What do I get with a "Program" network type for administering challenge events?

[Mark Messinger]

I'm perplexed by the Program network type. If I can run an incentive in an existing network - an Agency/Regional, Employer/Organization, or other type of network - why would I want to go through the trouble of creating a Program network, for the very same incentive?

I'm particularly thinking about what would be the best way to administer regional or statewide "challenge" incentives.

What do I get by creating a Program network (which will only exist for the term of the challenge, for example) that I don't get by just operating the incentive using existing networks?

Sure, with a Program network, I have the opportunity to "brand" the challenge - maybe I've got a logo for the challenge and I can use that logo, in Drive Less Connect (Rideshare Online) to help promote the challenge to system users. But is that the big advantage?

The manuals really don't highlight the use of the Program network type. One of the manuals describes this network type like this:

Program network—A Program network is established to support a short-term promotional campaign, incentive program, or effort, such as Bike to Work Month or a seasonal trip reduction drive. A Program network must be a sub-network of one of the higher-level networks. Users may belong to one or more Program networks.

Can anyone illuminate me as to why and how you prefer to set up a Program network for purposes of running challenge events of limited duration?

Thanks for your thoughts.

[OSUsustainability]

As I understand it, Program networks are useful when people going to your event are not from the same region. I think they lose some of their purpose at the state level, because almost everyone is under your influence. At Oregon State, we have a  program network for our Extension programs. These are classes that anyone can take not just members of the university. A program network allows me, at the university level, to make events for people I normally wouldn't have influence over.

[Mark Messinger]

Thanks for your reply!

You describe something that sounds like a real good use of the Program type of network. It's funny, but I can see more value in using a Program type of network for the purpose you describe, than for the purpose described in the system manuals.

I can easily imagine some uses for the Program type of network because it can be a child to so many other kinds of networks (State, County, TMA, University, Worksite, Regional, City jurisdiction, and Employer/Organization) and it can have a Division network, as a child to the Program.

But, if I think only about incentive programs, well, I still don't understand what I get with a Program network that I don't get by running an incentive through existing network types.

[Amol B]

You could use an incentive program for a challenge type of event - you don't have to use a program network. A couple of reasons I can think of as to why administrators could choose to use a separate program network for a challenge type of an event:

• If not all users in the regional network qualify (so only a subset qualify), membership can be controlled via the program network. Only those users that are in the network will see the incentive, be able to request the incentive and get the reward. 
• If not all trips are eligible (so only a subset of trips the users log are eligible), program network allows users to specify which trips should be used for that particular incentive program. Only those trips selected by the users will be used (not all trips logged).

Hope this helps.