Questions for Web-Designers / Web Developers / Flash gurus etc.

Hello Stavros and welcome to TWF!

There are a lot of knowledgeable and friendly people in this community, glad you found it.

Please take the time to post and introduction to tell everyone more about yourself (ie, are you vegetarian - like me - ?)

Regarding Flash, I think the trend towards sites entirely built with Flash has peaked and is now declining. Flash is still de rigeur in certain industries eg fashion, but many "Web 2.x" communities depend on other technologies such as php/mysql. As sophistication about SEO/SEM has increased, and competition for listing ranks increases, Flash is recognized as a potential liability.

Your questions:

1. What decision making leads you to using flash in your websites?

Certain animations are best handled by Flash. Also, flv is a pretty universal video format.

2. Does it depend on the client to decide if they want you to use flash? Or is it up to you?

If a client requests Flash, and it is a good use of it, no problem. I have seen sites that use flash for a logo that could have been a png. If I see a good use for Flash, I would just go ahead and use it if there are no downsides, no need to consult with the client.

3. Once you have decided to use flash within one of your websites, how doyou judge if it should be completely done in flash or a mix of html/flash?

I refrain from sites entirely built in Flash because

1. Flash is bad for SEO/SEM
2. Flash requires someone who knows Flash to update it (unless some content is supplied via XML, but that still has limitations, compared to a WYSIWYG-capable CMS such as Drupal

As a Web Developer who works 85% of the time with Drupal, I rarely use Flash. When I do, and it is complex, I subcontract a partner who happens to be in Hyderabad who specializes in Flash.

Recently, I was Project Manager for the rebuilding of a Flash site for an artist's portfolio and events, a good use of Flash IMO, had to be rebuilt because producer lost the fla, and the SoThink fla extractor did not work on it. My partner did the actual Flash, and we added image and news management with XML which was not in the original. The project came out great, it is live at http://artistandrea.com/ and we both got totally ripped off by the producer. He never got the fla, but we never got paid....

I don't agree with this. I think Flash is best used in niche situations (such as interactive features and video). The SEO and accessibility issues really are a big problem. I've also found that Flash sites are more time consuming to build and more difficult to update.

This chart basically sums it up as far as full site design goes.

Otherwise it's mainly about which technology can best accomplish what I need to do. If ajax/Javascript can accomplish what I need, then I feel that that's a more suitable method. I generally prefer to work with native web technologies as much as possible. The exception is video - flash is currently the best way to embed video.

I also don't really have a lot of flash expertise anymore. It's most efficient to use tools I'm already familiar with, or things that work well with tools I already use.

I work for a large organization so this isn't really an issue for me. Usually the technologies used are up to me. If someone really wanted a full flash site I'd probably try really hard to talk them out of it. I don't really have the skills to do that anyway.

If I was ever in doubt, I'd check this chart again.

Hi, welcome to TWF! Hope your research is successful.

I also disagree. It's going in the opposite direction in my opinion, being used for adverts and embedded videos (which will soon be superceded by the <video> tag).

Need a video player, or an advertiser gives us a Flash advert.

Both. I don't know Flash very well anymore and would try to steer a customer in the direction of HTML/CSS/Javascript, if possible.

I would only create an entire site in Flash if forced to do so. Flash is an open file format, but there are (almost) no players other than the one provided by Adobe.

Whenever an aspect of the Web is controlled by a single company we have a problem, without competition that control will inevitably lead to hindrance of the field of computing in general, and the Web in particular. See the lack of 64 bit Flash, or Flash for different processor architectures. A version for Linux has only just now become workable, after years of waiting.

The openness and simplicity of the Web creates competition, which begets better software and universal access regardless of platform.