What is a Guestbook?

Part 1: The Philosophy

Remember guestbooks? Before "likes," "feeds," or "followers," there was the humble guestbook. It was the digital equivalent of a welcome mat and a handwritten log on the table of a bed-and-breakfast.

It was a simple, chronological wall of "I was here," a quiet, asynchronous conversation between a creator and their visitors.

Guestbooks were the original social media, but without the noise. They were about connection, not content. They were a landmark of the early, "hand-built" web, where every homepage was a digital home.

This project is a Digital Monument to that idea. We are unearthing that simple, powerful connection and showing how its spirit can live on with modern, accessible tools.

Create Your Own

A monument needs a strong foundation. Ours stands on three pillars: The HTML, The Firebase Project, and The Security Rules.

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Pillar 1: The HTML

This is the complete, self-contained HTML file. It's everything your visitors will see. Copy all the code from the guestbook-template.html file and save it as `index.html` on your computer.

Pillar 2: The "Engine"

Our guestbook needs a place to store its entries. We'll use Firebase Firestore, a free, real-time database from Google.

1. Go to Firebase: Go to firebase.google.com and sign in.
2. Create a Project: Click "Go to console" and "Add project." Give it a name (e.g., "My-Guestbook").
3. Add a Web App: Inside your project, click the Web icon (</>). Give it a nickname and click "Register app."
4. Get Your Keys: Firebase will show you a JavaScript object called firebaseConfig. This is your key.
5. Connect Your HTML: Copy this entire firebaseConfig object. Open your index.html file (from Pillar 1) and paste it directly into the <script> tag at the bottom, replacing the placeholder.

Pillar 3: The "Rules"

This is the most important step. By default, your new database is locked down. We need to create a "bouncer" that only lets our guestbook read and write.

1. Go to Firestore: In your Firebase project, go to Build > Firestore Database.
2. Create Database: Click "Create database." Start in Test mode. This gives you 30 days before it locks down.
3. Write Your Rules: After your database is made, click the Rules tab.
4. Delete everything in the editor and paste in these rules:

rules_version = '2';

service cloud.firestore {
  match /databases/{database}/documents {

    // This rule allows anyone signed in (even anonymously)
    // to read and create entries.
    match /guestbookEntries/{docId} {
      allow read, create: if request.auth != null;
    }
  }
}
                

Publish: Click the Publish button.

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That's it. Your monument is complete.

Sign Our Guestbook

This is a living example of the guestbook described in this monument. It's running the exact same code. Feel free to leave your mark!

About This Monument

This project is a "Digital Monument," a "proof-of-work" concept from the unearth.im foundry.

The goal is to unearth the stories and philosophies of the "hand-built" web—not just to remember them, but to make them functional and accessible for a new generation.

The guestbook represents a time when the web was a collection of digital homes, and discovery was an act of personal connection. By preserving this tool, we preserve that story.

It is, in short, story, grounded.