Does a good Web 2.0 site "Trap" visitors?

Do what works for you we are all just drops of water in this internet bucket. If =I find a site that links me to many other sites that I need to use I will bookmark that site insted of all the individual sites. It saves me space. Good job.

I had forgotten the name of that area!  I kept reading Royal Ridge... Cary Parkway - I go past it 2 times a day and couldn't "place it!"  THANKS FOR THE LINK TO GOOGLE MAPS! I like Hal - but I think you and your soapbox are on the right track!

Gotta appreciate a man on a soapbox.  This is one of those things that we all struggle with, keeping our visitors while providing relevant content.  Seems to me that your visitors will be more likely to bookmark your site for frequent access.  I think that keeping the visitors on your site makes sense for some professions, but this profession is about sharing of community information.

My turn on the soapbox.

As always, Mike, I applaud your instincts to do the right thing for your audience. We can both agree that openness, honesty and reliable information are the key to long term success in any business. But here's why too many links in a blog post DO NOT help the customer and DO NOT help your business:

1. If everyone packs their posts with links, all blogs are reduced to re-direct portals.
2. A successful blog is built upon unique, quality content. You're a good writer, Mike, well worth reading. People who can't write (or can't think for themselves) are forced to rely on recycled content by others. Why diminish your value by playing to the lowest common denominator?
   
3. Check out how many links your friend Scoble uses in a post. Usually, it's about two. One of those usually points to something else he (Scoble) has written.
4. Consider "time on the site." You remember - this is a stat on Google Analytics. No doubt too many links reduces audience time on your site. They may love the content they find elsewhere via your links, but if they only spent a minute and a half on your site, will they remember where they found that excellent content?

Links are an important part of a quality blog. But keep it in context and focus on your virtues - unvarnished information presented in a lively, entertaining voice. Very few people have that talent - it should be your focus, your diffferentiator.

You might consider adding a "blogroll" to your site - that's a fancy name for a collection of links. I recommend you don't add every possible link, just the really good ones. That makes you a quality editor in addition to a quality blogger. You could say something like "for more info, see my blogroll" and link to that.

Dang, it gets windy up on that soapbox. I gotta go brush my hair or something.

BTW - it's a fallacy to say that blog posts without links "trap" your audience. C'mon. We all know that your audience has the freedom to navigate away from your site at any time.

My point is that you needn't show them the door before they've had a chance to look around your house a little.

Okay, I'm really done now.

Oh, by the way, thanks for the link :)

I can think of worse things than becoming a source of information for possible clients. I'n sure it's working for you, why would you change.

Mike. I am first to admit that I haven't discovered the secret to 'converting' site visitors to living breathing  prospects who follow my contact information to get in touch.  Sending visitors away from my site at first seems counterintuitive.  Nevertheless,  I also believe that providing relevant, useful information to visitors has to be a positive factor and will be rewarded at some point, even when that information is at the end of an outbound link. 

In my other blog I try to have one link to an authority site relevant to my blog post, and one or more (not a lot) link(s) to other potentially relevant info.  I use a 'nofollow' tag for  the latter to try to stop Page Rank bleeding,  but not with my link to the authority site. My theory on this is the potential Page Rank loss from a link to a good authority site is worth the added keyword relevance that may be gained by that linking.         

Mike, I agree that providing good, local information for your visitors is key. Perhaps by the time they're ready to purchase a home instead of just shopping around, they'll think of you as the local expert. ;-)

Mike, I offer outside links to information on my website.  I think nothing of it when it is opened in a new window.  I also mix it up with onsite links though and of course the MLS listings are what they really want.  I have clients contact me all the time with compliments on having "the best website for the area" and "the one with the most information".  It keeps them coming back until they are ready to commit to a realtor.  And guess who they call?  :)

Granted, I know I don't get them all, but my business is growing month by month.

Yes, Mike.  That has been my experience.  People appreciate the service (and info links) we provide and want to work with us as a result.