1 How's this? Instant Trackback

2 Stevie:

First things first. You need to change your mindset. You've already proven to the rest of us that you're smarter than the average bear when it comes to learning new stuff on your computer. And a lot more willing to try than most.

I've always had way more respect for someone who will risk doing something badly on their way to mastering it, than someone who will only take on things they know they'll be good at first try.

There is no reason to expect you'll get this stuff quickly and easily. It is non-intuitive (i.e. little you have done before will help you with this). And no, lots of people don't find it easy. Many don't even have the guts to ask. But you will gradually orient yourself, and build up the expertise necessary, one chunk at a time.

For a really good discussion of this very thing, check out Stupid Angry Canajun's discussion about frames of reference. You will get this. Of course you'll get frustrated in the process. But expect that, don't be surprised by it. And certainly don't confuse being frustrated with being dumb. It is a logical process, and as you become more familiar with the logic (and terminology) you'll get through it faster and more easily.

OK, end of sermon. Geez, what a windbag!

Now, on the terminology thing. There's something I think we've been referring to, without actually defining it for you. There are actually 3 different addresses that come into play when referring to someone else's posts.

First there's the other person's blog address. (http://lightanddark.typepad.com)

Then there's the address of a specific post. That's called the permalink address, cause it doesn't change, even when the post moves off the front page into the archives. (http://lightanddark.typepad.com/blog/2003/10/trackbacking_an.html)

The third one is the trackback address. That's the one you can enter manually in the trackback box if for some reason the automatic one doesn't work. (http://www.typepad.com/t/trackback/216057)

Many posts have the permalink address available by clicking on the date/time posted details at the bottom of each post, so look there if you can't find a permalink listed specifically. (Note that not all blogs will have permalinks and/or trackback addresses though.)

It's that permalink address you need to use in your link in order to have a trackback sent automatically when you post.

So you can have someone automatically trackbacked (pinged) when you write a post about them. There isn't really an easy way of notifying a bunch of your readers every time you add a post, but as you pointed out, that'd get pretty overwhelming pretty quickly. However, if they decide they want to be notified, there are ways they can accomplish that independant of you. It's basically them requesting it, as opposed to you pushing it on them. That's another discussion for another time though.

I can already see from the trackback pings I've been getting from you while writing this that you've got it working. YeeHaw!!

See, I told ya it'd come together. Good job.

Paul

3 Thank you, Lovey....(blushing and kicking the ground)...
It was you and Susie who got it through the thickest part of my head. I may not have it exactly right (Pixy? Figured out how it worked yet?), but it's working so far!

The biggest reason I get so frustrated so fast is that I get all these good people trying to explain it to me and I just wanna 'get it' quickly, so they don't....(how to put this?)...begin to grow anxious at the thought of retrieving their email due to the high volume of emails from me goin' "Do whaaat?" like some kinda cave-dwelling imbecile alla time. I can just picture people, after about the second or third email to me re-explaining this stuff, beating their heads on their computer desks and groaning 'cause I still ain't gettin' it.
I pressure the hell outta myself.
And, you guys are sooo patient with me...Thank you for that. Now, if I could only learn to be...lol.

Oh, and PsychoDad (GOD! I love that name!!!), I'll be clicking on your link momentarily.

Hey Paul...one other thing...(well, two, really) You did italics in the comments...How? I've tried looking up 'keyboard shortcuts' and stuff, but everytime I try to italicize-on purpose- all I get is my favorites list popping up. Somehow, though, I manage to type in italics in the middle of emails when I'm not trying to (Huh, Susie?). So, how do ya do that right? And, how do you do links in comments? There's no cute little link-thing in here.

4 All right PsychoDad! When I saw Kevin's last name in the address bar when I moused over the link, I figured it'd be good. Now, I know I can go over ther and poke around later. Thanks...s.a.y. (We need a coupla more initial things to use instead of just 'lol' all the time...at least I do. 'S.a.y.' will be my way of saying 'smiling at you' until such time as a better way is discovered.) (Which everybody else probably already knows about except me...Grinning like a fool-which could be shortened to g.l.a.f....see?)