People don't need to beg for links like this. The SEO industry should be ashamed to be giving out advice like this. It makes us look no better than spammers and scamsters.

It's not begging at all. Consider the motel owner or the attractions owner. Either one will try to get his pamphlet placed in the others' establishment (think link exchange). But the smart attractions owner will also get that pamphlet into the grocery store, into mailouts, and anywhere else he can find a venue. It's not called begging, it's called trick or treating. Oops, that last line was meant for my daughter.

"People don't need to beg for links like this."

Michael, where in the world did I or the post imply that anyone is begging for anything?

Cold calling for links = begging for links.

This is absolutely ridiculous advice and no one in the SEO industry should be doing that.

There are far better ways to obtain links -- and most sites don't need that many links anyway.

That these kinds of inefficient techniques are in any way lauded as useful or desirable says a great deal concerning how much the SEO industry has forgotten when it comes to actual search engine optimization.

Although in general I'm not a big fan of cold calling anybody for anything and would personally never do it or be receptive to anybody doing it to me. However, this is one of many methods to achieving inbound links. It may or may not work and each of us will have to decide if it is something we would engage in but the moral questions of the advice doesn't invalidate the advice.

If people have to beg for links in order to excel their businesses, then so be it. Don't tell them what not to do. They don't tell you how to run your business.

As long as nobody's breaking law - knock your selves out.

If you can get links the legal way even if its calling, then why not? I personally wouldn't do this because it wastes too much time.