Devlog #3: Multi-language Support and Rewards – BeeCheap

[beecheap]

What is BeeCheap?

BeeCheap is a new deals platform currently in development, where users can post deals or coupons and receive rewards in return.

Multi-language Support

Since BeeCheap will be accessible from all over the world and needs search engine optimization for different countries, I started by adding German as an additional language for the user interface.
More languages will probably follow in the future, but for now, I will stick to English and German until the site gains a bit more momentum.

Rewards and Financing

I have decided to finance the development of BeeCheap via affiliate revenue in fiat money. It will be a little easier to handle taxes if I don't have to record every single reward in HIVE that I send to the posters.

Another idea was creating a token that is distributed for posting and voting on deals. Advertisers who want to buy ad space on BeeCheap would then have to source those tokens from the market. However, since it will probably take a few years for BeeCheap to become visible in the Web2 world, this will remain an idea for the future.

In the end, I came to the conclusion that it would be easier to just power up my account and give every poster an upvote for a valid deal.

Fraud and Abuse (Update)

Thanks to feedback from @shadowanalyst, I have added an automatic removal of URL shorteners (at least the well-known ones). I also added a point to the terms of service stating that these are strictly forbidden and can lead to the delisting of the deal, or in severe cases, a ban for the user.

Feedback is always welcome! :)

Previous Devlogs:

https://inleo.io/@beecheap/devlog-2-handling-duplicates-and-scam-beecheap-5iq

Comments

[shadowanalyst]

You're very welcome! I'm really glad to see my feedback helped improve the platform's security, and it’s awesome to see how fast you implemented this update. Automated removal of URL shorteners is a great move to keep the community safe from scams and will definitely pay off early on. Keep up the amazing work with BeeCheap, looking forward to the next devlog!

As a next step for security, here are a few suggestions you might want to consider:

1. Community Flagging: Allow users to report suspicious or misleading deals that bypass the automated filters.
2. Redirect Verification: Check the final destination URL of links to ensure they don't use hidden redirects to malicious sites.
3. Merchant Whitelist: In the early stages, consider restricting or flagging deals from unknown stores, while automatically approving verified, major e-commerce platforms.

[beecheap]

Thanks for your suggestions.
I could write a script that checks for user posted flags in comments and sends me a notification to check that deal. good idea.
Concerning the whitelist, for now I think I'll wait and see how things go. Hive users are already used to getting downvotes for spam which results in no rewards. If things get worse I can add it later. At the start it seems to be too limiting to add a whitelist, especially with a worldwide community.

[shadowanalyst]

Building a script to automate flag notifications is a solid, agile move—it puts the review cue directly into your hands without bottlenecking the system. I respect the decision to hold off on the whitelist; keeping the community globally inclusive makes sense, especially since Hive's native downvote economy acts as a natural immune system against spam. Let's see how the market and user behavior test the infrastructure in the wild. Great update!