Flash can be good when used in the right context but otherwise it is cumbersome on many levels. Not sure I agree with the WordPress loving in this thread, there are better platforms out there just less known.

As others here have said, for an agency their website should not be a ‘victory lap’ wank but rather an initiation of a conversation with potential clients and communication of what they can offer.

I believe that WordPress is bringing maturity to the internet. Something similar that shaped the newspapers long time ago: A title, headline, news feed, front page, columns, etc.

I believe that after years of wondering about interactivity, maybe we realize that we want to go the point, using a website like a layout, a canvas to showcase the content.

Of course, I see no reason why Flash content can’t be used alongside wordpress as well. I made the switch from flash to WP and I myself, and I see no reason why they can’t coexist. Here’s an example: http://inorganik.net/data

1. Flash sites often take a long time to load if you are on a slow connection
2. They don’t get updated regularly
3. It takes too much time to find relevant info (if bad IA > Flashturbation)
4. Forces you to sit through loading bars, especially annoying when you made a “click mistake”
5. Intros: If you can skip it, while put it there? Or: don’t show this to me if I’ve already been on your site.
6. Unless the URL has been manipulated, it’s impossible to bookmark an article/post/portfolio piece (which gets more and more important if you send out links via social networks, and don’t want your followers to search for the item you posted).

Trends like that always happen because needs have changed. And our communication has changed dramatically in the last year or so.

Thanks for the post.
Claudia

The challenge remains to develop useful content that people care about… if people don’t care about you, the web platform is meaningless.

Great article…
Thomson

Lets face it the brochure style website that you pay thousands of dollars for is just not producing the expected results.

We do a lot of work showing small business how to use these same techniques to help their bottom line as well.

Quentin

Flash = a few good ideas, and a decent designer and/or flash coder for a few weeks.

Good content = a clearly defined marketing strategy, a good plan, a deep understand of users, a really well thought out IA and, last but not least, really well written content. The platform – wordpress or whatever is irrelevant.

1.) The WordPress designs I’m seeing are awesome and work well with what agencies need to do: communicate often with audiences who read words and content rather than “experience” flash sites. They have professional needs to sell services. Many agencies have flash sites that are like a block buster DVD movie. Yeah, it was a great killer Cannes Film fest movie…. but I ain’t gonna watch it more than a few times a year. I will read the NY Times every week. I will Google/Bing something I want to find/research and buy almost everyday. I will read and reply to social media several times a day.

2.) Web 2.0 Javascript has taken much of the low hanging fruit from flash. Rollovers, animation, slideshows, transitions can be done with jQuery and related javascript. Flash has become the defacto standard for video online and now it has to add dynamic parts to compete. Augmented Reality is the kinds of creativity that comes out of this shift.

Langston Richardson
VP, Digital Brand Strategist, Creative at LazBro
Twitter: @MATSNL65 @lazbro