NZ Bear Killing the Trackback Parties
Posted on November 22, 2005
Looks like NZ Bear wants to dampen the fun. Don Surber has the details.
Don:
That’s basically true. I haven’t announced anything as yet as I’m still working out the system, but the goal is to not count ‘open trackbacks’ and the like towards rankings or identification of top posts.
I’ll explain my reasoning more when I post about it. Given that I haven’t done so yet… where did you hear about the change?
NZ
wonder how N.Z. Bear would rank in his own ecosystem if everyone took the TTLB script and links off their pages? heh Who really links his posts, anyway?
Personally, it doesn’t bother me. In many ways it is manipulating arificial stats. However, many smaller blogs that are struggling to be noticed have been using it as a tool to climb up the ladder. Its hard to compete against the big boys that get 100,000 hits or more a day. Many have used this as a tool to get noticed. The good news is that the trackback parties will continue, and you can still get noticed on the blogs that provide them. You know, besides, I’ve never understood how one could accurately be measured for rank by the amount of links to your blog. Wouldn’t it just be more honest to measure by traffic alone? That would put KOS up top, but it would be more honest. Don’t you think? The trackback parties were never used here in a way to rise in some ranking system I could care less about, they were used to help other blogs get their name out there, and so…for those reasons, they will continue.
Don’t like it? Let NZ Bear know. bear@truthlaidbear.com
Cao has a Trackback Party
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19 Responses to “NZ Bear Killing the Trackback Parties”
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I have also left track backs because of spam. I would recommend using a Technorati, Blog Pulse or for Blogger users the “Link Back” option instead.
It is more of a passive way to track who links back to you and spammers would have to promote your site specificially in order to be noticed (which would kinda hurt them, don’t you think?).
Oh how rude — I just told Don on his site I won’t stop the trackback posts because I believe it’s a way for people to find other like-minded blogs, but I will reconsider being in the Alliance now.
OK, THIS time I deliberately teacked back from my joke “conspiracy theories” site at area fifty-one.
Trackback parties hit N.Z. Bear’s _spam_ filters. We can btchnmoan about it or treat it like the goof it is and go on with our business, link merrily away and delink TTLB…
No sweat.
Unless, of course, this is all because N.Z. Bear’s controllers in the Mothershipo are implementing their grand stra—
Sorry. That’s for area fifty-one.
These track back parties as you all call them you can keep playing…but the ecosystem was a reflection of actual stats until people found a way to manipulate them…and dishonestly so…and you all know it.
Some people are ok with a status that’s not genuine. I don’t see the point but have at it. I prefer mine to mean something.
To “take it out” on NZ Bear is asenine. You all did it yourselves.
Start your own if that makes you feel better but I for one will gladly put the code back up as soon as he finds a way to keep it on the up and up. He’s providing a service to you, for free may I remind you and you should all say thank you and apologize for cheating the system instead of fabricating a conspiracy.
SondraK, come on over and check out some of the posts listed in my open trackbacks. Not only are my Open Trackback Posts ALSO “content” posts of my own, but I’ve found a lot of really good blogs, some added to my blogroll already, several featured in posts, one actually linked with a great script (appropriately enough: it’s a really good blog).
Call them “dishonest” if you will, but examine your prconceptual biases first.
I’ll continue to play with whomever comes to the game. It’s a great way to feature blogs that might otherwise remain less well known than they ought to.
BTW
*yawn*
So, SondraK says I am dishonest. Where’s your proof? Put up ,or shut up. Othersie, absent proof, you walk a thin line. I’d say my Open Posts pretty much rate above the bar that this post
http://sondrak.com/index.php/weblog/the_final_word/
or this post:
http://sondrak.com/index.php/weblog/omg1/
or this post:
http://sondrak.com/index.php/weblog/all_hands_on_deck/
set for “content”.
Each and every one of my own Open trackback posts had more content “penned” by me than ANY of those three by SondraK.
Dishonesty among OTPers? Well, if you want to make that accusation, back it up.
Grow up.
You know what Jay? I never used them. Ever.
I never understood how blogs with much less traffic than mine could be so much higher than me in the rankings until I understood the manipulation of trackbacks.
So finally I gave in and just this week I started pinging. I am up 50 notches in 2 days. Huh!
Isn’t that special?
I bet by next week I’ll be where you are or higher.
It’s a bullcrap way to manipulate the system. The little guys? The little guys have to earn it.
Sorry but that’s the way it should be – a meritocracy.
This is the first I am hearing of NZ’s plan to clean up the a juiced system and I feel better that ranking will be on merit. Don’t you?
Warmest regards, Pamela aka “Atlas”
The problem is that NZ Bear are not saying they will only stop counting the TrackBack Parties but stop counting TrackBacks altogether.
THAT I really think is counterproductive. You then never know if someone is mentioning your blog and your article and you don’t get the cross pollination of opinion, which by definition occurs when TrackBacks are exchanged.
