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just what I was looking for thanks

it must be blocked using the robots.txt file. Submitting http://mydomain.com/folder/ would remove all objects which reside under that folder including all web pages, images, documents and files.

i would say that it's ok to have outbound links on your site as long as the links are to established trusted sites. More on the topic on this link including a quote from Matt Cutts on this question . http://lincontex.com/the-missing-link/googles-matt-cutts-vindicates-controversial-theory-behind-lincontex-com/