Post Control

[TheGallery]

Hello everyone, i don't know if this is the right section, i hope it is. Anyway, i am making a website and i need people to be able to post messages but only once. I guess the right way to do this is by storing IPs in a database. But if people from the same network are going to post a message i guess they won't be able to do it. So is the right way to do this by storing a cookie in the PC and also storing the IP so that i can have a control statement that declines messages if both of them already exist? Or there is an easier/better way? From the other hand i am afraid this can be abused since, deleting the cookies will allow the person to vote again. My other question is this, is it legal to store IPs in a database? Thanks in advance.

[Ingolme]

It's perfectly legal to store IP addresses. There's no foolproof way of detecting a same person. If you have both a cookie and an IP there's less of a chance that they get around. THe safest way is to force users to have an account at your site to post.

[justsomeguy]

If you're not going to stop them if the IP is in the database but they don't have a cookie, you might as well only use the cookie.

[niche]

Wouldn't registration with enforced logoff due to inactivity eliminate the problem?

[TheGallery]

Hmmmm the thing is that the current idea requires the users to do only one visit. I just want to gather some statistic data and by eliminating people from the same network, i may loose a serious amount of data. That's why i don't want to involve accounts in it. So i guess it has to do with what will do more damage? Loosing data or having people to post their multiple times?

[niche]

How would registration cause you to loose data?

[TheGallery]

That's not what i said. I said that people will give the information once so there is no point for an account system. I just mentioned what my actual problem is.

[ShadowMage]

So i guess it has to do with what will do more damage? Loosing data or having people to post their multiple times?

I think that's a question you'll have to answer for yourself. I guess it would probably depend on what sort of data you're collecting and the degree of accuracy you're looking for.Personally, I think a cookie would be sufficient, unless you're polling computer savvy people. Most users probably won't know how to delete cookies. After they've been denied a second post, they probably will not return in the future to try it again, either. So even if the cookie expires or gets deleted, it probably won't matter. As mentioned, the only guaranteed way to have only one post per person, is to create a login system. But like you said, if they will only be posting one time it is rather excessive.

[niche]

As mentioned, the only guaranteed way to have only one post per person, is to create a login system. But like you said, if they will only be posting one time it is rather excessive.

Excess is always relative. Like shadowMage said, a login is the only guaranteed way to have one post per person. So, it's only a matter of deciding whether the data is important enough for a logon.

[justsomeguy]

You could also have them enter an email address that you send a validation email to in order to have their vote counted.

[TheGallery]

You could also have them enter an email address that you send a validation email to in order to have their vote counted.

Yeah i thought of this too I was so desperate of finding a solution i didn't know i had thought all of them. I'll figure out what's best and i'll do that. Thanks for the replies guys.