Greenguy's Board - View Single Post

Pagan · 2009-01-24, 05:55 PM

<rant>
I don't get it. A reciprocal link should be a very straightforward thing, but it gets more complex each day. Years back, the lists required their graphic be used as the anchor. Then it moved on to category recips and custom tables. I can appreciate it to a degree, but... there is no uniformity and fairness to the recips. I mean, they are important, yes, but are they the most important thing on the page?

When I came back to this business last June, it was still graphic buttons and/or tables. It seems the smaller the link list, the larger, brighter, more attention grabbing the recip had to be. Then I started doing custom recips because most sites allowed it, and it looked so much nicer. I do care what my index pages look like, and don't want anything distracting my visitor from my sponsor banner. After all, I build the site to drive the visitor to the paysite and not to a busy collection of jumping graphics and scrolling marquees. Examples - Old school site specified and the "cleaned up" version of this same site. That example isn't the best, but it is one of the few I have remaining of the old type. I also moved to the custom recip table because I could list more recips much neater than the old way. Instead of a dozen mirrors, I now can do only 5 or 6 and submit to the same number of sites.

Don't misunderstand me here - I do truly appreciate the sites I submit to as well as their requirements for visibility. I am always happy to do the link back because it's almost like a seal of quality. However, I don't build sites for reciprocal links. I know some sites don't require category recips, but most still do, and to be fair to everyone I do them on all of my recip tables. I also use the title tag to blast that link list message out.

At the same time, there is now a trend away from the simple link list name and category recip towards 5 and 6 line text-tables. I don't mind adding in a line of promotional stuff, but, make it optional to the designer, please! I also see sites that expect us to use their blind links (OnlyBestSex, Momma's Pussy along with others are the bigger ones that are always mentioned in the rejection threads).

Today was disturbing. A site I have been subbing to consistently now has a requirement in that I use their 150 pixel wide table with scrolling text. Need I mention that there was no option given to change the color? While the colors would have worked for the site I am submitting today, it would have been a horrible clash for the other one I have to submit. It has to be that table and exactly that table and even when I tried duplicating it, marquee and anchor text, I was still blocked from submitting. And... why should they get 150 pixels when others only ask for 100 pixels wide? Sadly, I have pulled them from my recip table and replaced them with another list that isn't so.. stiff.

I know subs are down in some respects and we have a whole influx of rather clueless noobies, but... this is a little ridiculous, don't you think? Do you link list owners really get that much traffic from the linked freesites that you have to have entire paragraphs written about your list or decline to list a site because it won't use your blind-linked table?

Thanks for letting me rant....
</rant>

2009-01-24, 05:55 PM	#1
Pagan Perverted Empress Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Finland Posts: 5,067	A rant about "approved" recips <rant> I don't get it. A reciprocal link should be a very straightforward thing, but it gets more complex each day. Years back, the lists required their graphic be used as the anchor. Then it moved on to category recips and custom tables. I can appreciate it to a degree, but... there is no uniformity and fairness to the recips. I mean, they are important, yes, but are they the most important thing on the page? When I came back to this business last June, it was still graphic buttons and/or tables. It seems the smaller the link list, the larger, brighter, more attention grabbing the recip had to be. Then I started doing custom recips because most sites allowed it, and it looked so much nicer. I do care what my index pages look like, and don't want anything distracting my visitor from my sponsor banner. After all, I build the site to drive the visitor to the paysite and not to a busy collection of jumping graphics and scrolling marquees. Examples - Old school site specified and the "cleaned up" version of this same site. That example isn't the best, but it is one of the few I have remaining of the old type. I also moved to the custom recip table because I could list more recips much neater than the old way. Instead of a dozen mirrors, I now can do only 5 or 6 and submit to the same number of sites. Don't misunderstand me here - I do truly appreciate the sites I submit to as well as their requirements for visibility. I am always happy to do the link back because it's almost like a seal of quality. However, I don't build sites for reciprocal links. I know some sites don't require category recips, but most still do, and to be fair to everyone I do them on all of my recip tables. I also use the title tag to blast that link list message out. At the same time, there is now a trend away from the simple link list name and category recip towards 5 and 6 line text-tables. I don't mind adding in a line of promotional stuff, but, make it optional to the designer, please! I also see sites that expect us to use their blind links (OnlyBestSex, Momma's Pussy along with others are the bigger ones that are always mentioned in the rejection threads). Today was disturbing. A site I have been subbing to consistently now has a requirement in that I use their 150 pixel wide table with scrolling text. Need I mention that there was no option given to change the color? While the colors would have worked for the site I am submitting today, it would have been a horrible clash for the other one I have to submit. It has to be that table and exactly that table and even when I tried duplicating it, marquee and anchor text, I was still blocked from submitting. And... why should they get 150 pixels when others only ask for 100 pixels wide? Sadly, I have pulled them from my recip table and replaced them with another list that isn't so.. stiff. I know subs are down in some respects and we have a whole influx of rather clueless noobies, but... this is a little ridiculous, don't you think? Do you link list owners really get that much traffic from the linked freesites that you have to have entire paragraphs written about your list or decline to list a site because it won't use your blind-linked table? Thanks for letting me rant.... </rant> __________________ Is it naptime yet?