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The Concept of Trackbacks

by Tom Johnson on Jan 5, 2007
categories: blogging • technical-writing

Trackbacks are one of the most interesting features of blogs. Basically if I write a post that links to another person's post, my comment actually appears in the comments section of that other person's post -- even though I didn't actually make the comment on their site!

Here's an example. I posted a note on my blog saying to check out my latest podcast, which is on idratherbewriting.com. My post actually then appears as an excerpted comment in the comments section of the post I linked to.
trackbacks

Additionally, let's say that I just post a link to another person's site. On my admin panel, I see an incoming link from that site. Blogs are more aware of each other than traditional websites.

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About Tom Johnson

Tom Johnson

I'm an API technical writer based in the Seattle area. On this blog, I write about topics related to technical writing and communication — such as software documentation, API documentation, AI, information architecture, content strategy, writing processes, agent skills, tech comm careers, and more. Check out my AI courses for more on the latest in AI and tech comm. If you're looking for info about documenting APIs, see my API documentation course.

If you're a technical writer and want to keep on top of the latest trends in tech comm, be sure to subscribe to email updates below. You can also learn more about me or contact me.

Finally, I want to note a couple of things. I usually write the first drafts of my posts myself and then use AI to improve accuracy, clarity, and detail in places, so my writing is a mix of human and AI. (Hopefully that's not too off-putting.) Also, the opinions I express on my blog are my own perspectives, not those of my employer.