My Public Service Announcement

Sorry for interrupting your regularly scheduled programming of bitching about my teams and whatnot, but there's something I'd like to address to fellow bloggers/website owners.



In the past few weeks, more than ever since I started this site nearly a year ago, I've been getting a slew of emails from fellow bloggers and site owners offering to exchange links. This irritates me very much. Not the fact that these people are trying to expand their reach, get more exposure and link up. I have no problem with that at all. Hell, when I started, I sent out an email to a ton of blogs I read to ask them to check it out.

But that's what I did. I asked them to check it out. I didn't ask for links. I didn't ask for publicity. And I certainly didn't say if you link to me I'll link to you, wink wink. In fact, this is exactly what I wrote: "I just would like to extend the offer for everyone to check it out, see if you like it and offer any feedback if you care. I'm always accessible, however I do work your typical 9-5 at a publishing company as an editor and writer. Anyway, any consideration you give to the site would be appreciated it, and keep up the good work. I thoroughly enjoy it."

Notice, I didn't ask for them to link to it. I didn't ask for them to promote it. I didn't ask that they tell me how great I am. I simply asked them to check it out and offer any feedback if they cared. To me, that's how you go about. I like to tell people I love their site, and occasionally I'll pass along something I've written to see if they think it's worth a damn. I don't ask for things. It's kind of a pet peeve of mine.

Yet lately, people have been sending me things that say something to the effect of, "Hey, I love your site. I'd love to exchange links with you. I'd be happy to put your link in if you link to me … blah, blah, blah." Sorry, but I don't give out charity links, and I don't ask for them. Frankly, I wouldn't want them. I want someone to link to me, or put me on their blog roll, because they like the site, not as a favor or a trade. I'll check out a site, and if I like it, I'll link to it. If I really like it, I'll put you in the blog roll. That's just how I work. But I won't simply trade links. Not my style.

So for anyone who reads my site and would like to get links from it, all three of you, just send me an email explaining your site and telling me to check it out. I'll decide for myself if I'm going to link to it. But don't just ask me to put up a link to a site I've never even read before. That gets on my nerves. Thanks.