new website help...

[w9ctm]

I'm looking for someone that knows flash, that could help, or should I say, put together a website for me. I have a few ideas and would even be willing to purchase a templete to get a favorable layout, if someone knows how to edit one. Being a full-time college student, having a full-time job, and having a wife, doesn't allow me time to learn flash as well.
So with all that stated, who knows flash and could help me out, or offer a valid alternative? I have a smugmug account, and like it a lot. In fact, I probably won't get rid of it. I just also want some thing to use as a presentation piece.

[Sonny]

Hey Chuck,

Have you looked into the companies listed below? They have easy to manage flash website.

FlashPalette
bludomain
clickbooq
BIG Folio
Portfoliositez
PhotoBiz
liveBooks


Check out the Snappages website and watch their Tour.
SnapPages
SiteWelder

[keripayne]

No! Don't do it! Back away from the Flash!! Lol

Seriously though, do you realize how many people surf the Internet on their iPhones? Even if they're just looking at a link, if they can't see your site on their phone I promise they won't write it down and come back later.

And those sites who make a mobil version of themselves? Pretty much just as useless.

I realize flash is pretty and all, but you WILL lose a potential client at some point. And that one less paycheck, one less referral, and one less fabulous image to put up on your site.

[w9ctm]

Sonny, thanks for the links. I am looking closely at them.

Keri, I didn't realize that flash didn't work on phones. All of them, or certain ones? We're probably mostly talking iPhones and Blackberry's....

[keripayne]

Hmmmmm....I know flash doesn't work on any of the iPhones (or the ipad either), but I'm not sure about other types of phones.

But I think flash is one of those topics where people either love it or they hate it. I'm definitely a hater. Lol And not EVERYONE on the planet has an iPhone either, but most of the people I know seem to. I was actually answering this thread last night while at my son's swim practice. Of the about 10 parents there, three of us were surfing the net on our iPhones. So I don't know what the answer is really. I'm an admitted flash hater, but on the other hand, flash sites seem to be the norm these days.

The solution is for Apple to get flash. Then everyone is happy!! Haha!

[w9ctm]

OK, after seriously looking around at many website providers, I decided on Portfoliositez. Now I guess I'll find out if I made a good decision or not. Thanks for the assistance all. I'll let you know when it's online for comments.

[Tom]

I doubt that I am losing sales because I only have my website in flash and people come across it on an iPhone and never come back.

[plph56]

Flash is over rated. It looks glitzy but is fairly impractical and not really functional.

[texkam]

Flash is over rated. It looks glitzy but is fairly impractical and not really functional.

Flash is the selective color and lens flare of web design.

[Sonny]

Originally Posted by plph56

Flash is over rated. It looks glitzy but is fairly impractical and not really functional.

That's a bold statement. I guess people like Joe McNally & Joey L don't know what they're doing? Do you mind elaborating?

[w9ctm]

Doesn't flash make it much more difficult for someone to be stealing images from your site? Admittedly, I'm not real computer savvy, but that was my understanding after reading a bunch of stuff.
True, or not true?

[Sonny]

Originally Posted by w9ctm

Doesn't flash make it much more difficult for someone to be stealing images from your site? Admittedly, I'm not real computer savvy, but that was my understanding after reading a bunch of stuff.
True, or not true?

For the most part that is true. Flash does make it more difficult to steal images but there is always a way...Snagit.

[w9ctm]

Thanks for the reassurance Sonny (I think...). I know there always a way to achieve anything. I am more interested in just stopping the majority of them. I do know that according to the statistics reports from Smugmug that some viewers must have been "lifting" my images from there. I say that because there were hundreds of hits on one particular gallery, where the best images were continually viewed. But never an order. As soon as I put a copyright across the middle of the images, the viewing magically dropped by 90%.

I appreciate your input.

[keripayne]

Someone's always going to be stealing SOMETHING. You just can't sit around and worry about it, in my opinion. Just low-res 'em for the Internet and watermark and the best they can get is a crappy copy. Then just don't worry about it again.

And yes, those guys might HAVE flash sites, bit generally they're also posting stuff on their blogs and such where there IS no flash. So if the "big" guys aren't worried about theives and are still making a living then I don't think it's something the rest of us need to be legitimately concerned about. Know what I mean?

[keripayne]

Originally Posted by Sonny

That's a bold statement. I guess people like Joe McNally & Joey L don't know what they're doing? Do you mind elaborating?

I agree with the overrated and impractical comment too (Ive already listed my reasons why I hate flash), but guys like Joe McNally aren't worrying about women sitting in carpool looking for a children's photographer on their iPhone who can't see their sites because they're flash. But for the rest of us, that's a legit concern.