Private Groups
Private groups, built on consent
A small circle of friends, a household, or a peer group that wants to keep each other going. P in the Cup lets a group agree on how scheduling works, take on optional challenges together, and keep each member in charge of what they share.
The random scheduling and accountability service is free. Test kits and any laboratory testing are purchased separately.
Two ways to schedule
Shared or individual schedules
A group chooses which model fits when it sets up its agreement. Either way, the days are selected in advance on the server and cannot be rerolled.
Shared schedule
Everyone in the group has the same test days. Useful when members want to do it "together", for example a challenge week where everyone checks in on the same days.
Individual schedules
Each member gets their own random days, under the group's agreed frequency. Nobody can predict another member's day from their own. More on fair scheduling.
Doing it together
Opt-in group challenges
Join only if you want to
A challenge is proposed to the group; each member decides whether to take part. Saying no does not remove you from the group.
Participation, not results
Challenges count check-ins and follow-through, never a particular test outcome. See Goals & Rewards.
Encouragement, not ranking
The aim is to cheer each other on. Groups should avoid public scoreboards that single out anyone who is having a hard week.
Participant privacy
Each member controls what the group sees
- Nicknames. Members can appear to the group under a nickname. The operator of the service still holds the email address used to register, so a nickname is privacy from other members, not total anonymity.
- Selective sharing. Each member chooses which items, such as check-in completion or progress toward a goal, are visible to the group, and can choose to share nothing beyond membership.
- Schedule-only mode. A member can take part in the schedule without recording any test outcomes at all.
- Clear terms before joining. Accepting a group agreement shows which fields other participants may see.
The organiser cannot see what you do not share
Whoever creates or runs a group has no special access to members' unshared information. If you have not chosen to share something with the group, the organiser does not see it either.
Consent and exit
Joining is a choice; so is leaving
Nobody can be added to a group without accepting an invitation and its agreement. Any member can leave at any time; leaving does not require the organiser's permission. Members can also withdraw consent to share particular information and ask to delete their participation, subject to narrow legal or security retention described on the Privacy Explained page.
A group on P in the Cup is a voluntary arrangement among adults. It is not a tool for an employer, school, court or program to monitor people, and it is not designed for that. If someone feels pressured to join or stay, the group is not being used as intended.
Before you start a group
Questions worth agreeing on
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Shared or individual days?
Do you want to test on the same days, or keep each member's days independent?
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What does the group see?
Agree the minimum sharing that still keeps the group meaningful. Each member can always share less.
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How will you respond to a hard day?
Decide in advance to respond with encouragement, and remember that home screens are preliminary. See how to choose a test kit.
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XP and badges, or not?
A group or organisation can switch XP and badges off for everyone in it. When the group leaves them on, each member can still switch them off for themselves.
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Who buys what?
Each member arranges their own tests. The random scheduling and accountability service is free. Test kits and any laboratory testing are purchased separately.
Example persona
A four-person "30-day check-in" circle
This is a fictional example, not a real group. Four friends agree on individual schedules of about one test day a fortnight. Two of them opt into a 30-day check-in challenge; the other two stay in the group without joining it. Members appear under nicknames and share only whether they completed a scheduled check-in. The friend who set up the group sees exactly what everyone else sees, and nothing more.
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