By Angela Rohner
The Downfalls: This is one of those popular debate
topics in web design forums. What types of web sites
should use this new technology and what types of sites
should not? If you have ever visited a site that asked
you to download the Flash 3 or 4 plugin, then you
know exactly what this article is trying to portray.
For those that are not familiar with Flash: Flash
is a plugin and program developed by Macromedia that
gives sites dynamic animation and interactivity. The
only downfall is that in order to view sites that
use this technology, you must first download the plugin,
which on some computers can take anywhere from 5 minutes
to 15 mintues depending on your connection speeds.
This is not an obstacle for most surfers, since many
are now leaning towards cable connections. But for
some, it isn't a matter of fast or slow loading -
some surfers are very cautious about what they download
from the internet, and they may see this "Download
Now" box as threatening to their system. Some
surfers do not even go into sites that require plugins
for this reason only. And some do not enter because
they do not like waiting for components and animations
to load. These are the people that want the information
that they went to the site for - not to watch an animated
bear introduce them to the site.
E-Commerce and Flash Don't Mix: It is not advised
for E-commerce sites to use Flash Technology. The
purpose of an e-commerce site is to sell items to
consumers that visit their site. The visitors want
to see the products and get the information quickly
and easily. By implementing an e-commerce site in
Flash, that company is limiting the amount of consumers
that go into the site, and could potentially lose
sales because of this. Most sites that use Flash also
offer an HTML version for the customers that do not
have the plugin, or that choose not to download the
plugin. This is strongly advised for all companies
to do that use Flash in their E-commerce site. Let's
put it this way: If you owned a company that sold
products, and this company was on an island in the
pacific very close to the shore, would you require
that everyone that wants to go into your store obtain
a boat to get to your store? Or would you build a
bridge for them to cross? Better yet, you probably
would have been better to build it on the main shore
in the first place for "easy access". This
is the problem with Flash today. Until at least 98%
of the consumers out there have their Flash plugins
already installed, it is not advised to implement
an E-commerce site in Flash. Of course, that is ultimately
the company's decision.
The Good Side of Flash:
Yes, Flash does have its good points. Flash is very
beneficial to Entertainment web sites. Sites that
are mainly for entertainment purposes and do not run
the risk of driving sales away are ideal for Flash
Technology. Informational sites are also starting
to use Flash in parts of their sites to depict moving
images and sound as a guided tour or clips of information
that make the site more interesting. Flash is also
great for children and game sites. With Flash Technology,
your site can interact with the visitors in the form
of games or funny cartoons. It adds fun and excitement
to the web with sounds of music, voices, and colorful
moving images and pictures. So yes, Flash can be very
good for some sites.
Bottom Line: If you have an E-commerce site, do not
limit those that can view and purchase from your site.
If you own an Entertainment or Artistic site that
needs the technology of Flash, but that will not hinder
the purpose of your site, then by all means, Flash
like there's no tomorrow.
About The Author
Article by Angela Rohner, webmaster of AceHosts.com.
AceHosts.com was created to help you find the perfect
web hosting company, and to easily understand the
terms used in web hosting if you are unfamiliar with
some of the hosting terms. Visit AceHosts at http://www.acehosts.com
