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TRACKBACKS AS MACROLOGUE |
TrackBacks are circular and benefit both blogs only if the second blogger puts in a link to the first blog. The TrackBack planted by Blogger B is not visible to readers of Blog B and does not function as a link to Blog A. The TrackBack listing on Blog A is visible and offers an automatic link to Blog B. As you can see, the TrackBack mechanism is partly invisible and automated. When Blogger B plants the TrackBack to Blog A, the two blogs (the software running the two blog sites) communicate with each other behind the scenes. It’s as if this conversation was happening: Blog B: Hey, Blog A! My blogger just planted a TrackBack in me, pointing to your guy’s entry. Something about saving the Visitors to Blog A see the “How to save the world” post and, below it on the page, TrackBacks and comments. The page, taken as a whole, is both a statement from the blogger and a discussion among the readers.
The blogger might and might not be posting comments in response to readers. Several TrackBacks might be listed, each from a different blog. Each TrackBack displays a line or two of comment, taken from that blog’s entry, and a link to the full entry. Visitors to Blog B see the “Does the world need saving?” post that contains an embedded link to Blog A’s “How to save the world” post. For some visitors, Blog B’s citation of Blog A’s entry is their first encounter with Blogger A’s statement. These visitors, entering the macrologue at Blog B, might think of Blogger B’s entry (“Does the world need saving?”) as the primary jumping-off point of their own participation in the big discussion; they might and might not visit Blog A. They could leave comments on Blog B or return to their own blogs to write entries inspired by the work of Blogger B. The TrackBacks associated with those comments (if the bloggers choose to plant TrackBacks) are placed on Blog B, linking to new entries on Blogs C, D, E, and so on. So the networked conversation expands into a complex web of discourse.
TrackBacks serve a few purposes. First, they assist the blogosphere’s macrologue, or blog-to-blog dialogue. Second, they offer a promotional tool for the blogger who places a TrackBack link on another blog (it’s Blogger B in the preceding example who benefits promotionally). Third, they furnish content to the blog upon which they appear (Blog A in the preceding examples) and let all visitors know that the blog entry is important and discussion-worthy.
Like ripples on a pond, TrackBacks spread the macrologue outward. Whether or not they have TrackBacks enabled on their blogs, many bloggers track their influence on the blogosphere in another way, by checking Weblog search engines. Did I say checking? I should have said obsessing over — in some cases, anyway. Bloggers caught up in the quest for influence and reputation spend altogether too much of their time tracking their words in blog specific engines. What makes these engines so beguiling is their dedicated focus on blog entries and their ability to unearth who is talking about whom. In this regard, blog-specific engines are like giant TrackBack machines, allow- ing users to find citations to their blog entries. Generic search engines such as Google and Yahoo! also index blog entries, which turn up mixed into their search results. In fact, one might argue that Google and Yahoo! do a better job finding blog content than the blog-specific engines do.