The IWB Community, Rules & FAQs
The IWB Community, Rules & FAQs
+45k Members & Followers
+10k Daily Views on IWB
91% Rate IWB as "Excellent"
+100 Different Nationalities
+50 Events in Berlin
✨Our History & Mission
In a big and international city, such as Berlin, there’s a lack of space for self identified womento talk about their issues and questions. Normally, the first place they look for help is inside online forums. But unfortunately in those spaces they get harassed by creeps and trolls.
IWB provides a safe space where women can talk about their lives and ask for any kind of help - from dating, German courses to doctors and bureaucracy issues in Berlin.
IWB also provides online and offline spaces, where members can meet and lift each other up, so they don’t feel alone in Berlin.
We help international women to navigate their lives better in Berlin. From dealing with German bureaucracy, to connecting to new people and making new friends. Online and offline.
✨Our Community Values
Empathetic:
Most members experienced trolls and aggressive language in other groups. That’s not acceptable in our group and the members really appreciate that.
Sisterhood:
The feeling of having a space only for women where women help each other is highly valued among the members.
Helpful:
All posts made by members have helpful answers from other members.
Empowering:
With the knowledge the members get inside the group, they feel they can navigate better in Berlin, using the info they get from the group
✨How we Support our Community
Education & Information:
When you move to a new country, you get lost in all the new laws, bureaucracy and even cultural aspects of your new home. IWB shares constantly tips and facts about what’s going on in Germany and. In Berlin. We also host workshops about different topics, to help our members.
Connecting & Networking:
Most people who join the IWB group want to meet new people, because they feel lonely in Berlin. That’s why we’ve been organising meet-ups every month where the members can connect with each other and be introduced to other Iwbies.
Sharing Stories & Amplifying Voices:
The feeling of having a space only for women where women help each other is highly valued among the members. We are using our group but mainly our Instagram (+6.2k followers - we started this account in March 2021) to share those stories.
Safe Space & Resources:
Our community helps each other in the group’s feed, but we also share anonymous posts, when some members feel a bit ashamed or uncomfortable to publish some posts under their own name. We also share helpful resources such as lists or recommended doctors, how to make free STI tests, mental health support, etc.
✨Our Amazing Team
TBA
IWB Rules & FAQs
✨Rules
There are tons of different women, with different backgrounds in the group.
To make the experience in the group more pleasant and fair to everybody, please check the rules and follow them while interacting in the group. Let's keep our space as safe and empathetic as we can :)
1. MAIN RULE: Be kind and empathetic
You can talk about anything here, it's normal to have different opinions, but don't be mean/judgmental/passive-aggressive when exposing your point of view. Keep in mind there are over 100 nationalities in the group, different backgrounds and English isn't the mother tongue of most ppl, so misunderstandings can happen. Pls keep that in mind and let's avoid drama :)
2. Search first, post later:
Since we have several post requests every hour, please use the search functionality before posting smth. Maybe somebody has already asked about your issue before. Let's try to keep the feed clean and organised.
3. Scroll the group feed and help other members!
We have requests of several posts every hour, so when you have time PLEASE scroll around and see if you can leave some helpful comments, especially in the posts where there are no comments at all. This community only work if we all help each other <3
4. Everybody is a moderator
If you see a post or comment against the rules, please report it! Everybody has the responsibility to keep this place as nice as possible.
5. Check out our sisters groups
IWB is quite an active group, so to keep things more organised, please use our sister groups about specific topics (Dating, announcements, services, etc). Check them out here.6. How to send anonymous posts
- Send it as a pm to the admin Bru Na, no need to ask for permission!
- Write your whole post in only one msg. Keep in mind anon posts are for very sensitive topics.
- The admin will post it in the group and send you the link of the post, so you can track the answers
- Later, If you have time, send to the admin an update of your story, members love to know about it!
7. To promote a service, product, event, questionnaire, etc…
Do it in our sister group IWB Support Small Businesses
8. Stopping unnecessary bad discussions
The admin will delete comments/post which triggers not useful and or toxic convos, for the sake of the admin's mental health and time.
9. If you are trying to find or offer a place...
Do it in our sister group IWB Housing in Berlin
10.If you want to donate, sell or give away stuff...
Do it in our sister group IWB Flohmarkt & Give-Away
11. What you post in the IWB feed, might be used as content here in this website
We will never display the members identity, but you can always ask us to take down if you don't want your comment on our website.12. By entering the IWB community, we will add your email to our newsletter
When leaving your email in our onboarding questions, we will start sending you our newsletter, but you are free to unsubscribe at any time.
