No surprise, NPN gets many requests for link exchanges, especially from commerical sites that offer some "photographic service." Most of these requests are, IMO, a scam.
First, they send an email requesting a link exchange to "mutually benefit both sites." They include a link to a page on their site where the link to NPN is already posted. But, if you go to the home page of these sites, the page containing the link cannot be found via site navigation. In fact, many of these sites don't even have a links page listed on their site map!
Here is a response I just emailed back for such a request;
"I don't believe I'm even wasting my time responding to this.
"You ask for a reciprocal link from the most popular nature photography site on the Internet to a commercial site with obviously low traffic (based on your Alexa traffic ranking). You've added a link to us on some obscure page on your site that cannot be found from your index (home) page, or even your site map. How exactly is this supposed to be mutually beneficial?
"Thanks for the offer, but no thanks."
My other favorite "link exchange peeve" is when a site requests a link from just about every other site on the Internet and builds a massive directory with thousands of links. How many surfers are going to wade through all of that and find the NPN link?
OK, enough of my rant...back to our normally scheduled programming
Jim - - - If you ever get one from the site - irdigital.net - ignore it.
This is the guy that converts digital cameras to do dedicated infrared images. He is a total rip-off.
I sent him one of my D-100s LAST Sept. and haven't seen it since. He lost it.
Now I have to go file suit against him for the lost camera, conversion fees, and also
all of my lost income from canceled articles and stock sales.
In fact the only thing I have gotten from him are 7 months of run-around and excuses.
You should have added to that note of yours for them to "find someone else to rip-off." I am so sick and tired of all these low-life rip-off artists that exist today, that I make dam sure I let them ALL know exactly what I think of them. (As I am sure that you have probably noticed by now)
I've received a few of these lately and ignored them all. Once I tried to follow a link to their page to see what it was all about (by cutting and pasting the url, not clicking on the link). When the page opened my virus checker immediately notified me that it had stopped a virus.
A subsequent check of my machine with my anti virus and anti spy ware programs, and rechecking with my firewall for security breaches proved I was saved. So, I wouldn't advise anyone to even try to open their page.
I got such an offer of exchange from Megacameras.com. They said that they had a link to my web site and would leave it there if I put their huge prepared link on my web site. I also checked to see what I could find. After wasting way too much time, I found a listing of sites supposedly in Colorado. I found a familiar name and it did check out. I did use the cut and paste method rather than clicking on the link in teh email. I never did find where that had hidden my link. BTW They sent me three such emails in a few days. I did not respond and eventually deleted them.
I also got an offer to have zepti.com to add my site to their search engine. I wonder how much good they could do as I had never heard of them. Don't monst people use Google anyway?
I avoid these unsolicted link exchange requests like the plague, and immediately delete them. As Ed's experience shows, these sites can launch malicious code, or just be a scam.
Maybe I'm just an old country bumpkin, but I simply cannot comprehend why these people are so malicious and self-serving? If the world community continues along that path, we will all be a in serious pickle.
Thankfully, I am pleased that NPN is a pretty darn nice family; and that's encouraging!
"Maybe I'm just an old country bumpkin, but I simply cannot comprehend why these people are so malicious and self-serving? If the world community continues along that path, we will all be a in serious pickle."
The word is GREED.
You know, the process that runs the government.
Discussion
6 repliesFirst, they send an email requesting a link exchange to "mutually benefit both sites." They include a link to a page on their site where the link to NPN is already posted. But, if you go to the home page of these sites, the page containing the link cannot be found via site navigation. In fact, many of these sites don't even have a links page listed on their site map!
Here is a response I just emailed back for such a request;
"I don't believe I'm even wasting my time responding to this.
"You ask for a reciprocal link from the most popular nature photography site on the Internet to a commercial site with obviously low traffic (based on your Alexa traffic ranking). You've added a link to us on some obscure page on your site that cannot be found from your index (home) page, or even your site map. How exactly is this supposed to be mutually beneficial?
"Thanks for the offer, but no thanks."
My other favorite "link exchange peeve" is when a site requests a link from just about every other site on the Internet and builds a massive directory with thousands of links. How many surfers are going to wade through all of that and find the NPN link?
OK, enough of my rant...back to our normally scheduled programming
Guy
This is the guy that converts digital cameras to do dedicated infrared images. He is a total rip-off.
I sent him one of my D-100s LAST Sept. and haven't seen it since. He lost it.
Now I have to go file suit against him for the lost camera, conversion fees, and also
all of my lost income from canceled articles and stock sales.
In fact the only thing I have gotten from him are 7 months of run-around and excuses.
You should have added to that note of yours for them to "find someone else to rip-off." I am so sick and tired of all these low-life rip-off artists that exist today, that I make dam sure I let them ALL know exactly what I think of them. (As I am sure that you have probably noticed by now)
A subsequent check of my machine with my anti virus and anti spy ware programs, and rechecking with my firewall for security breaches proved I was saved. So, I wouldn't advise anyone to even try to open their page.
I also got an offer to have zepti.com to add my site to their search engine. I wonder how much good they could do as I had never heard of them. Don't monst people use Google anyway?
Maybe I'm just an old country bumpkin, but I simply cannot comprehend why these people are so malicious and self-serving? If the world community continues along that path, we will all be a in serious pickle.
Thankfully, I am pleased that NPN is a pretty darn nice family; and that's encouraging!
-PB
The word is GREED.
You know, the process that runs the government.