There are two competing views of how to determine authority in the world of search. Google looks at the number of inbound links a site receives. Ask.com, by contrast, tends to look more at the number of outbound links from a site. Borrowing from the wheel analogy, I call this the “hub vs. spoke" debate. Ask tends to believe that a site with a lot of outbound links on a particular topic is a hub of useful information and resources. Google, by contrast, tends to look for the most useful spoke (i.e. the page most people end up on eventually), although its position on this may be changing.
 
More generally, Google has always tracked "related sites, you can see what Google pairs you with by typing site: yourdomain.com into the query box, then clicking on the "similar sites" link from the result. What sort of company are you keeping? You may be somewhat confused by the sites you see there, but don't worry too much. The key point is that some of them are based on your outbound links.
 
A more interesting way to explore interrelationships is to pay a visit to the visually stunning kartoo.com. Try searching on your business name to see how your site relates (in keyword terms) to your competitors.

I generally recommend that clients do consider linking out from their site (where appropriate) to other high quality websites that are on a similar topic or theme to their own. Generally, you should target sites with a Page Rank PR7 or better for best effect. Use keyword-rich links to make the connection. Avoid placing such links on "money pages" or anywhere else where an exit could prove fatal to a key customer journey.