# Annonymous messaging system for my website.

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annonymous-messaging-system-for-my-website/583708>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [May 29, 2011, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annonymous-messaging-system-for-my-website/583708 "2011-05-29T23:06:34Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\
**Post date:** [May 29, 2011, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annonymous-messaging-system-for-my-website/583708/1 "2011-05-29T23:06:34Z")

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I’ve implemented a basic system to allow visitors to post anonymous messages. I am not a web programming expert but I’ve attempted to cover the basics of security - Parametrized queries to avoid sql injection, html entities replaced with the equivalent codes (for example - ‘\<’ replaced with ‘\<’ using php’s htmlentities function)

I’ve implemented it on a ‘test’ page at first. Feel free to try it out. If you’re a web developer (I know there are a few on the dope) please suggest further ways to improve security.

Note: I am aware of the risk of people posting crude messages. I am prepared to take that risk on the basis that I’ll remove anything I deem inappropriate. Also due to the htmlentities thing nobody would be able to post clickable links.

There are ‘better’ places to put this kind of post but I feel I can trust the dope a bit better than, say, reddit or [stackoverflow.com](http://stackoverflow.com), both of which are likely to have a few mischievous accomplished website vandals. Basically if you can ‘break’ the website in a non-melicious way (for example if you were somehow able to gain access to the database you might add a record saying ‘I got in here and I shouldn’t have. you might want to fix this’. A malicious person might instead choose to delete entire databases)

forgot the link!

[http://notails.com/index\_test.html](http://notails.com/index_test.html)  
Once I’m confident this is secure I’ll make it the front/landing page. (Also rearrange the visual structure a bit)

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**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\
**Post date:** [May 29, 2011, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annonymous-messaging-system-for-my-website/583708/2 "2011-05-29T23:35:20Z")

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Also, forgot to mention. I’ll probably delete silly/test messages when/if I make it the front page.

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**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\
**Post date:** [May 30, 2011, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annonymous-messaging-system-for-my-website/583708/3 "2011-05-30T01:50:26Z")

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Altered it so it shows times in your local time zone (hover over messages to see that information)

If anyone is going to leave a message can you check the time it reports is accurate for your time zone?

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**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\
**Post date:** [May 31, 2011, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annonymous-messaging-system-for-my-website/583708/4 "2011-05-31T07:59:31Z")

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I went to test it, but I don’t see a form of any kind in your link. And the links that are there go to competed websites.

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**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\
**Post date:** [May 31, 2011, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annonymous-messaging-system-for-my-website/583708/5 "2011-05-31T15:24:42Z")

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> [@BigT](#):
>
> I went to test it, but I don’t see a form of any kind in your link. And the links that are there go to competed websites.

It’s a single edit box underneath the four link pictures. I need to come up with a solution to displaying the page on low resolution screens or un-maximized browser windows. I disabled the scroll bar because it caused an ugly visual jump when the page loaded. Still looking for a better way to deal with that.

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**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\
**Post date:** [May 31, 2011, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annonymous-messaging-system-for-my-website/583708/6 "2011-05-31T16:03:02Z")

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I’ve turned scroll bars back on for when the content is too big for the browser window.

I’ve put the main 4 links in a 2x2 arrangement to make the content shorter.

Edit: For those that have tested it today: Is it showing your local time correctly in the message info? (Hover over messages to see the info)

edit 2: If you don’t see the messages bit at all it might be because you have javascript disabled.

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**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\
**Post date:** [May 31, 2011, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annonymous-messaging-system-for-my-website/583708/7 "2011-05-31T16:20:13Z")

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Have now made it ‘live’ on [http://notails.com](http://notails.com)