Ideally, you want to trace to the server that is having problems. If you're playing an online game and having lag / latency problems, then you want to trace to that server. If you're using VoIP and having voice quality problems, you want to trace to your VoIP server. If you can't do that, then your next best choice is a server in the same network area as the server you're having problems with. Sometimes, this can be the web server for the providing company, but often it is not. The next best choice is a reliable internet server (any one) that you know works well - that way you can eliminate (or not) your ISP as the culprit. Since all your packets are going to use your ISP (that's what your ISP does), if you have reliability problems tracing to a known-good server, and that problem shows up at hop 1 or hop 2, then you know it's an ISP problem.

- Pete