Social media is currently the most dynamic and impactful method humans use to communicate with each other on the plant. So, it’s no wonder that the number of social media sites and apps has exploded over the past fifteen years. Today, there are so many social media platforms that no one has counted all of them, but an estimated 4.5 billion people—more than half of the world’s population—currently use some form of social media. With so many people participating in the social media phenomenon, creators like you are rushing to get a piece of the pie with a social media platform of their own.
However, starting a new social media app can be a challenge. In this article, we’ll take a look at how to develop and code your own social media app. It all starts with a concept.
Developing the Concept
Before you can begin coding a social media app, you need to have a concept in mind. The purpose and the audience for your social media app will shape the choices you make during the development process. There are many types of social media apps. You’ll want to have a clear concept in mind for what your app is going to do. Some of the most common types of social media platforms are:
- Entertainment networks – for bringing people together around common hobbies and interests.
- Academic networks – for connecting scholars for academic and research purposes.
- Communication networks – for developing social contacts and making friends.
- Business / professional networks – for businesses, employees, and jobseekers to communicate.
- Dating networks – for bringing people together for romantic relationships.
- Media sharing networks – for creating and sharing user-generated video, audio, and text.
By ensuring you have a strong vision for your app, you can make the right choices in developing coding strategies to meet the needs of your users.
Coding a Social Media App
The process of coding an app can be complex and time-consuming, and it requires a strong knowledge of coding. For many people who choose to enter the coding field, they will gain that knowledge through college-level courses in coding, information technology, information systems, computer science, or related subjects. If you are taking a course in coding and need help with a homework assignment, it can be beneficial to hire programming experts from a programming assistance service to help you. When you contact AssignmentCore programming homework service, for instance, and tell them, “I need you to help do my coding for a social media website,” you’ll have access to top-quality assistance that can let you move effortlessly through your programming assignment you can focus on the hard work of studying and learning coding.
Every coding project is unique and will require you to make key decisions about how best to achieve your goals by matching the coding to the specific needs and issues you’ve identified.
8 Steps to Program a Social Media App
However, there are some general steps that every coding project follows:
- As we mentioned, you must first define your app’s purpose and audience. Once you know the kind of social network you’re developing, you must also determine the main features and functionalities that your app will offer its users and identify your target audience. What will they expect? What special needs, issues, or concerns must you address?
- Select your development platform. Your next step is to decide whether you will develop your app for iOS, Android, or both. Most apps will need to be available for both platforms in order to maximize their potential audience. You can use programming languages like Swift, Kotlin, or React Native. Each has its advantages and disadvantages, so be sure to research which languages off the right mix of ease and functionality for your purpose.
- Design the user interface. Even the most functional of apps is useless if your users don’t know how to work with it. You’ll need to develop a wireframe or prototype to establish the layout and flow of your app. Create mockups and then design the app’s graphics and the test them carefully to see how real users might react to them. Sometimes you will get unexpected results!
- Build the app’s backend: You will need to create a database to store user information, posts, comments, and other relevant data, and you will need to develop the server-side of your app with a programming language like Node.js or Ruby on Rails. After all, the backend is where most of the work of your app will get done.
- Implement user authentication: You can’t let just anyone in. You will need to code a secure authentication system to allow users to register, log in, and manage their profiles.
- Develop social features: Users need to be able to perform tasks like adding friends, messaging, sharing posts, and commenting. All of that needs coding!
- Test and launch. Repeatedly test your app on different devices and operating systems to evaluate whether it is user-friendly and stable. When you’re sure it works well, launch on the App Store or Google Play Store and begin welcoming users!
- Monitor and update. Your job isn’t done yet! You’ll need to monitor your app’s performance, user feedback, and analytics to fix bugs, add updates and improvements, and keep your users happy.
It’s also a good idea as you work through the coding process to be sure you are consulting with a legal expert. Many jurisdictions have specific privacy requirements, and you will want to make sure your coding meets the requirements for the jurisdictions where your app will be available.
