Status: Available How friend requests, followers, blocking, and the social graph work in your community.
Overview
TribeCrafter includes a full social graph that lets members form connections, follow each other, and manage their relationships. This social layer drives content visibility in the newsfeed and enables members to build meaningful relationships within your community.
Connections
Connections are bidirectional friendships between two members. When two members are connected, they can see each other's private posts in the newsfeed.
How Connections Work
- Member A sends a connection request to Member B.
- Member B receives the request and can accept or decline it.
- If accepted, both members become connected and can see each other's private posts.
- If declined, no connection is created. Member A can send a new request later.
Connection Request Actions
| Action | Who Can Do It | What Happens |
|---|---|---|
| Send request | Any member | Creates a pending request. Automatically follows the recipient. |
| Accept request | Recipient only | Creates a bidirectional connection. Automatically follows the sender. |
| Decline request | Recipient only | No connection created. No notification sent. |
| Withdraw request | Sender only | Cancels the pending request. The auto-follow remains (member must manually unfollow). |
| Remove connection | Either member | Removes the connection for both sides. Follows are not affected. |
Connection Limits
Each member can have up to 2,000 connections. This limit is enforced when sending and accepting requests. If a member has reached the limit, they cannot send or accept new connection requests until they remove an existing connection.
Anti-Spam Protection
To prevent notification spam, there is a rate limit on connection requests. Members who send too many requests in a short period will be temporarily prevented from sending more.
Following
Following is a one-way relationship that is independent of connections. When you follow someone, their public posts appear in your newsfeed.
- Following someone means their public posts show up in your feed.
- Being followed means your public posts show up in the follower's feed.
- Following does not require the other person's approval.
- You can follow or unfollow anyone at any time.
Auto-Follow Behavior
- When you send a connection request, you automatically start following the recipient.
- When you accept a connection request, you automatically start following the sender.
- Withdrawing or declining a request does not automatically unfollow.
Blocking
Blocking is a powerful action that completely removes another member from your experience in the community.
What Happens When You Block Someone
When you block a member:
- Any pending connection requests between you are cancelled.
- Any existing connection is removed for both sides.
- Any follow relationships in both directions are removed.
- The blocked member no longer appears in your member listings, search results, or feed.
- You no longer appear in the blocked member's listings, search results, or feed.
Important Blocking Rules
- Admins and moderators cannot be blocked. This ensures they can always moderate content and support all members.
- Unblocking does not restore previous relationships. If you unblock someone, you will need to re-connect and re-follow them manually.
- You can view and manage your blocked members list in Settings.
Mutual Connections
Member cards and profile pages display a mutual connections count -- the number of connections you share with another member. Clicking on the mutual connections count shows details of up to 10 shared connections, including their names and avatars.
Reporting Members
Members can report other members for inappropriate behavior. Reports include a predefined reason and are reviewed by community admins and moderators.
How the Social Graph Affects the Newsfeed
The social graph directly controls what appears in each member's newsfeed:
- Private posts from connections -- If you are connected to someone and following them, their private posts appear in your feed.
- Public posts from people you follow -- Public posts from anyone you follow appear in your feed.
- Group posts -- Posts from groups you are a member of always appear in your feed.
- Blocked members -- Posts from blocked members never appear in your feed.
Key Settings
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Connection limit | 2,000 per member |
| Auto-follow on connect | Enabled by default |
| Block cascade | Removes connections, follows, and pending requests |
| Admin/moderator blocking | Not allowed |
Tips
- Encourage new members to connect with others early -- it enriches their newsfeed experience and increases engagement.
- Members can manage their blocked users list from Settings to review and unblock people.
- The mutual connections feature is a great conversation starter and builds trust between members who share common contacts.
- Connection requests include anti-spam protection, so members cannot abuse the system with mass requests.