It’s counterproductive and counterintuitive all round. It encourages ego driven blogs to simply rant on in their secular world and never link back to anyone else’s opinion, who in turn will read theirs.
The Blogosphere is all about exchange of opinions which in turn is demonstrated by an exchange of TrackBacks. If you take that away you take away the heart of the exchange of difference of opinion and the inherent civility amongst the bloggers. It promotes selfishness and not cross pollination which is what the Blogosphere is all about.
IT SMACKS OF THE MSM DEFICIT DISORDER WHICH LACKS DIVERSITY AND PREVENTS DISSEMINATION OF VARIED POINTS OF VIEW, AND NZ BEAR SHOULD NOT BE PROMOTING IT.
If they wish to find a way for their software to disallow TrackBack Parties, or Fests or Carnivals or whatever, that’s fine. But don’t disallow TrackBacks altogether just because your techies can’t develop the software to distinguish between the two.
And now that I have sufficiently wound myself up, I shall post this comment on my blog with a photograph that immediately springs to mind, AND SEND YOU A TRACKBACK JAY…LOL TO NZ BEAR.
I always thought that open trackback parties were a great way to increase traffic and visibility other than merely “traffic”. They’re fun, and the interesting posts that come to you are amazing. Regardless as to what NZ Bear does, I’m going to continue having them–they’re just “fun”.
But it’s unfortunate that it’s being “regulated” because there aren’t a whole lot of ways that smaller blogs can get noticed if it is just ranked on traffic alone.
So does this explain why an apparent spam RSS feed has suddenly risen to #5 in the rankings? (Wedding cakes?)
The problem with not counting trackbacks is also that ttlb will not know if any other bloggers are up and coming and it does open a door for a competing blog rating system. There have always been people who figure out how to cheat systems. And no matter what TTLB does people will figure out ways around those efforts as well. If NZ works too hard at being fair he will end up just making arbitrary descisions on who he likes and doesn’t like or at least be giving the appearence of judging and the blogosphere is not going to like that and vote with their electronic feet and go elsewhere.
One of the ways that I acquired some attention was to go to a lot of sites and make comments. That is how I got my high rating of adorable rodent somewhere in the 4000 to 4500 range. Which I have to profess surprise and almost a total lack of understanding at how this stuff really works, but never the less….I have also noticed that TTLB has some problem with their system because I have 8 or nine links with people who are definately respectable and quite high in their rankings but they are not listed which is giving me a crap rating of blah blah. I was excited and looking forward to the challenge of figuring out ways to get to the next level when this crap started(waaaaaa). Even so I think it is time for other raters to compete.
Trackbacks are supposed to be a referral to a post that you mention on your blog for a legitimate reason ie: quote or reference.
Interesting, I already see trackbacks to THIS post that have nothing to do with it.
Point proven.
No one can stop you from doing it but THE PERSON WHO MAINTAINS the “ecosystem” can use whatever method they chose.
Start your own and run it anyway you want…DUH.
Whoinhell wants to read a blog that does it just for a rank anyways? If you have to manipulate to get traffic you obviously aren’t found interesting enough for someone to link to you or get your own reputation.
And David up there? You’re a clown.
Why don’t you PUT OUT a decent blog or STFU yourself? Clown.
Sondra, I’m sorry that you found none of the trackbacks to this post interesting. I found many of them to be very insightful.
Look, I don’t have time to go surfing around looking for interesting stuff everywhere. Don’t take the TTLB thing so serious. Its just a game. These trackback parties are a feature on this blog that allows me to find interesting posts without having to go seek them out. Look, my life is busy enough that its hard enough to just maintain this site. Perhaps you have all day free to do nothing but surf the net. We don’t all have that luxury.
SondraK wrote:
Trackbacks are supposed to be a referral to a post that you mention on your blog for a legitimate reason ie: quote or reference.
Interesting, I already see trackbacks to THIS post that have nothing to do with it.
Point proven.
No one can stop you from doing it but THE PERSON WHO MAINTAINS the “ecosystem” can use whatever method they chose.
However you decide to define “legitimate posts,” Sondra, N.Z. Bear’s “solution” of filtering out inline trackbacks doesn’t distinguish between topical trackbacks and open post trackbacks. It also doesn’t filter out manually linked trackbacks. So what is solved?
So what is solved?
WHO CARES???????????????????
Why don’t you all just shut up and BLOG???????
The old saying goes:
If you blog about something interesting than people will be interested in your blog.
OH WAIT! That’s not an old saying…I just made it up!
Happy Thanksgiving. Hope you have something to be thankful for:)
Later turkeys.
“WHO CARES???????????????????”
Well, you, for one.
Happy Thanksgiving to you too.
Technorati has a better system. I’m 813th on it
UNIQUE links. Of course, then Michelle and Glenn fall from the top two spots
BTW, I recommend aaron’s post on this