Decision
Rye Valley portfolio sites (starting with JOLT!) run a monthly internal-linking maintenance job plus an editorial cross-site link exchange. Sites earn 1 credit for featuring another portfolio site in body copy; credits break ties when multiple targets are equally relevant for a link. Governed by ~/lore-content/link-program.md on the Mini; ledger at ~/lore-content/link-exchange/ledger.json.
Context
Michael wanted internal-link/refresh maintenance plus a “backlink exchange” product where portfolio sites accumulate and spend credits for cross-links.
Key constraint (Hermes flag, Michael’s concept preserved)
Google treats mechanical cross-site link schemes as spam (PBN footprint risk). So the credits system is subordinated to a hard relevance gate: links only happen when editorially genuine, capped (1 per article, 2 per site/month, no same-month reciprocity, body copy only), and all cross-link proposals require Ben’s human approval before application. Credits decide priority among relevant candidates, never force links.
Consequences
- Monthly cron “Lore: monthly link maintenance + exchange” on the Mini (1st of month, self-deactivates below 5 published articles portfolio-wide).
- As more portfolio sites gain blogs, add them to the registry table in link-program.md.
- If this matures into a client-facing product, revisit pricing and disclosure rules.