Here is a great article on web design and user interface.
It is ironic that in a high speed broadband world, the best properties have a dial-up simple look and feel. Think about it. Google, Wikipedia et al. have a look of an interface straight from 1995 - no graphics, no video, no Flash - just utility, grace and ease of use.
Utility always wins over style. Never try to trick a consumer to generate fake page views. Keep navigation simple. Everything should be easy to find and one click away. Live and learn. Good article here from BusinessWeek.
on this very interesting note Ted – aren’t you amazed by the complexity & cluttered interface of the Washingtonpost.com site? I’d love for you to address the site in a future post!