Just a thing I did ~ "ghost text"

ancillary.css

.untouched {
    color: #777;
}

ghost.js

//ensure that this is already defined somewhere in the page before getting to this point, or just put it in here now.
if (typeof jQuery.support.placeholder == 'undefined') jQuery.support.placeholder = ('placeholder' in document.createElement('input'));

    // disposable function wrapper that takes an element and monitors it for certain text and applies a class.
    // requires the class "untouched" to be defined as well. Call it once per item to be applied to.
    // should be called once on page load, expects parameter array like this:
    // [{ element: 'selector' },
    //  { element: 'selector', text: 'text' },
    //  { element: 'selector', text: 'text', class: 'someclass' },
    //  { element: 'selector', text: 'text', class: 'someclass', callback: function(){} }
    // ]
    // class will use "untouched" if no class provided, and "Search" if no text provided.
    // Can also take a callback function and will pass the value of the element that's selected, and a reference to the element itself
    (function (elements) {
        for (var k in elements) {
            var e = elements[k];
            (function ($, id, text, ec, ecb, kcb, bcb) {
                $(function () {
                    if ($.support.placeholder){
                        $(id).attr('placeholder',text);
                    } else {
                        $(id)
                            .click(Click)
                            .focus(Focus)
                            .blur(Blur)
                            .blur();
                    }
                    $(id)
                        .keypress(Keypress)
                        .keyup(Keyup);
                });
                function Click(event) {
                    var that = $(this)
                    if (that.hasClass(ec) && that.val() === text) {
                        that.removeClass(ec).val('');
                    }
                }
                function Focus(event) {
                    var that = $(this)
                    if (that.hasClass(ec) && that.val() === text) {
                        that.removeClass(ec).val('');
                    }
                }

                function Blur(event) {
                    var that = $(this),
                        val = that.val(),
                        aux = 0;
                    if (!that.hasClass(ec) && (val === text || val === '')) {
                        that.addClass(ec).val(text);
                    } else {
                        that.removeClass(ec);
                    }
                }

                function Keypress(event) {
                    var that = $(this),
                        val = that.val(),
                        aux = 0;
                    /* if they press enter */
                    if (event.which === 13) {
                        /* do something here to search for the value and redirect */
                        if (typeof (ecb) === 'function') {
                            event.preventDefault();
                            ecb.call(that, event, val);
                            return false;
                        }
                    }
                    if (typeof kcb === 'function') {
                        kcb.call(that, event, val);
                        return;
                    }
                }

                function Keyup(event) {
                    var that = $(this)
                    /* if they pressed esc and the input was empty */
                    if (event.which === 27 && !that.val()){
                        return;
                    }
                    /* if they pressed esc */
                    if (event.which === 27) {
                        that.val('');
                    }
                    if (typeof kcb === 'function') {
                        kcb.call(that, event, that.val());
                    }
                    /* if they pressed esc */
                    if (event.which === 27) {
                        event.preventDefault();
                        return false;
                    }
                }
            })(window.jQuery, e.element, e.text || 'placeholder value', e.eclass || 'untouched', e.enterCallback || function(){}, e.keypressCallback || function(){}, e.blurCallback || function(){});
        }
    })([
        { element: '#field_1_Id', text: 'placeholder text' },
        { element: '#field_2_Id', text: 'placeholder text' }
    ]);