Club Recommendation Algorithm

How are clubs ordered?

The order that clubs appear on the home page for the default ordering method is determined by several criteria. A recommendation algorithm uses these criteria to ensure that students receive the best experience when browsing for new clubs and that clubs can effectively reach their target demographic.

How does the club recommendation algorithm work?

The recommendation algorithm uses the following non-targeted criteria to determine how to order clubs on the home page. Clubs are ordered by points, and then this ordering as adjusted based on personalized data. The points obtained from these categories is calculated and saved once per day at 4 AM, so make your changes early! The criteria are:

Upcoming Events

If your club has upcoming events registered on Penn Clubs, it will be prioritized on the home page a short period before and during the event. Only events shorter than 16 hours are eligible.

  • +10: Participating in upcoming activities fair
  • +10: At least one upcoming event is today
  • +10: All upcoming events today have a complete picture and description
  • +5: At least one upcoming event in the next week
  • +5: All upcoming events this week have a complete picture and description
Upcoming Applications

If a club application is currently open for your club, it will be prioritized while that application is still open.

  • +25: Has at least one open club application
Membership

Having your club members displayed on Penn Clubs provides more points of contact for questions about your club.

  • +15: At least 3 active officers
  • +10: At least 3 active members
  • +0.1: For every non-officer member
Useful Tags

Adding relevant tags to your club can help prospective students find the clubs that they are interested in. If you cannot find at least 2 relevant tags for your club, please email contact@pennclubs.com and we will work with you to find something appropriate.

  • +15: Has anywhere between 3 and 7 tags
  • +7: Has more than 7 tags
Contact Information

Having contact information is important for prospective members who want to know more about the club. Social links can be used to give students a better idea of what you do and the events that you hold.

  • +10: Has a public email
  • +10: Has 2 or more social links
Bookmarks

Bookmarks are a method for Penn students to show interest in yourclub. The more bookmarks you have, the higher your club will appear.

  • +0.04: For each bookmark
Logo Image

Adding a logo to your club can make your club more recognizable. The logo is shown on the homepage before the user clicks on your club.

  • +15: Has a logo
Clubs Subtitle

Adding a subtitle is a quick change that can give students more information about your club without having to visit your clubpage. The subtitle is shown on the homepage before the user clicks on your club.

  • +5: Has a subtitle
  • -10: Did not change default subtitle
Clubs Description

Adding a description helps students learn more about whether or not a club is a good fit for them. Clubs without a description will therefore appear lower on the homepage. Longer and more detailed descriptions are awarded bonus points.

  • +10: At least 25 characters
  • +10: At least 250 characters
  • +10: At least 1000 characters
  • +3: Having images in your description
Student Experiences

Adding some testimonials help students gain perspective on what participating in the club is like.

  • +10: At least one testimonial
  • +5: At least 3 testimonials
How to Get Involved

Prospective members want to know how to participate in your club. Omitting this section will result in a large ordering penalty.

  • -30: Empty How to Get Involved section
Is Club Updated

Clubs that have not been updated in the last 8 months will receive a small ordering penalty.

  • -10: No updates for 8 months
Is Club Active

Clubs that are marked as inactive will be shifted to the very bottom of the list. You can easily renew your club from the settings tab in the manage club page.

  • -1000: For inactive clubs
Random Factor

A random factor is applied periodically in order to ensure that students see new clubs when they visit Penn Clubs.

  • +10: Random number between 0 and this number, updated daily

The algorithm also attempts to personalize search results for logged in users, based on the following criteria:

Matches Target Tags

Adding tags will case the club to appear higher on the home page for students who are interested in those tags. Clubs that have specified fewer tags are more likely to appear higher than clubs that have specified more tags, for relevant students.

Matches Target Schools

Adding target schools will cause the club to appear higher on the home page for students in those schools. Clubs that have specified fewer schools are more likely to appear higher than clubs that have specified more schools, for relevant students. Specifying all of the schools is the same as specifying none of them.

Matches Target Majors

Adding target majors will cause the club to appear higher on the home page for students in those majors. Clubs that have specified fewer majors are more likely to appear higher than clubs that have specified more majors, for relevant students. Specifying 10 or more majors is the same as specifying no majors.

Matches Target Years

Adding target years will cause the club to appear higher on the home page for students in those years. Clubsthat have specified fewer years are more likely to appear higher than clubs that have specified more years, for relevant students. Specifying all of the years is the same as specifying none of them.