HaloScan brings TrackBack functionality to Blogger, Blogspot, and other blogging tools w/o their own commenting and trackback features

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Link: News - HaloScan.com.

Trackback and commenting go hand in hand, especially in the weblog community, but unfortunately, there hasn't been an easy way for Blogger, Blogspot, Diaryland, Diary-X, iBlog, Newspro, Pitas, and many other weblog users to implement trackback capabilities until now.

HaloScan fills this need by providing you not only with the (free) commenting services we have provided for the last one and half years, but also easy, seamless integration of trackback services (both incoming and outgoing ping support) to all existing and future Haloscan members. All this at the unbeatable price of $0.00--FREE. Getting started requires minimal work--sign up, log in and follow the simple, two-step directions to install trackback and/or commenting into your weblog. We highly recommend that all existing and new users install both the commenting and trackback services but you can also install just one or the other as needed. If you have trouble with any part of this process, we'll be glad to help! Also, be sure to send a trackback ping to this post if you install the trackback system or write about us in your weblog.

Hmmm -- so many things on my plate, but I can't wait to try out Blogger combined with HaloScan's free remote commenting and trackback system.   Could this make Blogger a true competitor to TypePad (or perhaps even superior - given that its FREE)?

I'll post my findings soon!

Update: It's not as simple as it seems.  According to their tutorial on sending a trackback ping, each time you want to send a trackback from Blogger (or similar tool), you have to

1. login to HaloScan
2. click 'Manage Trackback"
3. click "Send a trackback ping"
4. Paste the TrackBack ping URL into the edit box for 'URLs to Ping'
5. Fill in your blog name
6. Paste YOUR permalink URL
7. Paste a copy of your Post Title
8. Paste (or write) an excerpt from your post
9. Click the 'Ping Now' button.

Yikes - that's more work/typing/copying & pasting than I want to bother with. 

There's a thread in their forums about adding some code to your Blogger templates which enables auto-discovery of TrackBack URLs (something that tools like MovableType and TypePad already do), which, if it works, could save some time - but as you'll see in the thread people have found it difficult to implement.  Your mileage may vary.