atlrus - 5:18 pm on Oct 18, 2012 (gmt 0)

I'm glad I'm not alone in my observations.

There maybe other factors involved. How is the content?

If there are other factors - I couldn't fathom them. There should be no factor that would leave these websites prospering with such backlink profile.

The content on most of them is barely OK. I don't think it's stolen, but it sounds like something a writer for hire would create, very little if any understanding of the niche. That was one of the main reasons I was going into this in the first place - i know I could do much better.