FHK SitRep 08.10.07: Link Exchanges - A Caution

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At FHK we occassionally receive offers from other bloggers for a “link exchange.” This basically means that if we will put their blog on our blog roll, they will put our blog on theirs. This can be a good way to network with bloggers with similar interests.

When we receive these requests, we go to the blog, read its about page, and a few of the articles, and see if this is a blog we want to endorse by including it on our blogroll. If it is, we go ahead with the link exchange. If not, we respectfully decline the offer.

Yesterday we received two of these types of offers for a link exchange. When we went to the blogs they were advertisements for a self-published books from the same author. There was no blog roll on either, making the offer for the link “exchange” worthless. Presumably what this author was hoping for is that we would simply add him to our blogroll without checking.

It’s too bad, too, because these actually looked like pretty good books, and we might have been willing to give at least one of them free press in our blog honor roll had the author approached us in an honest, straightforward manner. But this underhanded approach was not appreciated, and will not be rewarded.

So, be careful, bloggers. Link exchanges, when used appropriately, are a good way to grow your social network. But be sure that the other “blogger” actually has a blogroll.

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