Things To Consider When Building Flash-Based Sites

Flash-based sites have been a craze since the past few years, and as Macro media compiles more and more great characteristics into Flash, we can only predict there will be more and more flash sites around the Internet. Nonetheless, Flash based sites have been disputed to be bloated and unnecessary. Where exactly do we draw the line? Here's a simple breakdown. by FerdinandEmy Flash-based sites have been a craze since the past few years, and as Macro media compiles more and more great features into Flash, we can only predict there will be more and more flash sites around the Internet. However, Flash based sites have been disputed to be bloated and unnecessary. Where exactly do we draw the line? Here's a simple breakdown. The good: Interactivity Flash's Action script opens up a vast field of possibilities. Programmers and designers have used Flash to create interactive features ranging from very lively feedback forms to fascinating Flash-based games. This whole novel level of interactivity will Regularly leave visitors coming back for more. A standardized site With Flash, you do not have to worry about cross-browser compatibility. No more woes over how a sure CSS code displays differently in Internet Explorer, Firefox and Opera. When you position your site elements in Flash, they will Always appear as they are as long as the user has Flash Player installed. Better expression via animation In Flash, one may make use of its animating features to convey a message in a much more efficient and effective way. Flash is a lightweight preference for animation because its vector based (and hence smaller file sizes) as opposed to real "movie files" that are raster based and hence much larger in size. The bad and the ugly: The Flash player People have to download the Flash player in advance before they can view Flash movies, so by using Flash your visitor range will decrement considerably because not everyone will be willing to download the Flash player just to view your site. You'll also have to put in additional work in redirecting the user to the Flash download page if he or she doesn't have the player installed. Site optimization If your content was presented in Flash, most search engines would not be able to index your content. Thus, you won't be able to rank well in search engines and there will be less traffic heading to your site. Loading time Users have to wait longer than usual to load Flash content compared to regular text and images, and a good number of visitors might just lose their patience and click the Back button. The lengthier your Flash takes to load, the more you hazard losing visitors. The best way to go is to employ Flash only when you absolutely need the interactivity and motion that comes with it. Otherwise, utilise a combination of Flash and HTML or utilize pure text if your site is purely to present simple textual and graphical data. About the Author: Learn more about Custom Web Design now Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites