a question about linking my website?

[Paul the Cab Driver]

I have heard that Google, through its Penguin updates (and the new, forthcoming Penguin 4 update) is penalizing "spammy" links, and what it considers "manipulation". I have a website for my taxi business and was thinking of setting up a link exchange with taxi companies outside of my home town. Basically, we would form a network where all of the members of the network would have a list of URLs for other member cab companies, and these would be posted on every member's website. The page would say something like: If you need a cab in another city, here is who we recommend. Then there would be a link to a member's website. If I set this up properly, every member of the network would have dozens of links to their site--one from each member of the network. I am wondering if Google would consider this manipulative? Or "spammy"? Increaed links will help to move your page upwards in the Google search results, however, Google has been "punishing" spammy links and I really don't need to be penalized in their search parameters.

[Jake]

While link exchanges are redilly detectable, there are valid cases for doing it, your is one that at worse would just be discounted, I don't believe would cause a penalty.

You can find several references to the subject by smart people at SEOmoz
http://www.seomoz.org/blog/the-penguin-u...ard-friday

[robert m]

I don't think that would be a problem, they seem relevent links, its really those links that are not related that are being targeted (i think, who knows with google!)