Free Link Love

Are there any three sweeter words to the ear of a blogger?

One of the points I really wanted to stress in my free Viral Copy report was that linking out often to others was one of the key secrets to blogging success. It may be counterintuitive, but it’s the engine that drives the blogosphere.

Quite a few people have been making it a point to promote free and open linking. There’s Chris Pearson’s Indie Virus, Easton Ellsworth’s Blog Tipping and most recently Mike Siger’s Link Leak Project. And uber-trooper Liz Strauss basically devotes half of her blog to pointing out others who may be under the radar.

So, before I launch into another tutorial, I need to do my part. A lot of very cool people linked to Copyblogger in the last week (and the last 3.5 months, for that matter), so I’m itching to return the favor and point out some stuff that has caught my eye recently.

I also want to link to any of my readers who wants one. So here’s the plan.

Drop the link you want promoted in the comments of this post, along with a short description of what makes it interesting. Give me a post you’re proud of.

I’ll then take all the submissions and write them up in an updated version of this post, so everyone will get proper exposure (no spam please).

Deal?

OK, here are the initial links for the inaugural Copyblogger Free Link Love Fiesta:

If you’re into the psychological underpinnings of marketing and influence, then here’s your Holy Grail – David Straker’s Changing Minds web directory. I could spend hours here (and plan to).

What’s the secret to selling your house? Cinnamon rolls in the oven. Read Joseph Ferrara’s great post on Scent Marketing.

I know I’ve got a few graphic designers out there on the feed. If you want some solid advice on how to grow your business, check out Kevin Airgid’s book Web Designer’s Success Guide.

I’ve been meaning to post about Dan Pink’s great book A Whole New Mind for awhile, but Ann Michael is doing a great series of posts already, so I’m going to defer to her.

Chartreuse continues to entertain and enlighten just about daily. Here’s one to start with, but hang out a bit and soak it all in.

Ilja van Roon is offering a free 90-page ebook on business writing that works. Check it out, because Ilja has no idea that I need a place to stay next time I’m in The Netherlands, and I need leverage.

Alan Gutierrez caught my attention by calling one of my posts pointless. He may have been right, and he certainly delivers a worthwhile perspective by blogging from post-Katrina New Orleans. FYI, calling one of my posts pointless will only get you a link in approximately 1 out of 1,000,000 instances, but Alan managed it. 🙂

No One Can Help Me Write from Liz Strauss.

Poet Bloggs from David Maybury.

Metamorphosis from Yehuda Berlinger.

Dispensing With the Royal We from Larry Myers.

Startup Websites That Work from Dharmesh Shah.

UMPC Scenarios from Kevin C. Tofel (that’s Ultra-Mobile Personal Computing, of course — I googled it).

The Future of the Web from Jesse Skinner.

Mike Sigers Gets Excited.

Aaron Brazell Loves Free Love.

A Great CD is Not a Failed Radio Station from Dave Coustan (head Earthling).

Give Up Coffee or Beer? Don’t be sadistic, Martin. 🙂

Why is Bob Kraft PISSD?

Link here to offset one ton of carbon. And guess what… right or left, it’s hip to be green. Check out Treehugger.

I love the name of this blog — How to Start a Two-Bit Operation.

The Future of Real Estate Marketing from Joel Burslem (if only the Realtors will listen to you…).

My man John Unger has the lowdown on Typepad Hacks (and he understands a proper “about” page).

Shabda points out that there are way too many Brian Clark’s where my personal branding is concerned… but I hate the limelight.

Great post from Mark McGuinness on creative flow.

Can someone help Easton with this?

Check out Tammy Vitale’s eclectic art.

Smart post from Isabel Wang why GoDaddy should go social before it goes public.

Palermo Viejo sounds wonderful.

You gotta love Bryan Fleming’s enthusiasm. One of the keys to great blogging!

Toronto rocks, and here’s how to make it better.

Another Argentinian blog. I think I need to visit soon.

Finally, an extremely well-done post on How to Blog for Theology and Religion.

That’s all folks… good things must eventually come to an end. But we’ll be doing it again soon.