Flash animations in web
designs
Flash is a programming tool used to add video-like
animation to a website. Like Java
applets, Flash animations are small programs that can be
embedded into HTML pages. Flash is more stable in most web browsers,
meaning it is less likely to "freeze-up" your computer.
Notice we said less likely.
If you are interested in Flash, visit Macromedia's website for their "site of the
day" and their other examples of Flash used in website design.
You can download the plug-in for your browser while you are there.
If you have time on your hands and are not opposed to political
lampooning, visit JibJab
for more examples of Flash.
Flash gives your web page a movie-like effect for
those visitors who have the right version of Macromedia's Shockwave
Flash player installed on their computer. Site visitors who don't
have the right version are faced with a choice -- download and
install the new piece of software or move on down the Internet
superhighway.
You can add animations and videos to your HTML webs
pages without "flashing' people. Here is a link to a webpage we created that lets you
click on a link or an image of a LNG tanker under construction to
see a simulation video of the tanker in operation. If the visitor
wants to see the video, they click; if they don't, they have a web
page full of information. Either way, they learn about LNG tankers.
If you followed the above links -- to Macromedia's'
Flash examples and to our embedded video -- you now know that
animations, even small ones, take a little time to load, even on
high-speed Internet connections. Consider whether people will wait
around for a video to download when you contemplate your website's
content.
What we've found is that a few people will wait
around to see a video once, but very, very few people watch a second
time. Additionally, videos and other animations add to the cost of
website design and operation. If you install them on your website,
be sure to give people an option to see your message in another way.
They may not have time to watch. They may not have all the gee-whiz
stuff on their computer that you have on yours. They may not be
inclined to download, even if it is a free player.
Email info@oakridgewebdesigns.com
if you have questions.
Flashing
people with your website