FLASH Websites… Riding the FAIL WHALE!
Today during a Tweeting session, I made a comment in regards to a tweet posted by Don Giannatti @wizwow who was sharing a website development project he just completed for photographer David Ressor www.ressorphotography.com. Don much like myself is not only a photographer but comes from an ad agency background where he has worn many hats over the years, among them are those of a graphic and web designer.
Beyond our similar career paths, both Don and myself share another passion and that is our distaste for photographers using FLASH as the medium for delivering their websites. We also both think that using a CMS or Content Management system is a much better delivery system for a variety of reasons which I’ll outline in a follow up post to this one.
The website that Don built for David is an excellent example of using a Content Management System to run your site and a system like PhotoShelter to manage your online sales.
In my response, I had made a snipe about photographers using FLASH based websites and not to my surprise I received instant feedback from Twitter followers asking why I dislike FLASH so much.
Most of you who have followed the PhotographersHandbook in the past or have heard me speak online or elsewhere are painfully aware of my stance on All FLASH websites and since it’s been a while since I’ve gone on a tirade about the subject or even posted on the PhotographersHandbook.com for that matter, I felt like this was a good opportunity to do so.
Maybe, just maybe I can keep one photographer from making the dreaded mistake of developing an ALL FLASH website or change your thinking in regards to All Flash websites than I can sleep a little better tonight. Insert dramatic music here.
Below are my opinions regarding ALL FLASH websites and my opinions only, if your the owner of a FLASH based website, I understand that you paid a lot of money for it and need to feel good about your purchase. Unless you can point out specifics for why my issues are not valid then please spare me the hate mail.
Before you begin the process of developing a website you need to ask yourself the following 5 questions:
1. WHO IS MY INTENDED AUDIENCE?
Chances are most of you who are reading this blog post are probably amateur to advanced photographers either doing portrait or wedding photography and your typical end user is probably someone that may or may not be particularly internet savvy or be living on the bleeding edge of technology for that matter.
By creating a FLASH website you have already created THE number 1 Cardinal Sin, something I call “The Barrier to Entry” simply put you’ve created your site using a technology that requires your end user to have a special plug-in to view your site. Strike 1.
Yeh Yeh I know that Flash has 98% market penetration or at least that is what Adobe would like you to believe, but just be aware not everyone has the most up to date version of the flash plug-in or wants to take the time to download it just so they can view your masterpiece in all its glory. Also remember, they just might have been the client willing to pay you 10 Grand to shoot their only daughters wedding. Just Sayin’.
2. WHO AM I REALLY ENTERTAINING?
The only people that are entertained by all the animated wizardry on your website are yourself and the people you force to look at your site, sorry but sometimes the truth hurts. If someone out there can tell me specifically that they booked a photography job because the client was so impressed by the music on their site or their dancing logo, more power to you…keep on doing what your doing.
Simple fact is that not everyone is going to like your choice in music and when you have stuff bouncing around all over the screen it detracts the viewer from doing what they set out to do in the first place, which is view your photography and figure out if you’re the one they should spend their hard earned cash hiring. There are 10 million other sites far more entertaining that yours on the Internet… Trust me!
3. IS MY SITE EASY TO UPDATE
Ok, This is where it starts to get really funny.
Unless your using one of the slick services by companies such as BigFolio, BluDomain or a host of other service providers, updating your website is going to be a flat out PAIN IN THE ASS. Either you are going to get stuck buying FLASH and begin the daunting task of learning the software or your going to continually end up paying your designer to update your site. (I think this is the biggest reason designer’s like Flash sites, it gives them a recurring revenue stream).
The beauty of a website is that it is dynamic work of art constantly evolving and changing over time as you see fit, unlike it’s counterpart the printed brochure. This not only allows you to keep your site fresh, but also does wonders for SEO. If your site has been built using FLASH you’ve just done yourself a giant disservice and are going to go crazy trying to make even the simplest of changes.
4. IS MY SITE USER FRIENDLY
What I hate even more than Flash Sites themselves are Flash Sites with Mystery Navigation. If you have to explain how to use your website, then you’ve just won the FAIL 2.0 Award.
Again people want to see your photography, not follow the spinning balls to un-earth what’s behind door number 2. People, if you are going to use Flash make it easy on your viewers, give them straightforward navigation and ways to access your information.
Also remember not everybody can take advantage of your spiffy Flash website, there are folks out there with physical disabilities who rely on special browser plug-in’s to help them with their online viewing.
And Last, have you ever tried to bookmark a page on a flash based website? Yeh, good luck with that.
5. CAN PEOPLE EASILY FIND MY SITE?
While great strides have been made in optimizing FLASH for search engines, Flash flat out SUCKS when it comes to SEO. I don’t care what any web developer tells you, remember most are only going to tell you what you want to hear because all they see are dollar signs in their eyes when they know they’ve got you on the hook for a Flash site.
Flash doesn’t even come close to touching a CMS System like WordPress or Joomla when it comes to SEO. So if having people actually find your website is important to you please consider this very carefully.
With all this said. FLASH does have its place. Flash shines when it comes to developing web based applications or for using sparingly for an online photo gallery, heck I’ll even go as far as saying creating your navigation system using flash is OK. Just do yourself a favor and don’t build the whole damn thing with it.
Honestly I’m really not this bitter in real life, those who know me will attest to my easy going nature :-), the tone of this post was mainly for dramatic effect in hopes someone will find my words useful and besides you guys just asked for my opinion, I’ve been happy to oblige.
For what it’s worth.
Cris…
To continue this discussion follow me on Twitter at www.twiiter.com/crismitchell
or post in the comments below.
