Feely

Feely is a web project I designed as a next-generation social media platform. I, Berke Özyaşar, built the platform with React and Node.js as a personal venture. When it reached the final stage of development, the project was positioned as a startup seeking investors.

Why a social platform

Social media apps are among the most comprehensive types of product a developer can build: user accounts, a content feed, interactions, notifications and moderation all come together in one system. For me, Feely was both a product idea and an exercise in building all of these components within a single architecture.

Technical approach

I built the front end as a single-page application with React and the back end as an API with Node.js. This separation allows the same API to be used by a mobile app later on. The main things to watch for in a social platform are:

• Keeping the feed fast to load as the amount of content grows
• Delivering interactions and notifications to users without delay
• Properly protecting user data and privacy settings
• Making the interface equally usable on desktop and mobile

On the product side, the real question was why users would spend time on a new platform instead of the existing big ones. Feely aimed to answer that by offering a different social experience. These issues also shaped the architectural decisions I made in later products. Another project of mine built on real-time interaction was IOOS; my current work on subscription products is kpss.ai and Şantiyepro.

Status

Feely's website is at feely.world. For your own platform idea, take a look at the SaaS product development page or get in touch with me.