What bothers me is when layer effects are added to type it often radically changes the nature of the original type and often not for the better.

Yves,
Maybe the Typophile Powers That Be should put up a new banner... something like "Do NOT look here for free fonts".
It's getting endemic, lately.
Poor students, poor designers, poor everybody.

The banner should say instead "Do NOT ask us for free versions of commercial fonts", since there are some fonts that were intended by their designers to be distributed for free.

I agree such wording should be in the opening of the FAQ in prominent (RED) letters. Maybe even a brief rationale for that, if necessary.