13. We focus on helping women inside IWB - not men.
We’ve been noticing a lot of posts of women trying to help their male partners, friends, colleagues, etc… IWB has a lot of posts requests, so we focus only in approving the ones to help women - in the end, that’s the group’s main intention. With rare exceptions, we will approve some posts helping men, but keep in mind that men have in overall many places to ask for things. Also, let them do the job and take care of themselves. They are used to be helped by women in their lives and we are against that.
✨FAQs
To understand even better how the moderation is done and why some decisions are made, please read this list of FAQ. These are some questions which were asked several times to the admin, and more questions are gonna be added with time :)
“What should I do if my post gets no answers?”
We suggest commenting on your own post to bump it to the top of the feed. A simple "up", "bump", or a brief explanation of why you need information or help can increase visibility and encourage responses.
“Why was I banned without any notice?”
As admins, we handle numerous tasks and messages daily, and providing individual explanations for bans is not feasible. Often, banned members seek confrontations, which validates our decision. Please respect the ban and refrain from contacting admins directly about it.
“Why is my post approval taking long?”
Due to the large size of our group, there's always a backlog of posts awaiting approval. We review each post to ensure appropriateness, which takes time. Most posts are approved within a day.
“Why hasn’t the admin responded to my message?”
Managing a large group involves handling countless messages and tasks. Sometimes messages get lost amidst the volume. If your issue is urgent, you may send a follow-up message. However, spamming may result in being blocked.
”Why does the admin seem cold in messages?”
We aim to be efficient in our communication due to the unpaid and time-consuming nature of our work. Our brief responses are not personal but an effort to manage time effectively and assist everyone in the community.
”Can I submit ideas to improve the group?”
Absolutely! We welcome suggestions for enhancing the group. Bear in mind that due to our other commitments, responses might be delayed, but we read most messages.
”Why was my post deleted after being approved?”
Occasionally, posts are mistakenly approved and later deemed inappropriate. We also remove posts if the discussion becomes heated, to maintain the group's positive atmosphere.
”Why are certain controversial posts approved?”
Our group includes diverse members with varying opinions and beliefs. We try to apply minimal filtering, except for ads, spam, or offensive content. We believe in freedom of expression, as long as it’s respectful.
”What constitutes empathetic behavior in the group?”
Empathy might seem subjective, but we base our moderation on avoiding laughing reactions (unless it's a joke), passive-aggressiveness, sarcasm, irony, and direct insults. If a post angers you, we advise taking a moment before responding to avoid unnecessary drama.
”Why are some events and ads approved while others are not?”
We support women's businesses but limit ads to prevent overshadowing the group's primary focus. We prioritize ads that support minorities and redirect others to a sister group dedicated to such posts.“I see some weird comments from time to time and I thought this group was a safe space?”
Keep in mind that in the group has literally thousands of women from different countries, different backgrounds, different languages, values…and overall, humans. And humans are not perfect creatures. So as much as we try to have meaningful and constructive conversations and as much I ban ppl who are crossing the line and always trying to remind ppl to be empathetic, with rules and posts, things will never be perfect. Miscommunication will happen, drama will happen… but if everybody has an empathetic, non violent communication mindset, these episodes can be avoided most of the times :) But most of times I get msgs of women thanking me about the group, so I guess this space is safer than most groups in general :)
”How do I post anonymously?”
To make an anonymous post, send it as a private message to one of the admins. Ensure your post is in one message. We will post it under an admin name and share the link with you to track responses.
”Why was my comment deleted when I said nothing wrong?”
In heated discussions, we might delete the original comment that sparked controversy to save time and avoid escalating conflicts. This isn't about right or wrong, but about maintaining a healthy discussion environment.“What are the admin tasks in managing the group?”
Admin tasks include approving posts, vetting new members, moderating discussions, handling anonymous posts, managing conflicts, and more. These responsibilities are significant and can impact our mental health.
”How can I support the admins?”
After years of unpaid work managing the group, we accept donations on Patreon. Contributions, even as small as 2.50€ per month, are greatly appreciated and help support our efforts.
“Why the admin deleted my comment, when I said nothing wrong?”
Sorry, but yes, that can happen. Usually in polarizing posts, where there are ppl starting a heated up and not constructive discussion in the comment section. When that happens, for the sake of my time and energy, because I’m not gonna read all the comments to see who’s right or wrong, I’ll just delete the original comment which originated the whole heated up discussion.