Link Requests Are Lame

Satire is one of the greatest literary devices ever conceived. Wired writer, Lore Sjöberg, uses it deftly, in a funny piece on blogging’s rising popularity.

Creating your own blog is about as easy as creating your own urine, and you’re about as likely to find someone else interested in it. One popular technique for building readership is to send e-mail to more well-trafficked blogs offering to exchange links with them. One popular response from those blogs is to laugh derisively and hit the Delete button.

Of course, satire is effective precisely because of its pointed barbs, humorously rendered.
Link requests to me are unwanted solicitations, well intentioned though they may be. A better tactic for those desirous of an audience is to simply inform people about your blog, leaving the link question alone.