Is having a Flash on your website a necessity nowadays? It seems that more and more sites are becoming complicated because of over designing. Could that be possible? What do you think?

Flash is a great way to add depth, motion, and dynamic elements to a web page. Some of the most popular websites in the world use Flash. Sites like CNN and MSNBC use Flash elements almost exclusively for advertisement (which can get annoying at times).

Then again, it depends on the website. The most visited website in the world (google) doesn't use any Flash. Ebay only uses Flash sparingly on occasion.

I think what matters most is making the website interesting and useful. If you can do that using Flash (either for elements of the site, or for the whole site itself), then more power to you. But in no way is it a necessity.

Pete

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Reverend Pete
Code Of Paint
Learn to program using Flash

I have to agree if Pete and I will add that you use what is pertinent to your site. As you said there is overkill on many sites. Keep that in mind as you design your concept. Remember if you want your visitors to be comfortable, you should be comfortable .

I think that too much flash can be disruptive to a site. I would definitely prefer an informative, less complicated site to a busier site. If you must have flash, I feel it's essential to make it skippable. As far as a necessity, I would not say this is true.

Again it depends on design and usability My first site is all flash. My second and third site is flash and css mix.

Flash provides everything you need to create and deliver rich web content and powerful applications. Whether you're designing motion graphics or building data-driven applications, Flash has the tools to produce great results and deliver the best user experience across multiple platforms and devices.

Flash is extremely well suited to creating content for delivery over the Internet because its files are very small. Flash achieves this through its extensive use of vector graphics. Vector graphics require significantly less memory and storage space than bitmap graphics because they are represented by mathematical formulas instead of large data sets. Bitmap graphics are larger because each individual pixel in the image requires a separate piece of data to represent it.

Rich Internet applications - These include a wide spectrum of applications that provide a rich user interface for displaying and manipulating remotely stored data over the Internet. A rich Internet application could be a calendar application, a price-finding application, a shopping catalog, an education and testing application, or any other application that presents remote data with a graphically rich interface.

These are the reason people are going with Flash nowadays. So better go with flash.

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Karpagarajan. R
Necessity is the mother of invention

IMHO flash makes sites overcomplicated, makes loading time unbearable, and the whole surfing experience inadequate.

Yes, it can provide some nice eye candies, but not much more.

Plus, search engines do not like flash, so your SEO will suffer from it.

I'm not a fan of websites with loads of different flash pieces on. It slows the website down and can be really annoying if it flashing/making sounds etc.

Of course websites that are totally flash look good lots of the times but those can be a hassle too.

I dont think so. I wont suggest you to use flash for every websites for the reason that, it loads slow comparing to css layouts. If site is dynamic I wont suggest it. If you are making site for entertainment than I would advise you to use it.

I agree with Reverend Pete's points.

I think a while ago there was a tendency to over-use it, especially for intros. I appreciate the ability to skip tedious intros.

I think it's an excellent choice for Google to not have it. When I go there, I'm usually actively searching for something and I appreciate not having to wait for a flash presentation.

I think flash is taking things to far... direct response is what matters I have already said this but it is so true...

FLash has lowered my conversions from testing...

Josaih

Can you explain how you used it and why you think that happened that way?