Yes, I agree - there are better ways than a huge tab. An entry on a pulldown menu, I wouldn't mind at all.

What a lot of companies do now is to install shortcuts to your desktop when you install the software. To their company web site, to their partners' web sites. Often with offers: get $50 free when you open an account at INGDirect! Get $10 off if you upgrade using this link! It's still a bit annoying, have your desktop suddenly scattered with this sort of icon, but it's easy to fix: drag and drop them to the Recycle Bin, and they're gone. I suspect most people do click them to check them out, especially if there's a coupon or some such thing attached. They can then bookmark the page for later use, and discard the icon. No muss, no fuss.