Re: Flash in the pan

From: Matt Bateman <bateman_m_at_hotmail.com>
Date: Tue 25 Apr 2000 07:25:23 MDT

PATRICIA PHILIPS WROTE:
> I would be interested in knowing of all the people in
> this group and their clients, who has a flash intro on
> their site and how often is it just skipped over? I
> think flash is visually interesting, but it doesn't
> seem to be useful in communicating to an audience who
> uses a modem. Why even bother?

Patricia,

I find that about half of the people who visit my Flash
sites view the introduction. Why bother, well the
answer to this question is dependant upon the nature
of the site, and it's intended audience. If your site
is targeted to users which will likely have modern
browsers with relatively quick internet access (a 56K
modem is usually fast enough), and will WANT to be
dazzled by internet technology, then it is a useful
tool to promote and enhance your site.

Another reason to use Flash on a web site (not for an
introduction, but simply as the site's interface) is
it's ability to compress most media forms and house
'loading' loops. I have found that using an interactive
Flash movie to display a web site is much quicker than
displaying the site in regular HTML format (and it has
the addition of supporting more advanced music and
animation). For example, one web site I developed has
both a Flash version and a regular version. The Flash
version of the site (it is about a 20 page web site)
loads in approximately 35 seconds, while the basic
version takes up to 10 seconds initially, and then
each page takes 3-5 seconds to load (on a 56K modem).
So, the Flash version is actually faster, but loads
all at once right at the beginning. This problem is
overcome if your Flash developer is competent enough
to create an interesting 'loading' loop while the site
is loading. Small arcade style games like Tetris,
Breakout or shooters can be made to entertain visitors
while they wait for the site to load. This way, the
visitor only has to wait ONCE at the beginning of the
web site, and while everything is loading, they are
occupied with a small game!

Sincerely,
Matt Bateman

Mana Studios Web Development Organization
Project Co-ordinator: bateman_m_at_hotmail.com




Received on Tue Apr 25 2000 - 08:25:23 CDT