Flash usage - 6.9% - pleeeese!

[Wayne Townsend]

>that i expect flash to all of a sudden jump to the top of the list, but

>i'd like some solid statistics to give to potential clients.


In my experience, stats like these are unreliable enough to be useless.


I don't believe that anyone has accurate stats on the audience size,

commerce (sales) on the internet, browser usage, and much less -plug-ins.

None of these numbers are verifyable.  Any "stats" regarding the internet

should be taken with a grain of salt.


What *is* verifyable is the number of downloads.  24mil and 4mil in

January; no matter how you slice it, that indicates a *very* successful

product. Flash is probably the most successful D/L in the history of the

Web next to Netscape.


When making a case for Flash to clients, don't even get involved in an

argument of this sort.


It is far more effective to point out *who* is providing content with the

tool.  That will get their intrest up much better than unreliable stats

like those.


Flash has some very big names using it - Disney, United Media, MSNBC, and

conventional business like Shell Oil, etc., etc., etc.  Are those guys all

wrong?  I think not.


Remember that content providers like YOU drive the market; the audience

follows.  Look what Netscape did by pushing the html standards.  Now, the

audience expects it.


This capability is free.  It's not like you're asking the audience to bend

over backwards or spend a dime.  If the audience wants the best content and

the fastest content delivery, (and I believe they do), then they can click

a couple of buttons and install Flash, or they can "surf-on", IMNSHO.  They

weren't really buyers anyway.  You don't have to satisfy every rabbit out

there in WebWorld.  But you *do* need to provide exceptional content, to

make it worth the general audience's time.


It's all a perception thing.  If they really *want* the content that you're

providing, they'll get the plug-n if they dont have it.  I think you can

have trust in that.  For example, if a user has to wait for a stupid

spinning logo, they get mad.  But if they're waiting for pictures of a

comet hitting Jupiter, or a centerfold of Miss March, suddenly the effort

to get it doesn't seem quite so important, now does it.


So the key is to produce great content, that is attractive enough that the

audience will jump through a small hoop to get.


Never forget that you are doing the audience a favor by getting them to

install Flash.


You can build entire websites in Flash.  I'm working on one where the

entire core website is loaded faster than most site's homepage.  There.  I

just saved my audience a lot of time.  Which more than makes up for

whatever small thing they had to do to get the plug-n.

http://www.cdmaonline.com/website (under const.)

The whole core of the website is loaded faster than most websites homepage.

See?  Most people think of Flash as an animation tool.  The secret is that

it delivers normal content faster than any other method. Much faster than

standard html.


And doesn't Aftershock kind of make the point moot?


Don't forget to mention to the client that Flash is built into RealPlayer

and WebTV.  RealPlayer rules, Gates now owns WebTV.  What else do you need?


I pass the soapbox...


/wayne







Wayne Townsend

WebStaffing.Net

Dallas, Texas

US-  972.713.8705

waynetTopher [dot] Net (mailto:waynetTopher [dot] Net)

wayneWebStaffing [dot] Net (mailto:wayneWebStaffing [dot] Net)

gscOnRamp [dot] Net

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