For a webmaster worth his or her salt a good directory is priceless - the more so if it happens to be free for usage. Unfortunately, most directories charge for inclusion, while delivering little or any real value. And of course, of those sites that are listed as "free" either present little reason to list with them or require reciprocal links. The problem with reciprocal links is that they are a violation of Google TOS, and that can result in blacklisting which is the exact opposite of what a webmaster wants.