Bradley - 5:05 am on Dec 12, 2000 (gmt 0)

Current situation:
I am looking at building a directory of sites in a well established industry that has a few major players. The major players have directories that contain 13,000+ categorized links.

In an attempt to rapidly grow my directory, I am seeking the most effective and ethical method for adding links into my directory. Any suggestions?

My thoughts:
I need to create a process that can be "mass produced" but also be inviting to the person reading an email they receive from me. (I am well aware of SPAM and its consequences.) My initial thought is to traverse through my competitors' directories and visit all the sites in their directory. I would search for an email address on the website and email the owner. The email would inform the person of our website and request that they add their free website link to our directory. Obviously if I have to personally visit 13,000+ websites, this is going to be a very innefficient process. Are there any programs out there that can help me increase the efficiency of this process?

Once I have about 5,000 sites listed in my directory, I would then request a reciprocal link. In return, the websites would receive a better ranking within their respective category.