BuddyConnect

Looking for someone to join you at an event? Simply list the event you want to attend on BuddyConnect, and find a buddy to share the experience with. No more feeling lonely at events!

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Inspiration

I often found myself shying away from attending university events that I was really psyched about due to lack of company. I thought it'd be nice to have an app to connect with other people who also want to attend so I'd have someone to go with and wouldn't be lonely. And BuddyConnect was born!

What it does

Once you register on BuddyConnect mentioning your location and the type of events you're interested in, it lists relevant events in your area and people looking for a buddy. At the click of a button, you can send them your contact details and have them contact you if they're interested! You can also list events you're interested in which will show up to people with similar interests.

How I built it

BuddyConnect was built using Python, Flask, and SQLite. It also uses SMTPLib to send automated emails with users' contact details.

Approach

After planning out the features the website was going to have, I began with the database schema and functions for basic CRUD operations using SQLite, then used simple HTML templates to write the Flask code. I slowly built upon the HTML, adding layers of complexity as I added the corresponding Python code. Finally, once I had a working application, I used CSS to enhance the website.

I did have to cut down on a few features I'd initially planned on, but I hope to add them in the near future.

Challenges I ran into

Since I joined this hackathon pretty late and this being my first time making an entire website on my own, I encountered several challenges working with the frontend, which I wasn't used to. But I managed to build the application by keeping it simple and just implementing the core features.

What I learned

It was my first time working alone on both the frontend and backend, which was a really great learning experience. I learned how to style my templates using CSS and how to use Jinja.

What's next for BuddyConnect

  • I'd really like to focus more on the safety and security aspect next by adding user ratings, a report/block feature, more detailed user profiles, and in-app chatting for more privacy.
  • I also want to use AI to improve the quality of event recommendations.

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