Update on spam-stopper script

[RJM62]

I built a site around that spam-stopper text messaging script, and enlisted a few people to help me test it. I'm glad I did, because a problem I really hadn't thought about have me re-thinking the whole concept of the way I did it.

The present script stashes data in a database when the form is loaded, and then recalls it when the form is submitted. A few of the tests directly or indirectly depend upon the IP address being the same at both stages. What I have come up against is a remarkably high number of known-human submissions in which the IP address changed in that interim.

One case was someone who loaded the page, then got called to a meeting, hibernated the computer, and sent the message after the meeting. Not only did it fail the time-out test, but his IP address also changed in that time.

Another case involved a somewhat similar thing. The user loaded and bookmarked the form, then got interrupted. The laptop hibernated, and he took the laptop home and sent the message from there. Different IP, and the message was dropped.

Another problem involved a hash that a particular user's browser kept truncating. I suspect it was some sort of security software that did it, and I'm hoping he lets me know what he's running.

In any case, I think I'm going to have to use sessions and cookies for the spam testing, which I had actually considered earlier but decided against once I started using the database. I think what will happen is that I'll keep the database as a record, but do the bot testing with sessions.

On the positive side, no bots have slipped through as of yet; and I'm getting some sorely-needed practice in PHP.

Rich

 

[RJM62]

Here's the site:

http://www.spamfreetext.com/

I basically re-wrote the whole script based on the advice of people here who commented (especially Jesse, who was very detailed in his helpful criticism). I also submitted it to several colleagues of mine for them to pore over, and I tested it with some friends and colleagues. Then I made additional changes based upon those tests. At this point, I think all the bugs have been squished.

It's a simple service. Users register, providing their name, email address (for account verification), text address (so the server knows where to send the messages), a desired display name, and a desired subject line for the form. All of this informatiion can be changed by the user at any time by logging into his or her account. The service can also be turned on and off as often as the user desires, and the changes take effect immediately.

When a public user sends a message, it's screened for spamminess. If it comes up spammy, it's silently discarded. Regardless of whether or not the message is sent, every submission lands on the same page so there's nothing to tip off a bot or a spammer that the submission failed.

If you want to see the public user experience, use my (live) form at

http://spamfreetext.com/users/?user=spamfree

Please, please, please put "Only a test" in the subject line so I can quickly glance at my phone and see that it's not something I need to stop what I'm doing and attend to.

If you like, you can also create a user account (it's free) and play with it. The message logs are deleted after two days and are only used for troubleshooting and debugging, if necessary.

I have ideas for premium services based on this concept, but for now I want to make sure the free service works consistently and satisfactorily.

Thanks,

Rich

 

[flyingcheesehead]

Rich,

Nice work! I see you have the multi-colored letters, and even the "Beta" tag - Are you tryin' to get bought out by Google?

In reality, if you market this properly (think "to the kids" not "to the plumbers"), I think you have the potential of making a BIG pile of money off it. Be cool, market, get lots of people using the service, and sell it to Google or someone - These types of things go for large piles of money. (YouTube, while a bit more involved, is still relatively simple - And they got $1.6 BILLION. It's like winning a record-high lottery jackpot five times over!)

And if you don't believe me, well, I'll give ya a hundred bucks for it!

 

[RJM62]

Rich,

Nice work! I see you have the multi-colored letters, and even the "Beta" tag - Are you tryin' to get bought out by Google?

In reality, if you market this properly (think "to the kids" not "to the plumbers"), I think you have the potential of making a BIG pile of money off it. Be cool, market, get lots of people using the service, and sell it to Google or someone - These types of things go for large piles of money. (YouTube, while a bit more involved, is still relatively simple - And they got $1.6 BILLION. It's like winning a record-high lottery jackpot five times over!)

And if you don't believe me, well, I'll give ya a hundred bucks for it!

Thanks, Kent; and I got your message, BTW.

Actually, as far as Google is concerned, I submitted the site to Adsense Support because I had to create ways for their robot to crawl the pages that wouldn't normally exist until something else happened, such as the landing pages. They took a week to get back to me -- an unusually long time. The site was also indexed the day after it went live, so who knows? Maybe they are passively interested.

As for kids using it, I guess that could work, too. They do, after all, leave their status messages up on AIM 24/7, so why not? Thanks for that idea. I also have a few others in mind, such as a service whereby businesses could send identical messages to multiple employees, family members could group-text each other in emergencies (or just when supper's ready), etc. But this actually is a real Beta, and I want to make sure the basic technology works.

Thanks again,

Rich