How Pinging Works

Many people are confused about what exactly pinging is in regards to weblogging.
I'll try to explain what's going on here.

First, go check out a few weblog tracking places where you can see recently updated lists:
Blo.gs - Weblogs.com - Blogrolling

The main way these sites learn that a weblog has been updated,
is for the weblog software to 'ping' the weblog trackers.

Here's how it works:

After careful thought, you post something new on your weblog.
The new stuff is excellent, but nobody knows you've updated your site.

Sending out a ping is like raising the red flag on the mailbox to tell the mailman
you have new mail to be sent. In this case, you are telling the weblog tracking sites
that your site has been updated.

Configuring Movable Type to do this is simple. I use MT, so I don't have
any good instructions for people that use another weblogging tool.

In Movable Type, select the Blog Config button, then select the Preferences tab.

Next, choose the Publicity / Remote Interfaces /TrackBack section.
It should bring you to an area that looks like this.
The trick is now to tell Movable Type that you do want to spread the word of your weblog.

My suggestion is to select both blo.gs and weblogs.com
and add a couple specific RPC calls to the box.

https://rpc.blogrolling.com/pinger/
https://rpc.technorati.com/rpc/ping

After adding this info, be sure to hit save at the bottom of the page.

The next time you publish, you will be telling others that you made an update.

While your page publishes, you will see a new page like this while your site talks with the
weblog tracking sites and passes them the info on your new entry.
This is the equivalent of raising the red flag on the mailbox.

If you go check the tracking sites, you will probably see your site at the top.

Another good use for the pinging is to help make blogrolls work.
Here you can see two of my blogrolls. Note the (new) tag showing
that these sites have been recently updated.

Hopefully, you will be able to spread the word about you weblog around
a little more widely than you have in the past.