Case Study

The Blank Page webapp is a dynamic platform that enables people to engage in decentralized citizen journalism designed to promote free journalism and the democratization of news. This platform provides every user with a space to discover and participate in different discussions on many issues. This platform has the option to create different subgroups where users can join based on their interests.

While major news portals often tend to shape the news based on their biases and perspectives theblankpage.app provides a space where users can share diverse perspectives and uncover information that might have remained untold.During the July Massacre in Bangladesh, biased coverage from a lot of local news portals led to widespread misinformation. Along with that many outlets were influenced by political and corporate interests which led to distorting the truth and sensationalizing the actual events. This led to a humongous confusion among the citizens of this country. The need for unbiased and independent journalism was the main motivation behind the creation of The Blank Page. Where diverse citizen journalism and perspective will not be overshadowed by any sort of media manipulation. 

While keeping the needs of our client in mind, we Elsecode and our three years old partner The Front page ( we also developed this website ) embarked on a journey to make this revolutionary concept come to life.

The website has been meticulously developed using Next.js, a robust framework designed to deliver exceptional performance and an optimized user experience. Leveraging server-side rendering, Next.js enhances load times, ensuring visitors benefit from a highly responsive platform. Its support for dynamic content and seamless page transitions contributes to a fluid and contemporary design. By utilizing Next.js, the website achieves a harmonious balance between high performance and user-friendliness, guaranteeing swift and effortless interactions for all users.

theblankpage.app is a unique platform for decentralized journalism with seamless navigation, allowing users an accessible interface to explore different parts of the website without breaking a sweat. It combines elements of forums, citizen journalism, and real-time interaction, creating a versatile space for engagement. The interesting features of this website include:

1. Write: Positioned at the center of the bottom navigation bar, the “Write” button simplifies the post-creation option. After clicking the "Write" button on BlankPage.app, users are prompted to select a category: Forum or Citizenism. Once a category is chosen, they are directed to a page to craft their post by entering a title and writing a summary. For more customization, an Advanced Options feature is available, offering tools like font selection, text alignment, and the ability to attach links or images, enabling users to create visually appealing and well-structured posts.

1. Forum and Citizenism: For browsing different contents the “Forum” and “Citizenism” buttons located right beside the “Write” button serve as dedicated spaces for browsing content. In the Forum section, users can explore posts related to various forum communities based on specific topics of interest. Meanwhile, the Citizenism section showcases user-contributed posts under citizen journalism, providing a platform for authentic, decentralized reporting and storytelling.

1. Townhall: The Townhall option is like a virtual version of a real town hall meeting—minus the yelling and awkward microphone moments! Here, users can dive into a real-time public chat space, engaging in lively discussions, sharing opinions, and connecting instantly with others on trending news, topics, and events. Additionally, it displays other users in the town hall, allowing participants to see who is actively engaged, fostering a sense of community and live interaction.
2. Channel: The Channels page on BlankPage.app is designed to help users stay updated on curated content from various sources. It allows users to follow specific channels based on their interests, ensuring they never miss updates or discussions.
3. Profile Navigation: Users can access their profiles at the top-right corner of the interface, allowing them to manage their activity, posts, and preferences seamlessly.
4. Headline: The Headline section is prominently positioned at the top of the page, ensuring high visibility for users. Trending topics and important updates are dynamically showcased in a horizontal carousel, providing an engaging and professional way to stay updated with the latest discussions and news on the platform.

The Blank Page website is a comprehensive platform engineered to address dynamic user needs through innovative and robust solutions. Our team of developers has implemented a series of specialized features designed to optimize performance, enhance user interaction, and ensure security. This document outlines the technical aspects and functionalities of the software, which is driven by cutting-edge algorithms and advanced development practices. This website was developed with a balanced approach, aligning with the client's specific demands while incorporating the developer's insights and expertise to include features essential for delivering a seamless and engaging user experience. The delivered features are

1. Custom Algorithms: This website has been developed with specialised and unique algorithm. The Text Editor feature enables a user to create and manage content with ease. Along with that, the Newsroom is a dynamic tool for curating and displaying news content of all the top news websites in Bangladesh with options to choose topics. One of a kind Proxy API has also been used which will allow users view news from other websites within the web app. It is hard to find any other software developing companies inside Bangladesh have used such features.

2. Real-Time Public Chat System: The developers have carefully implemented a real time public chat system with options to send anonymous messages while the users can track back to the anonymously sent message.

3. Secure Authentication System: Security is a great concern when users use their personal information in a website. Our developers have added three secure log in options which includes logging in via Google or Facebook for quick access and logging in with email and confirmation codes for the purpose of additional security.

4. UI/UX Design : The website is designed with 13 visually appealing and user- friendly pages in order to ensure an intuititve experience.

5. Interactive Animations: Enhanced user engagement with Framer Motion

animations, and Skeleton animation of cards, including smooth page transitions and scroll eff ects.

6. Analytics Integration: Set up Google Analytics and Google Search Console, including indexing 180 pages in Google Search Console, to improve SEO and provide actionable insights.

7. API Development: Developed custom APIs to power the platform’s features and ensure effi cient data handling.

8. Advanced Security Features: The APIs has been hosted on a separate domain with firewall for enhanced protection. CORS authorization has been enabled for securing resource sharing. Apart from that, the devtools has been disabled to safegiard against unauthorized debugging.

9. Database Backup: Scheduled automated backups to ensure data safety and facilitate recovery.

10. Admin and Dashboard Panels: Two key tools have been built for management including the Admin Panel enabling management of platform-wide settings and content and Dashboard which has been specifically designed for content creators.

11. Image Upload System: The image upload feature has also been integrated for managing images with ease.

12. Real-Time Vote and Comment System: Users of this website can vote and comment on content with real-time updates, fostering engagement.

13. Development and Scalelability: Deployed the platform on Vercel, leveraging a

GitHub CI/CD pipeline for real-time updates. This setup ensures scalability and reliability.

The design of BlankPage prioritizes simplicity and accessibility. With its clear segmentation of features, users can navigate effortlessly between forums, journalism, real-time chats, and curated news channels. The integration of voting options (upvote/downvote) further enhances engagement, allowing the community to determine the visibility of valuable content

By combining community-driven forums and Citizenism, BlankPage.app addresses a growing need for unbiased and diverse narratives. The platform's decentralized nature allows users to share authentic stories, bypassing the influence of traditional media biases. Moreover, features like Townhall and Channels encourage collaboration and ensure users remain informed.

Blankpage is a well-rounded platform that fosters interaction, creativity, and free expression. Its combination of forums, decentralized journalism, and real-time features makes it an invaluable tool for building an informed and connected community. The platform sets a new standard for digital interaction and citizen-driven content creation through its intuitive design and diverse options.