The Specter Trackback Policy

Most of the things I choose to write about in my blog come from my own head. They are my own thoughts and ideas, my personal views on a subject, things that strike me as odd or funny, and my own opinions. I publish these thoughts in my blog for other people to read,.. or not. It’s their choice. I also read a lot of other news sites and other blogs by other people. I might just post a quick link to a news story I want my readers to know about, or I may choose to write about a subject that was brought to my attention by somebody else. When that is the case, I will either quote that person, give them a ‘hat tip’, or acknowledge them in some way, usually with a hyperlink to their website, blog, or news article. If I later read another blog that has written about the same subject I have already written about and published myself, I may send them a trackback ping to my own blog post. I do this so they will know that somebody is actually reading their work and possibly has a similar opinion, and also to further the discussion on a particular subject. I'd like to think that they take this as a compliment. But this practice has resulted in my being chastised on occasion. It seems there is some sort of perceived ‘Trackback Etiquette’ that says it is not polite to leave a trackback without also putting a hyperlink to the trackbacked article in your own blog post. This means I would have to go back and edit my original post just to add that link and then re-publish my blog. All this just to stroke the other blogger's ego. This, to me, is like giving somebody a thumbs-up and then having them demand that you include them in your family Christmas photo too. It's like celebrities charging their fans for an autograph. I understand that leaving a trackback on another person’s blog may result in somebody finding their way back to my blog and reading my post too. But isn’t that what a free and open society is all about? Sharing ideas and 'networking' is what makes the internet so great. If you have something to say or add about one of my blog posts, then by all means post a comment or track back to me. I’d love to ‘track back’ and visit your site and read your own original thoughts on the subject that we’re both writing about. And you don’t even have to include a link back to me. Because I’m not an attention whore.