eBusinessmap

This is the last episode on building back links. It should be noted that these are areas where discretion is advised. Using these platforms to build links can be a highly successful but can backfire if not used correctly. Where does healthy promotion turn into SPAM. I think its fair to say that if you provide little to the community beyond a link its spamming. Most of these are relationship based. The regular users are protective and have certain rules to follow. Self promotion and random additions don’t cut it most of the time. Try following some of these suggestions when building backlinks with social media sites.

1-Don’t try to fit a square peg in a round hole. Join forums and look for social sites that are complementary to the theme of your website. If you have a motherhood blog sign up for motherhood forums and comment on other motherhood blogs.
2-Build relationships and gain friendships. Web 2.0 is more about interaction and less about broadcasting. When you find a few niche places where you fit in try building relationships and don’t piss people off.
3-Add value. If you have an article or nifty service that the community would benefit from try submitting it. Some site’s like Digg frown on self submission while Reddit doesn’t (for the most part). By knowing the community and having some friends I’m sure it would help to have them do it.
4-Make your links a side note instead of the main event.
5-Game the system within the boundaries. Social news sites have a core of very dedicated users. They submit and vote on content 8 to 10 hours a day. These users have a tight group of friends. Together they dominate what is voted up and what gets thrown out. They are gaming the system but Kevin Rose (the founder of Digg) actually counts on these users to weed out spammers and other less savory people. While social sites hate the idea of being gamed they’re whole system depends on it. The moral here is: gaming is okay if you’re not a jerk about it and everyone likes you.
6- Know what’s popular. If you’re an active reader and user of some of these sites you’ll start to get a feel for what the community likes. Helpful lists, development tools, funny pictures, amusing stories, valuable tips, and sensational news is some of the most popular things. If you can put together an interesting story or useful list try getting it in and see how it does.
7-All traffic is not equal. The type of traffic coming from different social vary in quality. Some sites provide visitors that spend more time on your site and other visitors consume and leave quickly. While many standard conversion goals aren’t reached (i.e. clicking on ads, signing up for newsletters, and subscribing) it’s possible to have other rewards from bad traffic. Backlinks are common in the coming weeks after becoming popular on these social sites.

There are some general rules with forums as well.
1-Remember to use your signature wisely. Providing a few meaningful links in your signature will provide a backlink each time you comment. Sometimes it makes sense to include an affiliate link as one of your links.
2-Whatever you do don’t piss of the owners of the forum. The same rules apply here in forums as on social sites. There are definitely different personalities in each forum. Find one the works good for you.
For blog comments:
1-Don’t SPAM. Most spam is filtered out automatically for having the wrong set of keywords.
2-Add to the conversation. That means reading the blog and reading the comments. If you can’t bear to read both don’t leave a comment.
3-Backlinks are getting less love - Many backlinks on blogs are automatically labeled with “no follow” and won’t do you any good anyways.
4-Again, find blogs where you fit in.

Hope this helps. If you have any further advise please leave a comment.