I often quote different search representatives from what I find they say in the forums. One of the most quoted search reps is JohnMu, a previous webmaster turned Googler. I often quote him, then try to figure out any insight into the Google black box on what he said. I am sure he finds it funny, but hey – it is what I do.

In a recent Google Webmaster Help thread, John replied to a webmaster over links pointing to his web site from a spammy site. He was concerned it was or would lead to a penalty of some sorts.

Here is what JohnMu said:

So what do we learn from this?

(1) Generally, bad links pointing to your web site won’t hurt you. A topic we discussed and debated here over and over again.

(2) Many spammers may include links to your site, but not activate those links, so you have less to worry about.

(3) Spammers often link to sites that are hacked.

Forum discussion at Google Webmaster Help.