Newbie needs help

[SandDancr]

I just finished a Flash class at NC State...it was only a 2 day class....so needless to say I am still somewhat in the dark.

I'd like to re-do my site in Flash, but have a few questions. I offer webdesign and Linkware Graphics and have an art gallery. Do I need to do each section as a new movie? In other words...would each main link go to a new movie? Or would it be better to use a combination of flash and html?

I'd like to cut down the loading times...and make it quick, so what's the best way to approach this? I know I hate the waiting on some sites as they take way too long to load...and really want to avoid the same pitfall.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Joelle

The sandcastles of our lives are nothing when compared to the tides of our destinies.

[SandDancr]

I just finished a Flash class at NC State...it was only a 2 day class....so needless to say I am still somewhat in the dark.

I'd like to re-do my site in Flash, but have a few questions. I offer webdesign and Linkware Graphics and have an art gallery. Do I need to do each section as a new movie? In other words...would each main link go to a new movie? Or would it be better to use a combination of flash and html?

I'd like to cut down the loading times...and make it quick, so what's the best way to approach this? I know I hate the waiting on some sites as they take way too long to load...and really want to avoid the same pitfall.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Joelle

The sandcastles of our lives are nothing when compared to the tides of our destinies.

[pknair]

well, depending on the content you want to show, you may not have a choice but to have to wait - the thing with flash is that you can make the wait a bit more fun by building an engaging preloader. personally, i would suggest building your site as separate files, simply because maintenance is a bit easier in the long run. it's a larger setup, but you can fix up, or add to (or delete) a section of the site without having to re-export or modify the whole thing. in fact, the more dynamic and modular you make your site, the easier it gets to update. it's really worth the investment in time if you plan on keeping the site for a while.

for good examples of preloaders, check out sites like mondo media (which uses the title screens/opening credits of their shows as a preloader for their shows) or eye4u.com which uses a 'sound check' to engage users while it loads the rest of the site. there are tons of examples of really good preloaders out there. even shockwave.com had pretty good preloaders for the cartoons, where you could play a trivia game or other such thing while you were waiting for the show to load.

hopefully this helps! drop us a line on the boards if you have more questions. [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img]


hth,
Deep (just a guy)
<font face="arial" size="2">
Pradeep Kumar Nair, B.Math
Interactive Developer
http://www.bluespark.com
ICQ: 39102360
</font>

[SandDancr]

for the suggestions. Will take a look at the sites you suggested. This is a bit daunting...so I'm sure I'll have more questions!

Joelle

The sandcastles of our lives are nothing when compared to the tides of our destinies.

[pknair]

Sure thing! We're here to help, so any questions are welcome. [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img]


hth,
Deep (just a guy)
<font face="arial" size="2">
Pradeep Kumar Nair, B.Math
Interactive Developer
http://www.bluespark.com
ICQ: 39102360
</font>

[bluewolf]

May I suggest a book

The Flash Bible .. I picked it up about 6 months ago and within two weeks I have my first flash site ..

Just a suggestion ..

Rik
Blue Wolf Digital Designs