Flash, your opinion?

[sbdi]

Who here uses flash for there site? Would it be safe to make a whole site out of flash? When would you use a flash intro and flash on the actual page

[psalzer]

I'm on a mission to find out why so many designers are using it at all, so I probably shouldn't be posting here, but..
I think you're only safe in doing a whole site with Flash if your site has no interest or value to anyone who doesn't have a relatively powerful computer with loads of RAM and a broadband connection and who isn't using any kind of special accessiblity software to access the web.

I'd really like to know what it is that it's going to be able to do in the future, that makes people so enamored of it. I can see that there are some things it's really good for now, but it's used in lots of places where it doesn't seem to be needed at all. Can someone enlighten me?

[mfarmerhi]

I'm trying to think of an analogy... Hmmm, it's not coming

Nevertheless, here's my (humble) opinion,

Flash is a waystep in the development of the web. The web is changing from a static medium to a dynamic medium. This is occurring in more ways than one: from "Here, this is the info on this site" to "Choose what info you want presented," from "Ohh! Look at the pretty picture" to "Ohh! _Watch_ the picture_s_."

Imagine TV with only still, unmoving photos. For the most part this is where much of the web is at. This is fine for static info. (An oxymoron at best - Look to news developments, world knowledge, even web design techniques - "static info" which continues to change and develop.) The power of the internet is delivering info (including pictures - a photo is worth a thousand....) dynamically.

Flash is not the end, only one step in the process. As with any new idea, and really, for it to develop past where it is now, people will have to play with it. This means suffering through many unnecessary uses as it develops into the next level, where it will, in the end, expand the power of the internet.

Exotic Hawaii: Life the life of your dreams!
http://exotichawaii.com

[mjames]

Flash can be a great asset to a site when it is used properly. For business and professional sites, I do not recommend a flash intro. Flash is more of a "cool, hip" feature that can be used on personal pages, design companies, or sites of that sort.

[psalzer]

OK..I'm really trying here. I need to be able to have an intelligent conversation about this with much younger people who are better designers, in artistic terms, than I could ever hope to be. So, I get the cool and hip. I also get that what's cool and hip on the web is going to be trite and old in about 5 minutes. Remember 3d graphics? Animated GIFs? They were cool and hip, too, a couple of years ago. Retro art..cool and hip a couple of months ago. So, when you say it can be an asset..I just want to know how?
Of course, the designers I'm talking about are putting Flash on business pages, which is not what you're talking about. But I'm trying for insight any way I can get it.

[big_al]

Flash "Cool, Hip?" YES!! If you use it in the right ways.
A Fancy flash intro for a new site targeting the younger community, YES! An information site? NO!

Flash like any other form of advertising material has to be well planned out, because thats what you are basicaly doing, Selling your site. If you have a blane "boring" looking site then someone might just hit that back button.

But all this is not to say to use flash on every site.
Like with advertising you need to figure out the pros and the cons.

Flash has the ability to "WOW!" people, but in many circumstances people just want your content.
Flash does take a while to load and if it is just "thrown together" will leave your audiance disapointed.

So my best advice is, Think to yourself, 1) Do I really need Flash? (2)Will my audiance want Flash? (3)Do I have enough time to make a GOOD Flash site?

And finaly ALWAYS give your audiance and option to SKip the intro or for a non flash site is you decide to use flash.

[mjames]

If you have a blane "boring" looking site then someone might just hit that back button.

This is not always true. Content-based sites don't need fancy graphics, features, etc. to accomplish their purpose - which is distributing content to visitors. Visitors come for the content, expecting nothing less, and it should be easy for them to get it.

[Elledan]

Check out http://www.newgrounds.com

This is a site totally based on Flash (navigation, content, everything).

This is an example of how Flash must be used. Since the content consists out of Flash-movies, the rest of the site is Flash-based as well.

PS: this is one of my favourite sites

[CJ]

Originally posted by psalzer
I'm on a mission to find out why so many designers are using it at all, so I probably shouldn't be posting here, but..
I think you're only safe in doing a whole site with Flash if your site has no interest or value to anyone who doesn't have a relatively powerful computer with loads of RAM and a broadband connection and who isn't using any kind of special accessiblity software to access the web.

I'd really like to know what it is that it's going to be able to do in the future, that makes people so enamored of it. I can see that there are some things it's really good for now, but it's used in lots of places where it doesn't seem to be needed at all. Can someone enlighten me?

You don't need broadband access to display Flash. The file are much smaller than GIFs and stuff like that and it is streaming media.

Christophe

[mjames]

Originally posted by Elledan
Check out http://www.newgrounds.com

This is a site totally based on Flash (navigation, content, everything).

This is an example of how Flash must be used. Since the content consists out of Flash-movies, the rest of the site is Flash-based as well.

PS: this is one of my favourite sites

Wow, thanks for the recommendation, Elledan. That site is quite cool.

[TWTCommish]

Flash is, in my opinion, a fad of sorts. It won't fade away, but it won't be "all the rage" like it is now. I don't see entire sites being made in Flash becoming anymore common...information will always reign...

[mfarmerhi]

I may have not gotten my point across very well. Pictues, particularly moving pictures _are_ information.

Imagine logging on to you computer makers website for info on replacing the hard drive or adding memory. Instead of porviding a still schematic they could provide a flash animation showing how to remove the cover, where the item is inserted, and how it is installed.... Imagine going to a cooking site and rather than reading instructions for dressing a turkey they provided an an animation showing how to do it.

Again, my prediction is that in two to five years, as technology (read processing and download speeds) increase the majority of web sites will provide moving (dynamic) pictures and changing (dynamic) information. It will be the sites with still photos, drawings, and articles that will look old fashioned and archaic.

Flash might not be it but it is a step on the way.


Exotic Hawaii
Live the life of your dreams!
http://exotichawaii.com

[TWTCommish]

For tutorials and such, yes, moving parts and pictures beat all (I learned most of what I know about HTML from a Flash tutorial)...but I don't know if it will get to the point where it's used in place of good old-fashoined text content...

[mjames]

Originally posted by TWTCommish
For tutorials and such, yes, moving parts and pictures beat all (I learned most of what I know about HTML from a Flash tutorial)...but I don't know if it will get to the point where it's used in place of good old-fashoined text content...

Exactly. When people go to a web site for the content and info, they don't want to deal with all the fancy flash and technology. They want the straight facts.

[psalzer]

Yes, it happened to me today. I went to the Macromedia site trying to find some information about Dreamweaver site management. Now, the information is probably there someplace, but when I went to site management I got an animated tutorial/demonstration which pretty much only covered things I was already familiar with. Macromedia is usually more restrained than many designers in use of Flash, but in this case I couldn't really see what the animation added to the utility of the tutorial, plus, the format made it so that I couldn't see ahead of time what was going to be covered and, therefore, skip it if it wasn't what I needed. I've benefited from Shockwave tutorials, too. Especially the ones that simulate a software environment you might not actually have installed on your computer. But this struck me as Flash for the sake of Flash and not as useful as it would have been in straight HTML. And that's what I don't get..just using it because it's there.

[sbdi]

Woohoo!!! i made the hot thread thing

[Elledan]

Flash is an extremely good way to avoid browser incompatibility issues. Right now I'm struggling with another site of which the table won't stay at 760 pixels while I don't see any reason why it stays 800 pixs... ARGH!