Question

In my web app the user can sometimes click the same button a number of times, skipping through messages and things, causing the </a> to be selected.

So how can I prevent this using Javascript (jQuery)

Answer 1

This solution worked for me:
http://chris-barr.com/entry/disable_text_selection_with_jquery/

$(function(){
    $.extend($.fn.disableTextSelect = function() {
        return this.each(function(){
            if($.browser.mozilla){//Firefox
                $(this).css('MozUserSelect','none');
            }else if($.browser.msie){//IE
                $(this).bind('selectstart',function(){return false;});
            }else{//Opera, etc.
                $(this).mousedown(function(){return false;});
            }
        });
    });
    $('.noSelect').disableTextSelect();//No text selection on elements with a class of 'noSelect'
});