Use Peer Networks

The Peer Networks feature provides a method to measure the relationship between two people in your database. Think about the connections we make in life. You sit in a small group with someone, sharing stories and prayers. Years later, you run into them at a coffee shop, and it's like no time has passed--you pick up right where you left off. Peer Networks understand how relationships grow and decay, supplying you with a number that reflects the relationship two members share.

Head to any Person Profile page. If this person has ties with others through a Follow or their groups, the Peer Networks block will display those relationships. These connections, like bread dough, grow over time when nurtured, rising. When ignored, they fade, returning to their original, flat state.

Trendlines indicate the direction a relationship is heading. If you are in a group that has Enable Relationship Growth Over Time checked, your relationship score with members will rise over time ti ti-arrow-up. If you recently left a long-term commitment to a group, the relationship score will decay over time ti ti-arrow-down. If the connection is through a Follow, the trend will be flat ti ti-minus.

The Peer Graph maps relationships in a network-style view, showing how a person is linked to others across different groups.

When Peer Networks Bring Great Value:

• Launching a mentorship program? Pair mentees with mentors they already know and trust.
• Messaging a volunteer after a tragedy? Have the staff member who knows them best make contact.
• Hiring a new team member? Consult with those who know the applicant well..

Enabling Peer Networks in Groups

Settings > General > Group Types

Once your Group Type settings have been configured, overriding the score for a single Group is easy. Go to People > Group Viewer and Edit.

Some groups naturally foster deeper connections. For example, an accountability group requires strong bonds (select "Deep" relationship strength). On the other hand, an online prayer group may not create close relationships (select "Casual" or "None"). If a group's connection differs from its default Group Type settings, you can override its relationship strength.

Peer Networks Score Calculation

You might be wondering, "A score for relationships? How does that work?". Don't worry—we’re taking you behind the scenes to show you exactly how this score is calculated.

Simple Explanation:

• Attending the same Bible Study? Your score goes up the longer you're in a group.
• Following a friend? Up, but the score doesn't increase over time.
• Left a group? Down.

Nerdy Explanation:

Were you looking for a bit more math, less words? The full breakdown on how relationships are scored is below.

Relationship Strength Base Scores

• None = 0, Casual = 5, Close = 10, Deep = 20
• Adjusted by Connection Score table position (e.g., if a 'Close' relationship score is weighted at 50% in the table, it becomes 5 points)
• Following a friend = 5 points (score does not change over time)

Growth & Decay

• Relationship scores naturally grow over time if maintained (+10% per month), it declines rapidly (-20% per month) until it disappears. Once a score reaches 0 the relationship is removed from your Peer Network list. It is recalculated once a month, on the first day of the month.
• Peer Networks Formula: Base Score x (1+(Growth/Decay Percentage))^month

Relationship Score Table

Group dynamics determine how often different roles interact. Some roles connect frequently, while others rarely engage. In this table model, a 100% connection means constant interaction, while 0% means none.

For example, in a large greeting team, leaders may not interact with each other (0%) but occasionally connect with their team members (50%). On the security team, non-leaders often work alone but take direction from leaders. As a result, their connection with other non-leaders is non-existent (0%), while their interaction with leaders is common (100%).

Connection Score Table

Interaction Levels

1. Leader to Leader: How often group leaders connect.
2. Leader to Non-Leader: How much leaders interact with their teams..
3. Non-Leader to Leader: How often a non-leader engages with a leader.
4. Non-Leader to Non-Leader: Host often non-leaders interact with each other.

Exclude Group Roles From Peer Networks

If a group has a role such as administrator, someone who neither leads nor participates in group operations, they can be excluded from Peer Networks calculation. To remove a role from calculation, enable Exclude from Peer Network when editing a role in Settings > General > Group Types under the Roles section.