Business Articles
Flash and it's role in websites
What's Flash about?
When it comes to developing a website, there are many options to consider. And with the new technologies available, its becoming even harder to capture your audience. One of the tried and tested ways is the use of Flash, a piece of software that allows you to create interactive and animated projects.
Ever since its birth in 1995 by the developers at Macromedia, Flash has grown from a simple animation builder to a full blown application, animation and interactive design tool. Flash is also widely recognised across the world, with 98% of computers having the required Flash plugin that allows them to view Flash files. However, it's use across the internet is often looked down upon by some, and in recent years it has recieved a bad reputation for many reasons.
Where is Flash?
If you visit any big website these days you are likely to find some sort of Flash animation or application. Whether it be the adverts at the top of the site, a media player or any other creation that uses Flash technology, you will notice how widely it is used across the internet, and often how attractive the animations and interactivity can be.
Some websites like Mousebreaker.net or Nickelodeon.co.uk use Flash in many areas of their site to appeal to their target audience, through the use of games and movies that make the visit to the website more memorable and enjoying. You may also notice design companies building their entire site in Flash to show their skills, which is vital when trying to win contracts for Flash jobs.
If it's so widely used, why does it have a bad reputation?
Flash's bad repuation is often linked to accessibility issues and long download times for large files. And although Macromedia are constantly trying to make Flash more accessible to every internet user, the use of Flash in a website may result in some visitors not reaching the content they want. This in turn could result in a loss of customers, which is bad for any website.
Flash also has a bad history with search engines. The "spiders" search engines use to index websites into their databases often find it hard to pick up Flash files, damaging rankings. So if your website will be fully in Flash, it is often advisable to have a HTML alternative to not only improve search engine rankings, but to also cater for every visitor.
So what are the pro's of Flash?
If you or your designer is able to create attractive projects in Flash, then it is likely that the animations and interactivity in your project will attract attention and make your project stand out from the rest. 98% of computers also have the required Flash plugin that allows them to view Flash projects, so most people will see your file.
Also, Flash is widely used across the world so you'll find no shortage of dedicated Flash sites, forums, tutorials and much more where you can learn about Flash and how to make your own projects.
Would Flash work for my website?
The decision to use Flash for your website is likely to depend on the following questions:
1) Would animations and interactivity appeal to my visitors?
2) Would visitors be patient enough to wait around for the file to load if the Flash file is very large?
3) Can the effect I want be achieved in some other way than Flash?
4) Do I have the money to buy Flash or pay a designer to build it for me?
If your answers to the above questions are all "no", then it is likely that Flash is not for you. But if the answers are a firm "yes" than Flash may be the perfect way of capturing your audience and making your site more fun to visit and help improve the repuation of your website.
To find out more about Flash, visit the Macromedia website for more information.
Source: Rich Hampson. Business and Music
Rich Hampson is a website and new media designer who runs On Link Media
All articles reproduced with permission from This Is Your Business