This is a submission for the Wix Studio Challenge: Community Edition.
My Community Platform
Platform name: NeighborsNetwork 🏠
In today’s digital age where everyone is digitally connected, I always wondered why shouldn't we have a dedicated digital space for neighborhoods to thrive! So, I came up with the idea of NeighborsNetwork 🏠.
My aim is to create an inclusive online platform where residents of a community can connect, share information, and engage effortlessly. I will showcase how Neighbors Network was built using WixStudio, highlighting its key features and design choices.
Key Features:
🗣️ General Forum
A digital bulletin board where HOA admins and members post community-wide updates. It includes but not limited to announcing improvements, new regulations, or events. The General Forum keeps everyone in the loop.
🌐 Community Circles
An informal space where members can create and join interest-based groups, connect on shared interests, and collaborate on projects or events. I pre-created some groups like gardening circle and neighborhood watch group but you can try it out yourself and create more!
📇 Resident Directory
A directory for residents who wish to be reachable by their neighbors.
💬 Members Chat
A one-to-one or group chat that allows members to send messages to each other.
🎉 Local Events Management
NeighborsNetwork lets members create, manage, and sign up for community events. So if you're planning neighborhood barbecue, holiday gathering, or volunteer event, create an event and let your neighbors know about it!
Secure, Simple Navigation
Just like how other famous social media platforms prioritize security, NeighborsNetwork is built with security in mind. Only registered users can access the platform, ensuring a private experience for the community.
Demo
Home | My Site
anonprogrammer305.wixstudio.io
Home Page:
NeighborsNetwork is secure by design, preventing access to any pages without proper login.
Simple Navigation Menu:
Only essential menu items are displayed, ensuring a simple, intuitive navigation experience for all users.
General Forum:
A dedicated space for important announcements from HOA admins to all residents, fostering open, formal discussions.
Community Circles:
Residents can create and join interest-based circles to meet and interact more casually.
Event Management and Signup:
Members can organize, view, and sign up for local events with ease.
Members Chat:
Development Journey
Velo APIs
GeoLocation API: Most of the heavy lifting was done by no-code apps anyway but I did find some unique use cases for Velo API. First is the GeoLocation provider API. I utilized it to find users location and show them their current weather based on it.
I created a custom GetWeather method in public directory which contacts an open source weather API and based on the location collection from WiX API, I was able to get the correct weather. This becomes handy when users are trying to plan an event and want to see what the weather might be like!
Animation API: I learned how to animate logos and built a small zoom in and out animation for the logo on main menu bar. It is very subtle since I didn't want to distract user's attention from site by becoming too intrusive.
Wix Apps
I'll be honest, if I were to design all the features from scratch then I would've made this submission next year 😂
What I liked about Wix Studio are the wide collection of apps which require simple installation and minimal setup to become production ready.
I have listed all the apps and their usages below:
Wix Members Area: I used this to manage user accounts, login and signup. Before knowing about menu page permissions, I tried to programmatically add the permissions. But it also allowed me to show specific pages based on user's login status.
Wix Groups: I used this for building Community Circles. When I was planning to build the Platform, the idea of managing community and posts seemed daunting at first. But I was able to quickly get it up and running with this app.
Wix Events and Tickets: I used this for Events page. This is again a very feature rich app and I was able to create recurring events with ease as a demo.
Wix Chat: I used it for members only chat feature. At first, I thought this feature only allowed site visitors to send message to the admin. But it went above and beyond and let me securely add a chat feature which only works once user logs in.
Wix Forum: I used it for the main General Forum section. I didn't need to make much changes here as it already included features I required from get go.
Wix Blogs: I used it along with forums to allow users to create and post blog articles.
Wix Logo Maker: I used the AI feature to build the logo.
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