Is Flash for particular websites??

[jennesmith6]

Hey everyone. Can somebody tell me whether it is advisable to use Flash templates for any type of site or must it be of a particular type? I mean, which types of websites are best designed with flash templates?

[Nile]

Take a look at these:
http://www.templates.com/product/flash-templates/

[boogyman]

in my opinion, there are no sites that should use Flash as their "backbone" code.

Flash is not degradable, meaning You must have the appropriate plug-in, and if you don't you will not be able to view that portion (or entire site).

I think flash can add a very nice component and visual aspect to a website, such as a flash banner, however I don't think that it should be used as a site layout.

[Medyman]

I'd have to agree with Boogyman.

I'm someone who got his start in the web design/development doing full Flash websites. So, I'm not one of those "Flash is evil" people. Flash, in my opinion, adds a lot to a website. A well implemented interactive Flash piece, can make websites.

A lot of creative agencies, artists, designers, etc... use full Flash websites as it's a more interactive way for them to create an immersive web experience. If your website falls in that realm, Flash might be an option for you. I, personally, wouldn't consider using Flash for any type of "professional" website falling outside the realm of the design/media industries. There really aren't any "best practices" in dealing with full Flash websites as different designers have different opinions.

I think that Flash is really the wave of the future though. With the open-sourcing of the .swf and .flv formats, the release of Adobe's .swf parser for search engines (which Google has already implemented and Yahoo is following suit soon), it seems to me that Adobe is dispelling all the traditional arguments for not using Flash (or beginning to at least).

The basic point is, use Flash is it makes a strategic advantage to your site. Flash has it's advantages and also it's disadvantages. If you're going to make a full Flash website, make sure it's coded properly, using dynamically techniques. That means, a Flash template is probably going to be a fail. I've made my opinion on using templates clear...they're a horrible horrible idea. Use that money to hire a developer, the results will almost always be better (depending on the developer, of course).