Target="_blank" and Google Backlinks

backlinks in google

[ljseaglass]

I have a question....
I have been working on my recip links and backlinks with no improvement.
Does it matter it I have my outbound link opening in another window? Target=blank?
I was thinking that maybe this is why my links are not showing up on google
ANY ANSWERS WELCOME

[mtishetsky]

Be patient and don't trust link:mywebsite.com, it does not show ALL backward links, only those which are from pages with PR3+ (possibly even from any non-zero PR, but I definitely saw number "3" somewhere here).

[Wizard]

Don't go paranoid, Google is not going to penalize you for everything. Attribute target="_blank" is sometimes neat for your users, so Google would never decrease your listing for that.

Making reciprocal links with unrelated sites in order to boost your Google ranking IS something you might be penalized though, but ways to detect you're doing it for manipulation, not for users, are tricky.

Google "link:" command shows nothing but a few example backlinks, is has been said many, many months ago, and said by GoogleGuy today again, so why is it so difficult to sink in?