Questions regarding PR transfer

[obrother]

I think I have a pretty good handle on the PR transfer formula, but there are a couple of issues that I don't really understand, and I'm hoping someone can help.

First, I'm wondering if having multiple links from one page to another (rather than just a single link) affects the overall PR transfer. Using the "voting" metaphor, can one page vote multiple times for another page?

For example, if page1 has 10 links, 3 of which go to page2, is page2 getting 30% of page1's PR transfer?

A real example of this would be the seo-guy index/default page, which includes several "SEO Forum" links. Does this mean that the index/default page is casting several votes for the "SEO Forum" page, or is it just one vote? Do the additional links have an effect (in terms of seo) or are they simply redundant? Is the answer the same regardless of whether the links are internal links or external links?

Changing the example a little, let's say that the anchor text varied between the links. Thus, instead of just having several "SEO Forum" links, let's say you have the links "SEO Forums" "SEO Community" and "SEO Help" also pointing to the forums page. Now if one page can vote multiple times for another page, clearly the anchor text is a relevant factor, since it is essentially describing the vote. If on the other hand additional links from one page to another do not count as additional votes, does the differing anchor text on the redundant links still provide keyword weight to the page on the receiving end of the link?

I realize I'm moving away from pure PR transfer, but I'm also wondering if the location of the link on a page has any bearing on PR transfer, particularly with respect to keyword relevance. In other words, assuming that a spider has no issues in terms of finding the link, is there any reason that a "vote" coming from near the top of the page would be treated different than a "vote" coming from near the bottom?

One more related question (for now), I tend to use relative links for internal pages (e.g., <a href="index.html">) rather than absolute links, but I've read a couple posts here which seem to suggest that this isn't a good thing in terms of PR transfer, and I've noticed that this site tends to use an absolute linking structure. Could someone let me know if this really is an issue in terms of PR transfer, and, if so, why it's an issue?

Thanks for the help :D

--David

[obrother]

Let me try this again. A yes/no answer to any of the following 5 questions would be greatly appreciated. Explanations would also be helpful, but I'd be happy with any help I can get.

1) Do multiple links pointing from one page to another have an effect in terms of seo (or are multiple links simply redundant)?

2) Is the answer to question #1 the same regardless of whether the links are internal links or external links?

3) If the answer to question #1 is that these multiple links are redundant, would differing anchor text on the redundant links still provide keyword weight to the page on the receiving end of the link?

4) Does the location of the link on a page have any bearing on PR transfer (particularly with respect to keyword relevance for the receiving page)?

5) Is there a reason (in terms of seo) why one should use absolute (internal) links rather than relative links?

Thanks for your help.

--David

[jocelyn]

1- Only one link will count, the most upper left one.

2- For internal or external, yes.

3- Does not change a thing because of #1.

4- PR is supposed to be split evenly among links.

5- Relative is excellent for all but to point to home you should use www.name.com

[obrother]

Thanks much jocelyn. I do appreciate it. :D