Flash is a content-enriching medium. That's how Macromedia describes it, it's what the software was developed for and it's what it should be used for. Flash is also a major buzzword in web design. Everyone wants Flash. If it moves or makes noises, people want it.

The public however doesn't want it. Neither do search engines. The internet is not the same as television and film and Flash is not the holy grail of web design.

Flash has its uses - it can provide incredible functionality when it's used correctly. It can load faster than html based websites. It can do more. But generally speaking it does less and it does it slower. When it's used as it was intended and created by a skilled web designer, it can be an asset to your business. But it probably won't be. It's the most mis-used and abused medium on the internet today.

When you decide to get a flash website, what factors are you considering and what weight are you putting on them? Search engines aren't going to read what's in your flash - so you can have the highest volume of informed expertise on any subject - in the world - and because it's hidden from search engines in Flash you might as well have nothing.

Are you considering the loading time? Is your developer considering the loading time? If you've got to wait a minute for your website to load will you? Do you wait that long for someone elses website to load? If you're the only source of a product with high demand and international exposure then you can use Flash however you want. You own the market, and the market will do whatever you decide they need to do to learn more about your products or buy them.

Are you considering the prolonged affects of listening to a sound loop or a noise that's played when a button is pressed or rolled over? How about the effect 50 moving elements can have on someones ability to focus on your information?

Flash must be used very carefully to avoid alienating your visitors, keeping your visitors and even getting visitors.

There are great examples of Flash web design on the internet - amazing masterpieces of design and functionality. But they're a tiny minority of just how much Flash pollutes the web. When it's done properly its great. When it's done by 99% of Flash designers it's crap.

If you still want a Flash website here's what you need to consider:
- Will it load fast
- Will it be tasteful - no sounds, music, motion at inappropriate times
- Will you have other methods of generating traffic
- Will it be providing functionality that can't be achieved with html

The fact is, if you answered "no" to any of those questions then Flash just isn't the solution for your needs. Here's another question - will you have an animation at the start of your site? If that's a yes then Flash is definitely not the solution. People don't go to a website to watch an animation at the start they go for information or purchasing. Knowledge or products.

So when is Flash appropriate then? When it offers more to the visitor.

Flash can provide so much functionality when it's done properly. It can do anything you can think of. There's flash websites out there that'll let you drag-and-drop a design for home theatre systems modelled on your lounge room. Others will let you customise a product or even design your own with ease.

Flash is ideal for presentations - whether online or on a cd. It's far more powerful than PowerPoint, it's portable and it's widely accepted as "standard" on a machine. Very few people are unable to view Flash.

Where possible avoid using Flash for your entire website. Instead focus on how you can take individual elements of your website and enrich them with Flash. Interactive tours of houses, application interfaces, customising or creating products - these are great uses of Flash.

Always remember that your website is *your* website. It's a reflection of your business. If you've got a Flash website is it to enrich your visitors experience or your designers portfolio?