Run of site links - Google poison or juice?

It is natural to think that many links would be better than one. But, lets think about that for a second. If you were Google, would you consider a single link from within an article on a website to a site to be a more authoritative vote of confidence than a link to that same site but which is repeated on every page of the site in the same place?

Put differently, from an SEO point of view, what is more valuable, a single link from within a paragraph of text or a run of site link on the bottom of every page.

I feel that Google would prefer the single natural appearing link over the apparently paid-for run-of-site link. But, I also think it's pretty gray.

For instance, think about a blog. Aren't my listing of "blogs I like" on the sidebar, which are run of site links, a significant statement of endorsement?



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