Planet13 - 1:20 am on May 22, 2011 (gmt 0)

@ Sgt_KickAxe

Back on topic - I think Google wants your site to link to all of the sources it deems related and to have links from all of those sources. Links to other sites, or from other sites, especially if they aren't editorial in nature seem pointless. Reciprocal linking is back on the menu imo, topsites didn't get hit by Panda as much as article directories did.

I would tend to agree with that, but I am looking at only the top ten sites in a very narrow niche (only 30K searches in the US per month), so I wouldn't be surprised if others who are looking at much more popular keyword terms have a different take.

Also, what is your take on exact match anchor text since Panda? Just from what I have seen and have heard it seems like the value has been turned UP since Panda, but that also the DANGER has been amped up, and that more sites are getting some sort of penalty as well?

Have you seen that too?