Reciprocal links is not such a good idea. I have many Web pages, one of which was created almost entirely of links to other people's pages - over 400 when it was originally published in 1999. This one page has caused more work for me than any other page I have. Broken links is the primary reason. At least once a week I perform a link check and usually end up deleting links which no longer exist or have moved. Maintenance is just too time-consuming.

As a result, when taking over Songs Of Newfoundland And Labrador from Frank White two years ago, I decided not to place links on the site other than those that were grandfathered from Frank's original.

This decision bugged some folks who felt they should have a link on the site if asked permission to add lyrics to one of their songs. After explaining why I no longer make links, I rarely hear back from them again. For some reason, they feel offended, or cheated.

Nonetheless, my decision stands. Folks can post to my Forum and promote their music or Web sites, but that is completely different from a links page. People change their Web hosts or their URLs much more often than many realize.

I have a few unpublished pages with hundreds of links to sites such as the Mudcat, Contemplator, etc., but these are fairly static sites and no one uses those links but me. No one can complain to me about broken links on them either. :-)