Google AutoLink, Enhancing User Experience or Stealing Traffic?
This overview of what people are saying about Google AutoLinks compiled by kuro5hin.org (via Phil) presents many different points of view.
From what I see, it’s not so much about modifying the content as fiddling with traffic. I have a right to direct the traffic that comes to my website as I see fit.
I’ve seen some people compare AutoLinks to having a butler that anticipates your needs and finds information for you just in case you might want to use it. I think a better analogy is comparing a website to a store and your website traffic to people in your store.
Lets say you invite a manufacturer’s representative to your store. The manufacturer’s rep will educate your customers about products you sell in your store, increase your sales, and enhance the experience of your customers. It might also enhance the experience of your customers to invite a salesman from a competing store to educate your customers about what the competing store has to offer, but it certainly wouldn’t be good for your sales.
Google AutoLinks aren’t going to distinguish between a manufacturer sales rep helping to boost your sales and a competing store stealing customers. It seems to me that AutoLinks is just about the equivalent of hot-linking to images on someone else’s website.