 To Flash or Not To
Flash
Pros and
Cons of Flash-based Sites
Flash-based sites have been a popular choice over the past
few years, and as Macromedia 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 attractive Flash-based games.
This whole new level of interactivity will always leave
visitors coming back for more.
A standardized
site
With Flash, you do not have to
worry about cross-browser compatibility. No more drama over
how a certain 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
through animation
In Flash, one can make use of
its animating features to convey a message in a much more
efficient and effective way. Flash is a lightweight option
for animation because it is 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 decrease
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 wouldn't be able to index
your content. Hence, you will not 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 some visitors might just lose their patience
and click the Back button. The longer your Flash takes to
load, the more you risk losing visitors.
The best way to go is to use
Flash only when you absolutely need the interactivity and
motion that comes with it. Otherwise, use a mixture of
Flash and HTML or use pure text if your site is purely to
present simple textual and graphical
information.
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