Atrackback allows one website to notify another about an update.[1] It is one of four types oflinkback methods forwebsite authors to request notification when somebodylinks to one of their documents. This enables authors to keep track of who is linking to their articles. Someweblog software, such asSilverStripe,WordPress,Drupal, andMovable Type, supports automaticpingbacks where all the links in a published article can bepinged when the article is published. The term is used colloquially for any kind of linkback.
The TrackBack specification was created bySix Apart, which first implemented it in itsMovable Type blogging software in August 2002.[2] The TrackBack has since been implemented in most other blogging tools. Six Apart started a working group in February 2006 to improve the Trackback protocol with the goal to eventually have it approved as an Internet standard by theIETF. One notable blogging service that does not support trackback isBlogger. Instead, Blogger provides "backlinks",[3] which allow users to employ Google's search infrastructure to show links between blog entries.
A trackback is an acknowledgment. This acknowledgment is sent via a network signal (XML-RPCping) from the originating site to the receiving site. The receptor often publishes a link back to the originator indicating its worthiness. Trackback requires both sites to be trackback-enabled in order to establish this communication.
Trackbacks are used primarily to facilitate communication betweenblogs; if a blogger writes a new entry commenting on, or referring to, an entry found at another blog, and bothblogging tools support the TrackBack protocol, then the commenting blogger can notify the other blog with a "TrackBackping"; the receiving blog will typically display summaries of, and links to, all the commenting entries below the original entry. This allows for conversations spanning several blogs that readers can easily follow.
Blogging software that supports the TrackBack protocol displays a "TrackBackURL" with every entry. This URL is used by the commenting blogger, whose software will sendXML-formatted information about the new entry to this URL. Some blogging tools are able to discover these TrackBack URLs automatically, others require the commenting blogger to enter them manually.
Some individuals or companies have abused the TrackBack feature to insertspam links on some blogs. This is similar tocomment spam but avoids some of the safeguards designed to stop the latter practice. As a result, TrackBackspam filters similar to those implemented against comment spam now exist in many weblog publishing systems. Many blogs have stopped using trackbacks because dealing with spam became too much of a burden.[citation needed]
