me when there’s a jerk in town, and I block and ban that person because it’s only 5% of the people causing all the chaos. I have a zero-tolerance rule.”
There have been rumblings about Spring’s “censorship” — but she doesn’t care
“My group is not a democracy,” she says. “There are rules and you follow them. I’m protecting the culture of the group in order to make it a place where people want to be.
“I don’t care what team you play on. But if you call somebody stupid, I care.”
As you can imagine, there’s no love lost between the two group administrators. Spring called Israel “mean” and Israel, when reached for comment, said, “It was immoral and dishonest for her to take the exact name and run with it.” One of his group admins, Kristine Brennan, also said that the echoed name adds extra work for their group of volunteers.
Spring’s big plans for her group will help: Now that she’s come out to her fanbase, some more distinctive branding is in the works. And remember when she missed being able to search the groups for businesses she needed? She’s about to create a Saratoga city guide — her way.
“I want to help businesses, so by this time next year we’re going to have a sick directory so that people can look up accommodations, markets, attractions,” she says. “Unlike a commercial or a print magazine that will get thrown away in 30 to 60 days, what we’re doing is evergreen. The internet is searchable for life.”
🎟️ HEADS UP
Eddies Hall of Fame
If you’ve never gone to see the Eddies Hall of Fame ceremony live, don’t let March 23 pass you by. Past inductees will come to toast the new honorees — Ernie Williams, Heavenly Echoes, Jim Furlong, Dominick Campana, Eddie Angel and Lee Shaw — during the Capital Region’s answer to Awards Season. “It’s one of my favorite nights of the year,” says Teddy Foster, director of UPH, where the awards are held. “These people are family, and they all come together this one night only. It’s really very special.” Grab your ticket at atuph.org.
Saratoga Busines Connect
Looking to network? UPH has your back. Next Tuesday, from 6 to 9 p.m., Saratoga Business Connect event will invite all the mingling you could ask for. “It’s a great opportunity for Saratoga County business people to network,” Foster says. “Bring your friends!” Tickets are only $5 bucks and include a drink and raffle ticket for a chance to win 2 tickets to a show. Toss in snacks by Franklin Square Market and two performers, and you’ve got quite the Tuesday night! Buy your ticket online or at the door.
📌 ICYMI…
9 things to do 💃 (it’s not too late for most of ‘em!), St. Paddy’s City Council
Dylan Hinds’ ‘kind of weird’ local celeb turn
🫙 Tip jar (hey, it’s my birthday!)
It’s my birthday, and I’m home sick with what’s technically a spring cold (even though there’s still snow on the ground). Buy me a pay-per-view movie if you’re so inclined.
Never corporate, always local.
— Abby
