Is Flash out? Also, my website...

[platinumwd]

My website is http://platinum-wd.net, please, looking for constructive critisism... Be harsh if necessary. This is my first year in web design, self-taught, so new ideas are always welcome.


:confused: Is Flash incorporation out? I notice less and less professionals use it, and are using J-script amoung other things (DHTML/XML... etc.) My site is Flash integrated, and I was wondering if I should change it? Opinions not welcome, but required!!

[pawky]

flash is not 'out' The thing is that u dont want to have a flash only site or a site the relies on flash because u want your site to be accessible by all. Flash can be an awesome component to a website IF used correctly.


for your site, i dont care for the splash page i guess ppl are calling it. They take away from the website and slow the reader down from getting to the content. You are also using a bit of java at the top which i cannot see. for your nav on the left i suggest u use the html first and give the option for flash, that will help load time for one and then u know it will work for everyone. you will also want to switch from using tables for layout to css. Frames are also not that great of a thing to use. They for one lower your rank w/ SEs. um... also, i was using mozilla for viewing your site. Once i used IE :S the flash and java stuff worked. I noticed one was a thing for music. That looks bad at the top so u may want to put that in the left frame where your links are (if you keep frames)
ok, i think that's enough for now. oh yea, dont forget a doctype and semantic code. gl

[hille]

at first: dont take anything personal.
hope my english is good enough

but now i´ll start.

flash is definitely not out. it´s more a question how and where to use it. it´s great for explanations of something - you know this educational thing, it´s perfect to create awesome effects and navigations transporting more content than a single text can do, but it´s unnecassary for boring intros showing text flying from left to rigth to left to right zoom in zoom out zoomdoomerangding dong. this only takes my performance without any use for me. but it´s alright giving me the possibility to choose to skip intro.

try to programm without using frames. it´s harder to read for older browsers (ok, give a **** about) and harder to read for searchengines. i´ve heard about a mystery called css. seems to work perfect for your design.

better use sans-serif type, because it´s more readable.

whats the use of this flash-menu? some people without flash won´t see it and you are able to create similar effects with mouse-over-effects.

this bling-bling-ring-a-ding logo-effect at the top is a bit hypnotic. i cant read your content concentrated, because my eyes are forced to look there. perhaps you should stop it after a few loops.

why arent you using some pictures. your design becomes a bit scientific without, although it´s a graphic-design-page. so show a bit design. a picture tells more than a thousand words:)

what is this dark-blue background-square all about? should the text be shown up in there? doesnt work in ie6. the text flows all over it.

you are the future...you are doin´ graphic design. so use modern sound-loops, if necessary - a personal opinion, darling.

but don´t take this too serious. keep on doin´ and tryin´. it will become better and better.

greetz

hille

[sharkey]

Dont use frames use ssi as in mozilla your menu is cut of becuase of them and they are a search engine woe.

As others have said flash is not out i believe its becuase standard compliant design is in.

Add a doctype declaration and use css instead of tables for layout. Write semantic meaningful mark-up.

Hope that helps mate:)

[sharkey]

Oh yeah and i forgot just like hille has said people without flash wont able to navigate your site please remember to give a text equivelent so everyone can navigate or like it is just now will become a large accessibility error.

Also remember to test in mulitple browsers such as mozilla, opera not just IE.

[MstrBob]

I don't know. Something about it. It just lacks that professional touch. I don't know why. Maybe the colors? Light background/dark text is usually better looking than light text/dark background. *shrug* Now, those hover affects on the nav can be done very easily in CSS, like you did with the main. You actually have some semantic HTML in there (you used a definition list for your items) yet you are using a table. Why? So, if you're going to have an applet, javascript, flash bit, always have a backup for those without. Perhaps a normal image of your header? And yes, stop that moving light. Ditch the frames because they're inaccessible and aren't displaying properly in all browsers.

http://www.htmlite.com/SSI011.shtml
http://validator.w3.org/

Remember: Javascript/Flash/Applets are there to COMPLIMENT your website, and one should never rely on it. Never. And splash pages? No. Never. Twas a novel idea at first, but authors realized that readers HATE them. No one is going to bookmark that splash page, and no one wants to. They want your main page. No intros. No delays. The internet is about allowing all to quickly