Networks

How a network configuration can help you manage a multi-location business.

If you operate more than one location, you may wish to organize them into networks. Networks allow you to organise your sites into groups that share common options and policies (pricing, tax details and so on). They are particularly useful where you operate sites within different tax or legal jurisdictions. For example, if you operate sites in the United States and Canada, you might define a network for each of these countries, with a different configuration according to the pricing plans, offers, tax rates and so on that you apply in each.

Sites within a network can share the following elements, allowing you to apply a consistent configuration among those sites:

Element

Notes

Products

You can sell a product to a customer in any of your sites, even when the product was defined in another account or in a network account. Revenue generated by selling the product will be allocated to the site issuing that charge or the home location of the customer, depending on your billing settings, but never based on the location the product is added to.

Plans

You can add a contract to a customer, no matter which of your sites that contract was issued in. This is true even when the plan the contract is for is linked in another account. Revenue generated by selling the plan will be allocated to the site issuing the contract for the plan or the home location of the customer, depending on your billing settings, but never based on the location the plan is added to.

Passes

Passes assigned to a network account are valid in all child locations within that network, unless you choose to restrict them to a subset of the network

Tax rates

Tax rates from one location in a network can be assigned to items in any other location

Financial accounts

Financial accounts from one location in a network can be assigned to items in any other location

In the members' portal, publishing products, plans, events or news articles in a network account will show these elements in every child account in that network.

Networks can be nested, allowing you to manage your site settings in a way that is most useful to you. For example, you could have a network for each country you operate in, and, within each country, a network for each region, state, or city.

Networks are a useful way to organize multiple spaces, but they are not mandatory, even if you operate multiple sites. If you don't want to use networks, then you don't have to.

Setting up a network

If you are interested in using networks with your account, we can set them up for you, based on your requirements. Contact us to discuss your specifications and how networks can help you better manage your locations.

Members portal and Networks.

Each of your locations comes with a members portal and its own URL. In addition to that, if you use one or more networks, each network will also have its own members portal dedicated to that network.

For example, if you run 3 sites, you will be provided with 4 member portals. These could have the following URLs.

site1.yourdomain.com site2.yourdomain.com site3.yourdomain.com network.yourdomain.com

Locations are arranged in a hierarchy. In this example, this could look like this

Network
- Site 1
- Site 2
- Site 3

Another more complex example could be:

Global Network (networ.yourdomain.com)
- US Network (us.yourdomain.com)
  - New York (ny.yourdomain.com)
  - Los Angeles (la.yourdomain.com)
  - Dallas (da.yourdomain.com)
- UK Network (uk.yourdomain.com)
  - London (lnd.yourdomain.com)
  - Manchester (mct.yourdomain.com)
  - Leeds (lds.yourdomain.com)
- EU Network (eu.yourdomain.com)
  - France Network (fr.yourdomain.com)
    Paris (pr.yourdomain.com)
    Lyon (ly.yourdomain.com)
  - Spain Network (sp.yourdomain.com)
    Madrid (mad.yourdomain.com)
    Barcelona (bcn.yourdomain.com)

All these sites can be easily set up to use the same settings and branding but each can have its own content, products, plans and other services if you need them to.

You can use the network's portal as you main portal, where new potential members sign up and where all your services across all sites are listed.

Members Portal Content

When using networks, the different sections in the members portal show different content based on the structure of the network as well the location each of the items, such as plans, news articles, events or products are added to.

The sign-up page, when enabled, is available in the member portal for both child and network accounts.

If you run more than one location, the sign-up page shows customers an option to choose their Home Location.

The list of locations displayed in the sign-up page will include all child locations in your network, not just locations within the network the portal being browsed is for. Keep this in mind if you run more than one location. Locations representing networks won't be displayed on this menu.

For example, using the network example above, this menu will show New York, Los Angeles, Dallas, London, Manchester, Leeds, Paris, Lyon, Madrid and Barcelona. None of the locations representing networks will be listed as, generally, customers should not sign up to those.

Plan selection page

The page where new customers are offered to choose a plan shows plans created in the location the customer chose as their home location or in any of the networks that location part of.

For example, using the network example above, when visiting the Madrid site the page will list plans created in Madrid, Spain Network, EU Network and the Global Network sites.

In case you are wondering, this is how you choose the location a plan is created at:

Product selection page

The page where new customers are offered to choose additional products shows products created in the location the customer chose as their home location or in any of the networks that location part of.

For example, using the network example above, when visiting the Madrid site the page will list plans created in Madrid, Spain Network, EU Network and the Global Network sites.