Same problem here. My 2 sites got the -50 penalty 12 months ago... I tried to de-optimize my site and no-follow alll outbound links, but so far no luck. It's difficult to analyse what I did just before the penalty (forum signature links? Links from articles? I don't know), but these external links will also be very difficult to remove. So my guess is one of 3 things: 1. The sites will always have the penalty 2. I just have to wait and 'sit it out'. It 'll come back sometime, hopefully? 2. I start generating a lot 'unrelevant' links to counter-balance the over-optimization linking... Would really love to hear about other experiences and how they removed the penalty.... E.
Well guys an gals, stop worrying about links pointing to your site, they will never hard your serps! Google changed its algo to mix up its serps every now and then. A few of my sites will hit first page for a month, then go to second or 3rd page for a few day or a week and eventually return to 1st page. Serps are much more volatile these days.