[Note: This is another "inside baseball" post that people without blogs might want to skip]
While some have declared the trackback dead, I think that is an over reaction to a few spam pings.
However, I have a painfully simple method to solve the perceived problem, that some resourceful coder could write in just a few minutes. (Pete are you listening?)
All you need is a simple script that followed inbound trackbacks and confirmed that there was a reciprocal link. (Which there should always be anyway) If there is no link, the trackback hits the bit bucket. This kills multiple birds with a single stone.
No need for whitelists or other logic, no link and you die. Simple done.
Thoughts?
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Comments (20)
No idea how to do it, but i... (Below threshold)1. Posted by Jay | February 14, 2005 12:31 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
No idea how to do it, but it makes perfect sense and sounds easy.
1. Posted by Jay | February 14, 2005 12:31 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on February 14, 2005 12:31
2. Posted by Chris Lawrence | February 14, 2005 12:34 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Easy enough to do; just parse the HTML of the linked page to look for a link to the trackbacked post.
Of course, I can imagine TB spammers setting up pages just filled with links with style="display: none", so it's not an absolute panacea.
2. Posted by Chris Lawrence | February 14, 2005 12:34 PM |
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Posted on February 14, 2005 12:34
3. Posted by Steven Taylor | February 14, 2005 12:40 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
I would love this just to stop impolite bloggers from trackbacking me without linking to me.
3. Posted by Steven Taylor | February 14, 2005 12:40 PM |
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Posted on February 14, 2005 12:40
4. Posted by Paul | February 14, 2005 1:05 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
You're reading my mind Steven
OK Chris, one bit of logic.
4. Posted by Paul | February 14, 2005 1:05 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on February 14, 2005 13:05
5. Posted by Henry | February 14, 2005 2:37 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
I thought trackbacks were just "continuing the discussion". One of the posts I made I trackbacked Wizbang because I made the post earlier than Kevin, and I felt vindicated :P (Hint its the Libertarian Girl one).
5. Posted by Henry | February 14, 2005 2:37 PM |
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Posted on February 14, 2005 14:37
6. Posted by Joe Grossberg | February 14, 2005 2:40 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Yeah, what Chris said.
It'll only be a minor stumbling block for the spammers.
That said, if it's not implemented en masse, it won't be worth t.b. spammers' effort to program around, and it would work for the handful of sites on which it was implemented.
6. Posted by Joe Grossberg | February 14, 2005 2:40 PM |
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Posted on February 14, 2005 14:40
7. Posted by Chris Lawrence | February 14, 2005 5:29 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Well, more than one bit, since you also have to parse the stylesheet and deal with commented-out stuff. Doable, I suppose, and probably helpful until widely implemented (and it will fix the "non-reciprocal link scammer" problem noted by Steven). I may hack together something for LSblog that does it just for kicks.
7. Posted by Chris Lawrence | February 14, 2005 5:29 PM |
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Posted on February 14, 2005 17:29
8. Posted by Vik Rubenfeld | February 14, 2005 7:51 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Great idea!
8. Posted by Vik Rubenfeld | February 14, 2005 7:51 PM |
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Posted on February 14, 2005 19:51
9. Posted by Paul | February 14, 2005 11:11 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
I thought trackbacks were just "continuing the discussion". One of the posts I made I trackbacked Wizbang because I made the post earlier than Kevin, and I felt vindicated :P (Hint its the Libertarian Girl one).
---------
Henry, (speaking for Kev and myself) we don't mind if you send a trackback even if the links says "Ha, I beat Wizbang who can eat my shorts on this one" as long as there is a link..
To date, Kev and I leave non-linked trackbacks alone... but it does get tiresome. If there was an easy way to filter them, we'd probably do it.
But feel free to even link us with a "Nanny Nanny Boo Boo" if you want. LOL
P
9. Posted by Paul | February 14, 2005 11:11 PM |
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Posted on February 14, 2005 23:11
10. Posted by Mark J | February 15, 2005 12:11 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
WordPress does this for Pingbacks, and there has been some discussion about adding this capability to Trackbacks as well.
10. Posted by Mark J | February 15, 2005 12:11 AM |
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Posted on February 15, 2005 00:11
11. Posted by Henry | February 15, 2005 12:24 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
lol Fine I'll nanny nanny boo boo to Kevin, soon it will be YOUR TURN PAUL.
11. Posted by Henry | February 15, 2005 12:24 AM |
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Posted on February 15, 2005 00:24
12. Posted by Paul | February 15, 2005 12:36 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Maybe so Henry, just remember I'm a bot who never sleeps. muhahahaha
12. Posted by Paul | February 15, 2005 12:36 AM |
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Posted on February 15, 2005 00:36
13. Posted by Paul | February 15, 2005 2:09 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
BTW Henry- still not sleeping. LOL
13. Posted by Paul | February 15, 2005 2:09 AM |
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Posted on February 15, 2005 02:09
14. Posted by Henry | February 15, 2005 2:43 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
I'm sure you're not haha
14. Posted by Henry | February 15, 2005 2:43 AM |
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Posted on February 15, 2005 02:43
15. Posted by Paul | February 15, 2005 7:56 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
OH grasshoppa awake too - you very tough challenge.
P
15. Posted by Paul | February 15, 2005 7:56 AM |
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Posted on February 15, 2005 07:56
16. Posted by Paul | February 15, 2005 8:52 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Hey- No fair, you are on the left coast.
16. Posted by Paul | February 15, 2005 8:52 AM |
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Posted on February 15, 2005 08:52
17. Posted by McGehee | February 15, 2005 12:16 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
lol Fine I'll nanny nanny boo boo to Kevin, soon it will be YOUR TURN PAUL.
Hey, I sent Paul a nanny-nanny-boo-boo just the other day, so Henry...
Nanny nanny boo boo. ;-)
17. Posted by McGehee | February 15, 2005 12:16 PM |
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Posted on February 15, 2005 12:16
18. Posted by Henry | February 15, 2005 2:23 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
yea well, my blog just got an insane number of hits from the whole thing, so nanny nanny boo boo
18. Posted by Henry | February 15, 2005 2:23 PM |
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Posted on February 15, 2005 14:23
19. Posted by Henry | February 15, 2005 2:25 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Paul, whining over my time zone handicap, nanny nanny boo boo
19. Posted by Henry | February 15, 2005 2:25 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on February 15, 2005 14:25
20. Posted by Josh Poulson | February 16, 2005 8:57 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
How are you going to find the reciprocal link when my engine is pinging the trackback at the same time as generating/posting the entry?
Sounds like you are begging for a race condition.
20. Posted by Josh Poulson | February 16, 2005 8:57 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on February 16, 2005 20:57