Forum Moderators: martinibuster
I have paraphrased parts of the e-mail to remain within this forums TOS.
I am contacting you about cross linking. I am interested in my proper site name because it looks like it's relevant to a site for which I am seeking links.
The site belongs to a company providing a powerful search engine which searches dozens of online bookstores (now this has NOTHING to do with my site)to find you the lowest price on new and used college textbooks.
I'll keep the web address confidential and will send it to you only if you give me permission to do so.why would they do this? Just let me know if it's OK, and I'll send you the web address for your review. If you approve of the site, then the intention is to exchange links.
The e-mail goes on with a bit of advertising blurb. The signature at the bottom appears to be from a genuine website and they do state on the website "how did you find us... was it from an e-mail we sent you,.... "
I'd just delete them and move on.
Yep, sounds like the automated email from a certain company - don't know if I can list the name. I wouldn't neccessarily say they're a "scam" per se. I do think they mislead their clients into believeing they do quality link exchange work though.
But, for someone who has a site they want to be linked to their clients, it's pretty much the same as any autogenerated email. They basically do something along the lines of Arelis (using their own software) and charge for it.
Most of the time, the site is likely not related and because of the lack of "pickiness" in who they get their clients as partners, probably isn't the best exchange in the world even if it is related.
So, technically, no, it's not a scam. They are like all the other guys sending out autogenerated link requests, except that they do it for their clients and not their own sites.
[edited by: chrisnrae at 9:27 pm (utc) on Aug. 17, 2004]
Please define a link scam.
Based on peoples previous experience of receving an e-mail like this - Is there anything to lose (or indeed gain) by responding to it?
There are, however, other ways to protect client sites from spam complaints, and the primary method is being forthright without deception or subterfuge, and by diligent in site review, only inviting appropriate sites to exchange links. These do not always have to be on-topic. Some sites simply do not lend themselves well to themed-only links.
Nevertheless, I also delete these link requests not because the links would not be useful to me or my sites, but because I disagree with the way they go about getting them. Exchanging links with them would be tacit approval to their methods.
I will give you one MB. No doubt you have heard of it:
Dear MB
Your site is great, would like to swap a link with you, all on topic, blah blah. Tell you what if you link to my site from yours I will link to yours from another one of my sites that I have access to. That way they are both one way links. Bonus!
Regards
Trouble is when you add a link to me because they think it is a good idea, I then cite where I have linked from. Yes sir, you guessed it I just mention a site that happens to link to you, I dont own it or have any access. I just had a look at what is already linking to you :)
1) Use your handy dandy disposable email address and reply to get the web address.
2) Wait 2-3 weeks.
3) Go back and visit the "links" section of the website.
4) You now have a list of other websites who are actively engaged in trading links.
5) Filter the list for quality and/or relevancy
6) Send out link requests
