In this article, we’ll take a look at three of the current trends in the field of rich media content, and how they may or may not apply to your business.
Flash
Flash is the name of a piece of software developed in the mid-1990s by a company called Macromedia. The concept behind flash is simple: bring a degree of animation/interactivity to the Internet. It also allowed designers to create functional websites, without the need for any programming experience. Whenever you see a website with some moving content (not video), then there is a very good chance that this is achieved by using Flash.
Flash is typically used in the header of a page or within banner ads, anywhere that benefits from attracting attention. If you want your website to have a high visual impact, Flash is certainly something worth considering. However, you should avoid using Flash for anything other than ’embellishment’ on your website. Avoid including your content or navigation menu within the Flash file, as this will make this information invisible to search engines (harming your position in search engine results) and also to some visitors who may not have Flash installed. Flash plugin.
Video
Now that increased download speeds have made video streaming a possibility, self-edited video clips have taken the world by storm. Sites like YouTube make it incredibly simple to post your own video to millions of viewers around the world. They also make it very easy to include videos within your own website.
For example, if you sell a product that requires instructions to operate or assemble, you might consider creating a video to show people how things are done. You have a wide range of options available at different cost levels to create this video, from doing it yourself and recording it on your own webcam, to hiring professional actors and shooting in a studio. Once the video is complete, the easiest way to embed it on your website is to upload it to YouTube and then use the ’embed’ code to include it on your website.
podcast
Podcasts can be a great way to generate repeat visitors to your site, and more importantly, for people to take a bit of your site with them! The term podcast comes from Apple’s iPod portable audio player, but essentially refers to any audio clip stored in MP3 format on the Internet that can be downloaded and played later on a PC or portable audio player.
“Why would I want to do this?” you ask. Well, it very much depends on the nature of your organization, but if you operate in an industry where news or opinion plays an important role (charity, marketing, finance, religion – the list goes on!), then putting together a Short podcast of your thoughts, or recent developments in your business, and making it available on your website gives your customers a little more insight into what your business offers. This can help establish your company as an authoritative voice in your industry, and people trust the authority!