Pathauto is something that most OSU Drupal 7 users won't touch in terms of configuration, but there is a chance that different users will benefit from some of the functions and operations the module provides. It's a very powerful utility module that can help with such things as:
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Creating convenience for content authors - they don't have to create the web address because the system does it for them
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Partitioning sites out - which is especially helpful if a site is group based
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Providing a means to create contexts based on a URL structure
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Search engine optimization
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Rapid, batch updates
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Automatic redirections
...and more.
So let's take a look at some of these things...