Using Flash for your business site

Interesting to see how easily one thing gets stereotyped... Flash, when designed from a technical standpoint will not load slowly if the designer knows what they are doing. All the bells and whistles are a designers POV. What if I were to say... "I dont use photography at all because all pictures are grainy and underexposed" Which can be a true statement if you are looking at most beginners with a DSLR or a lot of the P&S cameras. Sure that may be an exaggeration, however to say that all flash is "bad" is misinformation. All because some are bad, doesnt mean the medium is bad in general. Are you sure its a flash site and not just straight javascript failing to load?

I am a big fan on CMS sites mainly due to the fact that they can be updated anyplace with web access. No programs needed like Flash. They utilize flash elements as well and can make a nice fast loading site.

As a part time web designer, I do not use or recommend flash, unless you are presenting some sort entertainment site.

A business site must:

• Load fast (this applies to every page not just the front page)
  
• Have no flash introduction (people will get bored and move onto someone else’s site)
  
• Have no music (your taste in music may put a potential client off)
  
• Have no repetitive moving image ( apart from being annoying, this distracts from what you are trying to promote with your site)
  
• Have navigation that is obvious and intuitive.
  
• Shallow navigation (that is it takes a potential client no more than 2 or 3 clicks to get to where they want to go)
  
• Be very obvious what it is you are selling

Use Flashblock. This gets rid of all flash stuff on a webpage. Web pages load faster, you don't have to worry about flash cookies, no flashing.

And yes, you don't see anything at all when the whole site is implemented with Flash. So yes, using Flash is just bad!

+2

PhotosGuy wrote in post #6848284
For me, no. I don't want to see your intro, wait for your site to load, & NO, I don't want to hear your music, either.
I do want to see a gallery of images so I can click on the few that I...

... I might be interested in seeing.

By all means have a button that I can click on to see your flash rendition.

I'm not sure how any of those things below directly relate to Flash? Flash sites can comply with all of those prerequisites. It is a designer's choice whether to implement those items, all of which can be implemented with or without the use of Flash.

Paparazzo wrote in post #6856421
As a part time web designer, I do not use or recommend flash, unless you are presenting some sort entertainment site.

A business site must:

• Load fast (this applies to every page not just the front page)
  
• Have no flash introduction (people will get bored and move onto someone else’s site)
  
• Have no music (your taste in music may put a potential client off)
  
• Have no repetitive moving image ( apart from being annoying, this distracts from what you are trying to promote with your site)
  
• Have navigation that is obvious and intuitive.
  
• Shallow navigation (that is it takes a potential client no more than 2 or 3 clicks to get to where they want to go)
  
• Be very obvious what it is you are selling

On a photography business site the gallery/portfolio images must load quickly, but not compromise on quality.

AndreaBFS wrote in post #6858828
I'm not sure how any of those things below directly relate to Flash? Flash sites can comply with all of those prerequisites. It is a designer's choice whether to implement those items, all of which can be implemented with or without the use of Flash.

A Flash site may not load at all. It is not a given that Flash is installed (many mobile phones do not support Flash, for example). Flash must be installed before you can see anything if there is a Flash version for your system. Flash can be blocked (see my previous post).

BTW. I don't think pure HTML can play music.

Logistics is the simple answer - you can follow a trend and make your site flash cuz all the other photogs are, which is a pretty bad excuse. Or, you can look at your customers and ask what there needs are. In this area for my print sales site flash just wouldn't work as MANY are still using dial up or slower connections since they are outside the city area on farms and such.

My higher end clients don't have time for flash to load and are working in offices so they don't want to see some stupid intro or hear your favorite song playing. They want to get in, get there images quick and get out on deadline.

Music & entertainment sites, a bit different, and you notice many still offer a non-flash option.

@Andrea: This is how your website looks like....

HOSTED PHOTO
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I have a simple flash site-- in the wedding business I found that brides take time to review the work and flash is a standard way--- I agree that many go overboard with flash. I take care to make sure my site loads quickly. In all honesty-- if someone does not have high speed internet-- probably not going to be a fit for my price point anyway.

arnie12 wrote in post #6858974
BTW. I don't think pure HTML can play music.

Actually it can, you can load a .wav or .mp3 file in the background - however that person viewing your site has no control over it (volume, stop/play, etc) except to turn there speakers off.

...but you're right about it needing to have flash installed to view.

Everyone here makes valid points with regards to your general business webpage, except for the fact that photography is an entertainment and luxury business. Thus how we present our work and entice our clients must be with a little more style and emphasis than most others. I mainly ask my clients, and the majority prefer flash with a touch of 'WOW' but at little expense to speed & ease of browsing. The only MAJOR downside Flash has is with regards to searchability, which is why I've got an HTML splash page - though I'm considering doing away with it. God knows my webpage still needs a LOT of work.

The last group I'd poll on photographic websites is POTN. We're a fickle group of such varying ages with differing pursuits of photography, we can't hardly all be after the same thing.

arnie12 wrote in post #6858974
A Flash site may not load at all. It is not a given that Flash is installed (many mobile phones do not support Flash, for example). Flash must be installed before you can see anything if there is a Flash version for your system. Flash can be blocked (see my previous post).

BTW. I don't think pure HTML can play music.

Obviously any designer who uses Flash knows that people who don't want to see Flash can block it. For me, that tiny percentage of chance is not a deal breaker. I don't want people experiencing my sites on a mobile phone, so that's covered for me.

You don't need Flash to play music nor do you need Flash to have annoying moving elements, slow loading pages, intro pages, etc.

TeeTee.....

Yep, with so many different types of photography and different types of clients there's no way photographer A will be after the same type as photographer B. Which is why you look at what your clients want first.

arnie12 wrote in post #6859051
@Andrea: This is how your website looks like....

And that's fine with me. I've never been one to worry about the 1.5% of people who choose not to see Flash due to irrational assumptions. Most of them were never going to be my customers in the first place.

I think it depends on your market and what kind of photography you are doing.