honestman - 10:12 pm on Aug 20, 2008 (gmt 0)

As with advertising on an information site, one of the supreme paradoxes is that content that is TOO GOOD--or too rich with links to other useful information--often results in an audience member likely to leave the page to take up one of the suggestions or links from your content.

I personally have no problem with this whatsoever on an information site. I think that Google and even Yahoo originally built itself as a "pass-through" and thereby gained loyalty. It was and remains the honest thing to do.

Some information sites--where you have to navigate down several levels to get any information at all--get on my nerves and are just not honest. I avoid them as much as possible. Likewise, sites which put in "frames" external links use a level of control which I find counter to the spirit of the Internet.

I think it is best to be honest and people will come back--whether they use you as a pass-through or not is irrelevant; you can always sell them something along the way if they come en masse.

This does not apply to forums and e-commerce sites, of course.