Adding trackbacks to your blog posts

Do you need to know how to do trackbacks correctly in your blog posts? Do you need to know WHY you need to do trackbacks correctly?

Diane Clancy pointed me to this terrific how-to article from Ryan Healy's On Copyrighting blog. Healy gives 3 reasons to trackback:

Reason #1: It tells the author of the original article that you're continuing or expanding the discussion on your blog.

Reason #2: When you Trackback, a link to YOUR blog appears on the original author's blog, if they accept your Trackback. Not only are you sending traffic to the original author, they're sending traffic back to you! (Notice how many people Trackback to Seth Godin's blog? One reason people do it is for the traffic.)

Reason #3: You make friends. I've found that to be a successful blogger, you must become friends with other successful bloggers. One way to quickly "make friends" is to send Trackbacks.

Then he tells you how to post the trackbacks for yourself.

Image (c) Diane Clancy, Animals IV.

Comments

[Gay Pogue]

Thank you, Alyson, for this post. I was just about to do the research to find out what Trackback was all about.

I am finding that the discipline of posting the blog is a valuable part of my day. It forces me to observe and think.

[Diane Clancy]

Hi Alyson, thank you for sharing this info and for posting an image of mine. I have found trackbacks to be helpful.

~ Diane Clancy
www.dianeclancy.com/blog

[Patricia]

Perfect timeing, I asked my husband last week, "what are trackbacks" and he did not know. I will now begin using them.

[Ryan Healy]

Thanks for the ping, Alyson!

I love your color-coordinated blog title/photo, by the way. Looks great. :-)

[Alyson B. Stanfield]

Gay & Patricia: Yes, timing is everything. I'm thrilled that Ryan gave such an easy explanation.

Ryan: THANK YOU! A trackback to your article on trackbacks. I can't think of anything more appropriate.

Diane: Thank you for sharing the post with me!

[Casey Klahn]

It's frustrating that Blogger won't do these, as confirmed by your expert in the link.
I guess I'll have to be extra efficient at linking and commenting to blogs that I read. I also read Technorati occasionally to see "who links to me" and try to follow up Google links or queries about me or my blog when I discover them in Statcounter.
BTW, Alyson, I think you said that you were posting a second jpeg of mine, or a link to my FASO site. I haven't found it and wonder how to. Thanks!