Hi ya,

For what it is worth as an "old, gnarled" vet of 8 years on the net..

I HATE banners! I find them very distracting and in many cases, confuses the surfer. By confusion, I mean that there is so much stuff to "see" that finding the link to the "goodies" becomes almost challenging. And the one thing you don't want to do is make it too challenging for surfers..many of whom are still learning how their browser works. grin

Unless you're getting good "payback" from banners, I wouldn't have them on your site. And unless they are placed just so, I think they detract so much from the identity and beauty of YOUR own site.

My two cents.
Good luck!