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We are a designing a referral system where one user A can send a code to another user B (referring or recommending user B to join our service). When user B creates an account with the code sent by A and completes his first task, we send the reward to user A.

What does the code do?

The code is just used for user B to inform the system that he is creating an account because he got referred by user A. It's an invite code similar to what Uber does:

Everyone with an Uber account has a personal invite code that you can share with friends interested in creating a rider or driver account.

Is it a person who somehow referred something to someone (What?)

User A refers user B to use our system. So user A is referring the system itself to user B.

Is it a variable that's doing something (What)?

The code is always the same for the same user A. User A can refer other users C, D or E with that same code. This way, when these users sign up with that code, the system knows to reward user A because they used user A's code. This is again similar to Uber's system:

You are only eligible for one referral reward per individual. If your referral has already signed up to drive or deliver before, you may not be eligible for a reward.

What do the users do that distinguish one from the other that would make you want to use the terminology?

One user (user A in the above examples) is giving the code to others and the other (user B) is creating an account in our system with that code. We need to store this relationship between the two users to know who gave the code and who used it.

In the link from Uber, Uber is addressing user A to explain their system. They refer to user B as user A's "referral" or "invitee".

Problem

In this context we are struggling to find terms that are both clear and unambiguous for the user who refers someone and the user who gets referred. Discussions here [1] [2] suggest the use of referrer and referee but these have at least the following two problems for us:

  • Not all of us are native English speakers so "referrer" and "referee" can be confusing;
  • Both words are very similar which can lead to misspellings or, worse, them being used interchangeably when writing computer code.

So, instead, we are considering one of the following pairs:

  • "referrer" and "referred";
  • "referrer" and "redeemer;
  • "sponsor" and "referral"; or
  • "sponsor" and "affiliate"

Can "sponsor" be used for the person referring (or recommending) another? Can "affiliate" be used for the person that has been recommended by another? Do you have any other suggestions that are more applicable?

Note that these words are meant to be used internally when writing the computer code of our system. The terms the users will see will be written differently. But internally we need to be specific about these two terms to be able to clearly distinguish between the two types of users.

Ricardo
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    Referrer, redeemer, sponsor, and affiliate mean completely different things—at least in some contexts. If you want a specific answer, you'll have to provide the exact nature of the situation in which the words you're looking for would be used. – Jason Bassford Jul 16 '19 at 18:42
  • Thanks for the feedback. Updated the question. Does it help? – Ricardo Jul 16 '19 at 18:44
  • Possibly r'eferent' or 'referens' (the person referring) and 'referend' (the person to be referred. 'Referend' is an anglicised version of a Latin gerundive (referendus or referenda, depending on gender), meaning the person to be referred. – Tuffy Jul 16 '19 at 21:00
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    The update doesn't really help. What does the code do? Is it a person who somehow referred something to someone (What?) or is it a variable that's doing something (What)? What do the users do that distinguish one from the other that would make you want to use the terminology? How are the users different? Why do you need to give them different definitions? – Jason Bassford Jul 17 '19 at 01:53
  • Thanks again @JasonBassford. I tried to clarify even further based on your questions and linked to an example from Uber that does something similar to what we are trying to do. – Ricardo Jul 17 '19 at 06:23
  • Here is another example of the system we are designing. It's a legal document from Lyft where they use "referrer" and "referred": https://www.lyft.com/terms/referrals In our case, we are looking for terms to be used internally in a technical context (database column names, for example) so we are not bound by legal constraints. – Ricardo Jul 17 '19 at 07:03
  • I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because our Help Center specifically states that choosing names for software things is outside our site’s scope. – tchrist Sep 08 '19 at 16:51

2 Answers2

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Perhaps "referrer" and "recruit"? It moves you away from the -er/-ee problem that might confound non-native English speakers. The words look different enough to be easily distinguishable (which, I would think, is a huge potential pitfall of using referrer/referred). It avoids the confusion "referral" might create when trying to discuss the person receiving the code vs the code/act itself.

Recruit also speaks to the tentative nature of the transaction- B may or may not use the code to create an account (redeemer and affiliate imply a completed transaction). Sponsor implies a level of ongoing connection and responsibility that probably doesn't apply. But as a recruit, B will always be the person A tried to get to join and thus attached to them in that specific way.

scotiviator
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Clarifications to the question have now enabled me to come up with some terminology.

There are two words that I'd use. The definitions come from Merriam-Webster.

Reference

1 : the act of referring or consulting
4 : one referred to or consulted: such as
b : a statement of the qualifications of a person seeking employment or appointment given by someone familiar with the person

What's useful about this is that a reference can be not only a person but also a thing. For instance, when people apply for access to something, one of the questions frequently asked is How did you hear about us? or Who or what was your reference?

A reference can be the source of information about the service (referrer), but it can also be used in the sense of a guarantor—somebody who can vouch for the person who wants access to a particular service. Many job applications require that you provide contact information for three references.

There's no reason why multiple references or reference types couldn't be defined.

Applicant

: one who applies
// a job applicant

The applicant is the person actually applying for an account on the system.

This may not be an automated process, and the references of the applicant may need to be checked before the application is approved.

Jason Bassford
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