wheel - 12:46 pm on Jun 26, 2008 (gmt 0)

>>> If I can get the same link without having to ask for it- I prefer that over having to ask for it. :)

The problem with this attitude is that it's the way to lose the race. Site 1 rolls along happily getting 'natural' links without asking. Site 2 aggressively asks for links and ends up with 'natural' links plus some number as a result of their link building efforts. Site 2 gets higher rankings in Google.

Not that I mind this approach, my competitors all do it that way. And by 'competitors' I mean '#2+' in the serps.

More seriously, there's a reason for this approach. In an industry dominated by technical people, we have 'technical' solutions to the link building problem. But link building is not a technical problem with a technical solution. It's a sales/marketing problem with a sales/marketing type solution.