Blackhat Tip: Read
WageRank
Whitehat Tip: Use
DIRZAP: The Free Directory Submission Tool
Ok, ok. I'll stop the self promotion.
How about this one: don't listen to people who tell you that getting links from 'bad neighborhoods' can negatively effect your rankings. If they could, I would just get links to my competitors' sites from every bad neighborhood I can find.
It boils down to: You can't be penalized for off-page SEO.
GET AS MANY LINKS AS YOU CAN!!