Flash is a technology that helps make viewing Web sites more like watching movies and films. They allow the screen contents to “flash” on and off in such a way to attract and keep the viewer’s attention.
Viewing Pages with Flash
Whenever you type in the Web address or URL of a page that uses Flash technology, you’ll have the opportunity to view the page with or without Flash. Most importantly, you’re going to want to have a high-speed broadband Internet connection, and you also might need Macromedia Version 6 or better (Macromedia is the name of the company that created Flash). Sites with Flash take a long time to load, and if you don’t have a broadband Internet connection, then loading the site could take a very long time. Dial-up users who have tried to access a site that is using Flash will be familiar with the loading bar that comes up on the screen.
The following are some examples of Web sites that use Flash:
- http://www.procollegefootball.com/
- http://www.graphicsandbeyond.com/flash/home.htm
- http://www.webcoastdesign.com/flash/main.php
Using Flash on Your Own Web Site
There are definite advantages and disadvantages to using Flash technology on your own Web site.
Advantages
Users with high-speed Internet connections will be able to appreciate all of the hard work you put into your site. Your site will look very attractive, and very artistic if you spend enough time on it. Flash is great for giving demonstrations of products, for developing interactive games and will quickly spice-up an otherwise boring or plain site.
Disadvantages
Not everyone has a high-speed Internet connection, and those who do not will not be able to easily access your site. Sites with flash can take some time to load, even with a high-speed Internet connection, so it’s important to carefully consider how much flash you’re actually incorporating into your HTML code. Most users visit Web sites strictly for information and resources, not a pretty presentation (though first impressions never hurt).
Also, if being crawled and ranked by search engines is important to you and your business, most major search engines’ spiders cannot crawl sites that are coded with Flash.
Flash tends to be used for smaller sites, since this makes the site easier to load. One of the best ways to incorporate Flash into your Web site is to simply use it in the into the Web site itself.
