Folks, I’ve been extremely lenient in my comment/trackback policy. I can see from recent developments that I’m going to have to crack down just a wee tad, though.
Trackbacks will henceforth be accepted within two strictly enforced categories–the way it’s supposed to have been all along:
- Trackbacks which reference a post within a post that is in some way related or comments on the content of the post tracked back to. Folks, this is what trackbacks were initially designed for, their reason for being. If you simply put a link in your post, saying, “Here are some interesting posts,” I’ll delete the trackback. SAY SOMETHING, quote from the post, refer to it in a post that has similar content or in which you use my post as a reference or whatever, or do not try the trackback.
- Open trackbacks: ONLY posts designated as Open Trackback posts or linkfests will accept unrelated trackbacks on any subject, requiring only a link to the OPEN TRACKBACK/LINKFEST post to qualify.
It’s pretty simple: UNLESS the post you intend to track back to is an open post/linkfest don’t expect your trackback to show any more if you do not make some meaningful reference to the post. Heck, even roundup posts have a brief comment mentioning the content of the post linked to! And no, slapping a “BTW” mini-roundup with no contextual content at the end of a completely unrelated post doesn’t qualify.
Be real. Make your links and trackbacks genuine, OK? Trackback unrelated posts ONLY to linkfests/open posts. It’s what they are for. Linking to NON open trackback/linkfest posts that are unrelated to your post material is a bush league tactic that wins you no friends. Or readers. Play fair or play somewhere else.
(No, I’m still not going to be a real hardcase about this. A simple reference that even peripherally ties the link into your post–even in a nonsensical way, but does attempt the tie-in nonetheless–will pass muster in most cases. Just make some sort of good faith effort to be legit, OK?)
N.B. Yes, I do understand that when doing manual trackbacks to multiple sites for open trackback postings that it is pretty easy to get things screwed up and trackback to the wrong post accidentally. Even though I may delete those trackbacks when they’re caught in moderation or wherever, I’ll not block trackbacks–except for obvious SPAM–from open trackback/linkfest posts, even if after this notice any blogger seems to continue with a practice that violates this notice. At twc, open trackback/linkfest posts are just that: open.
Amen David! I occaisionally get those ‘unrelated’ tb’s as well. As I’m looking at them, I’m thinking, why…why did this blogger trackback to me??? Are you that concerned with the TTLB? Lordy be…
*heh*
Butch, I generally follow trackbacks to the linked post. I figure that if folks are linking to me–whether in an open post or not–I’ll read what they have to say. But when it’s an unrelated post tracking back to a NON open post, with no attempt to make any meaningful comment relating to the post they tb to, yeh, I figure they’re just trying to manufacture some pseudolinkage.
*sigh*
I offer so many linkfests/otps that it’s just not necessary to do such things. Even then, I’d not object except when folks link from a post that has absolutely no chance of being anything near suitable for tracking back to a completely unrelated post. Over the pale.
This has now become ‘David’s Rule’.
Aw, Butch, you flatter me. Nah, this is really just reflecting the way things were before open trackback posts became a phenom about a year ago. Trackbacks were originally devised as a way of commenting in a post of one’s own on someone else’s post and letting the original poster know you were giving a nod back to them.
Open trackback posts–and I really prefer the idea reflected by Adam’s preferred term, “linkfest” –are a different critter entirely. It’s simply a way of sharing one’s thoughts with a wider audience, a way to promote a post, get it in front of other eyes than might normally drop by one’s blog.
The two current ways of tracking back have distinct purposes and ought to be used with those distinctions clearly in mind. Otherwise, IMO, both uses will become less… useful.
I’ve noticed that with the new linkfest oasis, it seems that trackbacks are going everywhere. It’s been addressed on the oasis site (as I’m sure you know) … but it seems that every post is getting numerous trackbacks – it’s actually almost embarrassing 🙁
Lord knows, I do linkfest post just about everyday, so I obviously don’t have a problem with it – but it does feel like flooding the market to the point that no one pays attention to them anymore! (I like the term linkfest too – it seems more appropriate now that you mention it).
‘David’s Rule’ – cool 🙂