How do you use Trackback URLs?

  • Resolved pweingart

    (@pweingart)


    16 years, 10 months ago

    I frequently post links to other blogs, and would like my post to show up in that blog’s trackback listings. They often do, but there are several on which I can’t get my link to show up.

    All of the blogs where my link isn’t showing up, offer what they call a “trackback URL,” which is apparently a link to some sort of hook that will grab and identify your link. If I use that link instead of the permalink to creak my anchored href to their post, though, I get an error when attempting to follow the link. The error is as follows:

    `This XML file does not appear to have any style information associated with it. The document tree is shown below.
    <response>
    <error>1</error>
    <message>Trackback pings must use HTTP POST</message>
    </response>`

    How does one use HTTP POST? Where does it get included? And in what form? Clearly it’s being handled by an XML parser, but what’s it parsing, and what does it need to find?

    Thanks in advance for educating me.

    Phil W.

Viewing 3 replies - 1 through 3 (of 3 total)
  • Moderator Samuel Wood (Otto)

    (@otto42)

    www.remarpro.com Admin

    On the Write Posts page, there’s a section at the bottom called “Trackbacks”. In that box (you may need to click the plus to expand it), there’s a “Send trackbacks to:” field.

    Paste the trackback URL there. Then publish your post. The trackback will be sent to that site. You can trackback more than one site by pasting more than one URL there (separated by spaces, like it says).

    Trackbacks are very manual in this way. You don’t even have to link to a site to send a trackback to it, although usually people do.

    The automatic method you’re more used to seeing is called a “pingback” and it has nothing to do with the trackback URL.

    Thread Starter pweingart

    (@pweingart)

    Thanks.

    How long does it usually take for the site receiving the trackback to register it? Is this usually automatic (as I would assume) or does the author have to respond somehow?

    I ask because I followed your instructions and did not see the trackback appear the way the automatic pingback does. But I’ll be patient, and check my work.

    Moderator Samuel Wood (Otto)

    (@otto42)

    www.remarpro.com Admin

    How long does it usually take for the site receiving the trackback to register it?

    It’s usually pretty immediate. There can be some minor delays, sometimes.

    Is this usually automatic (as I would assume) or does the author have to respond somehow?

    Depends on the receiving site. They can handle trackbacks in any way they please. Generally speaking, they’re treated the same as normal comments, so if all their comments go into moderation, so do the trackbacks.

    I ask because I followed your instructions and did not see the trackback appear the way the automatic pingback does.

    Pingbacks depend on the receiving site too. Same principle applies, you can send it, but you can’t control what they do with it.

Viewing 3 replies - 1 through 3 (of 3 total)
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