DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF A SOCIAL MEDIA BASED WEB APPLICATION FOR PROSPECTIVE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF A SOCIAL MEDIA BASED WEB APPLICATION FOR PROSPECTIVE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

ABSTRACT

Through social media, the internet has served as a platform for interactions between people, organizations, and groups. Through social networks, forums, blogs, and other platforms, the social media has significantly aided interaction and even other business services. Today, forums are used as platforms and tools to start conversations, meet new people (usually with shared interests), and find pertinent information. In order to assist prospective university students in making the best judgments possible regarding their choice of job, environment, etc., this initiative seeks to employ forums as tools. Some essential requirements have been taken into consideration in the development of an appropriate web application, based on a thorough review of some pertinent literatures. Students will use this online forum to address some of their demands and find solutions to some of the problems they encounter with their job choice, their course of study, the availability of pertinent information about any school, etc.

CHAPITER 1

INTRODUCTION

Background information (1.1)

Humans must communicate in order to survive, so man has always found a way to fulfill this need. The media, which serves as a catch-all phrase for a variety of communication channels, has assimilated into everyday life for people all over the world. Speech and gestures were the first kind of personal media, and they had the advantage of being simple to use and not necessarily requiring sophisticated technology (Idakwo, 2011).

The online community has grown significantly over time thanks to social media. Social media is become a vital component of contemporary civilisation. It characterizes how ingrained social interactions have grown to be. The impact of social media has mostly been observed in five contexts: news, interpersonal relationships, political environments, educational settings, and marketing (Guha, 2013). It’s understandable that real-world social lives are changing given that social networking sites are frequented by over 80% of young Internet users. As we widen our social circles and discover new vistas through our online connections, social media is undoubtedly changing the way people communicate, but in many cases this change is for the better (Chopra, 2013).

Every era it has lived through has been based on ideas and cutting-edge technology, meeting the demands of people trying to fit into novel social structures. A moment of significant transition is a time when society searches for purpose. People currently utilize information as a tool, if not the main instrument, to perceive and comprehend their surroundings (Idakwo, 2011).

With interactions based on comparable debates, posts, and threads, online forums have recently gained enormous popularity (Xiaolin et al., 2009; Sumit & Prasenjit, 2010). Online discussion boards have developed into effective platforms for exchanging knowledge (Bedmar, 2010). One of the most well-liked sites to pose and receive inquiries is online discussion forums (Falls, 2012).

In contrast to other social media platforms, online forums include a number of distinctive characteristics, such as threads—where discussions and posts are made—RSS feeds, polls, etc. Online forums offer a special kind of social setting that makes it possible for users to openly share and access information. Users have the option of creating new topics or adding comments to ongoing discussions (Xiaolin et al., 2009).

Statement of the problem: 1.2

Choosing vocations, choosing courses of study, and deciding which school to apply to have all been problems for prospective students of a particular institution (the University) in the past (Ogu, 2008) (Orndorff & Herr, 1996). To address these issues, though, a forum where these kids may connect with others who can provide the answers is required. Therefore, in order to address these issues, pertinent requirements must be taken into account when creating a web application.

1.3 THE STUDY’S PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES

to create a website or online forum where students may discuss various issues and, primarily, make information about any institution accessible. The following goals will help to achieve this:

1. Collecting the appropriate criteria for this application.

2. Using a UML modeling language to represent the requirements acquired.

3. Putting the idea into action by developing an intuitive platform that makes it simpler for these students to communicate with one another and ask questions using threads and themes.

Research methodology (1.4)

Various sources of pertinent data, including online surveys, journals, books, and reviews of pertinent literature, will be used to conduct the research. A review of current systems will yield the specifications required for the creation of this application. To effectively address the issues raised above, some ‘question and answer’ approaches will be used to build a platform where users can answer questions posed by other users or supply any kind of information. The UML diagrams, such as use cases, class diagrams, etc., that will be used to accomplish the various functions will also be displayed in the online forum. Now that design diagrams are available, the online application may be implemented using them. PHP will be used for programming, and MySQL for database management, with inspiration from current forum software. Later, the system will be assessed using input and reports from pertinent users.

1.5 THE IMPORTANCE OF THE STUDY

This research is pertinent to today’s students’ real-world issues with choosing a field of study, a profession, and inaccurate information about a certain institution. The application will also be adaptable enough to offer many categories from which customers can choose. Last but not least, this application will address Covenant University specifically rather than addressing a larger audience in other student forums.

For students, information is the bane of decision-making, and current online applications fall short of offering real-time information that the user can access from any location. It is crucial to show interest in the creation and application of online forums for resolving these issues.

Limitations of the study: 1.6

The primary obstacle to the success of this initiative is the lack of the appropriate group of college students with the necessary knowledge and responses to any queries. But when the project is put into action, this will also be taken into account.

Project organization (1.7)

In Chapter 2, pertinent literature will be examined to determine the needs for the suggested system. The requirements for the suggested system will be developed using the unified modeling languages in Chapter 3. The creation, deployment, and assessment of the system will be covered in detail in Chapter 4. The study will be summarized in Chapter 5 along with suggestions for more research.