Friend.Sucks
Friend.Sucks lets you "suck" your Web2 friends into the Web3 world! Tip them in ETH using their social media username, and they’ll be incentivized to create a crypto wallet to claim their tips. A fun, seamless way to introduce Web2 users to Web3 perks!
Project Description
- Friend.Sucks is a Web3 project that aims to onboard Web2 users (your Web2 friends) into the decentralized Web3 ecosystem by incentivizing them with cryptocurrency tips. The project allows anyone to send tips in native ETH (can later be extended to USDX, memecoins, NFTs, etc., even on different chains) to users of social media platforms like Instagram or Twitter, using just their username. The recipient, who may not even have a crypto wallet yet, can claim the tips by proving ownership of their social media account. To claim their tip, they simply post a message like “GMGM: <ETH address>” on their social media, and a decentralized service verifies the post to release the funds to their provided wallet address. This encourages Web2 users to create a crypto wallet to claim their Web3 assets (tipped by a friend like you), giving them a nudge to explore and engage with the decentralized world. It’s a unique, fun way to pull friends into Web3 by offering them actual crypto as a reward for joining.
How it's Made
- Friend.Sucks was built with Ethereum as the core blockchain, allowing users to tip in native ETH. We wrote the smart contract in Solidity, which facilitates tipping, storing balances, and letting recipients claim their funds. The application uses a decentralized verification service to check for the “GMGM: <ETH address>” post on social media accounts. For example, this decentralized verification service can be an Instagram API call through Chainlink Functions. For the time being, the project uses a backend verification service to check for the “GMGM: <ETH address>” post on social media accounts. Once verified, the backend calls a function on the smart contract to set the claim address for the user. The frontend is built with web3.js and React to interact with the smart contract. We used the Instagram and Twitter APIs to read user posts and verify their ownership of the provided usernames. The tipping process is gas-efficient, and we’ve made sure to optimize the smart contract for minimal fees. In terms of partner technologies, we used Infura for reliable Ethereum node access and IPFS to store verification data temporarily. What makes this hacky and fun is the way it incentivizes Web2 users to create wallets and explore the crypto world, something they might not have done without a tangible financial incentive! The verification process we implemented through social media posts adds a creative twist to the onboarding experience.
