JoelDrapperI totally agree. I've got a client that's wants to set up a forum on a new website that doesn't already have a large community, and doesn't even have much traffic passing through, so am trying to explain this to them.
nivuI think you're absolutely right when you say that a site should reflect a mision statement. I don't agree with you on leaving the mision statement out. I look for them to see how a company is different. Are they focussing on me, the customer or are they focussing on great products? It is open for debate whether one would need a mission statement for that. I find it a useful tool in the cases I just gave an example of.