Existing Flash Website

After researching through the top 10 Flash Websites i decided to go searching and see what website i find interesting and this was one that caught my eye:

This is a Flash Website produced by 2Advanced Studios. I love the look of this website as i like how they have given it a technologic theme kind of like the Tron theme.

Looking at the image above, you can see how options drop down but still keep with the technologic theme.

Top 10 Flash Websites of 2011

Top 10 Best Flash Websites of 2011

Here are our editor's picks for the Top 10 Best Flash Websites of 2011 based on visual artistry, integrated sound, ease of use, and uniqueness.

1 | Moodstream | Getty Images
Moodstream is a hypnotic website brought to you by the folks at Getty Images that offers a brainstorming tool designed to help get your creative juices flowing. By simply tweaking the mood sliders you can adjust a stream of images, footage, & audio that can help inspire your creative direction.
Best Flash Websites | Website Design & Development

2 | Monoface
Mono is an advertising agency based in Minneapolis, MN that lives by the motto that "simpler is better." The "Mono"face site lives up to that motto by presenting visitors with a fun and simple Flash application that allows them to sculpt a Mr. Potato Head style face that contains 759,375 entertaining possibilities.
Best Flash Websites | Website Design & Development

3 | Waterlife
Waterlife is a showcase for the documentary film of the same name that offers its audience a wonderful preview of the lush cinematography and rich storytelling found in the film. The true genius of the site, however, is found in its fluid navigation that recalls the gentle motion of a lake.
Best Flash Websites | Website Design & Development

4 | Marc Ecko
MarcEcko.com is a wonderful example of using the vast possibilities of Flash to accurately reflect the ethos of a consumer brand within a website. Even visitors unfamiliar with the Ecko brand will feel they understand the art & philosophy it symbolizes within a few minutes of touring the site.
Best Flash Websites | Website Design & Development

5 | HBO - Home Box Office
In January 2010 HBO relaunched its website so that, in their own words they could, "create a rich, interactive online destination worthy of the HBO brand" and we believe they have done just that. HBO.com accomplishes this by using Flash to enhance the must-see appeal of the networks exclusive shows.
Best Flash Websites | Website Design & Development

6 | Get The Glass
Get The Glass is the work of the California Milk Processor Board and was designed to encourage increased milk consumption by inviting visitors to participate in a comically entertaining Flash based game whose objective is to Get the Glass--of milk of course. The current design appeared in late 2007.
Best Flash Websites | Website Design & Development

7 | AgencyNet Interactive
AgencyNet Interactive is a design studio based in New York City, NY and Fort Lauderdale, FL whose current website design appeared in January of 2010. Absolutely stunning site! The depth and functionality of the site far surpasses any Flash based site we've ever seen, but don't take our word for it...
Best Flash Websites | Website Design & Development

8 | 2Advanced Studios
2Advanced Studios is an interactive design firm based in Aliso Viejo, CA whose current design appeared in August 2006. 2Advanced has always been known for their stylish neo-ancient homepage design, but their latest redesign takes that to a whole new level with a background mural that is truly inspiring.
Best Flash Websites | Website Design & Development

9 | Dave Werner's Portfolio
Dave Werner uses his Flash skills not only to publish his portfolio, but through the use of well narrated video, he also gives visitors a sense of his personal story which seeks to give stronger voice and context to his featured work. The current version of OkayDave.com went live in mid 2006.
Best Flash Websites | Website Design & Development

10 | Section Seven Inc.
Section Seven Inc. is a website design studio that has utilizes the power of Flash to create a truly unique navigation system that allows users to tour their portfolio in style. Their current site appeared on the web in early 2007 and has received numerous awards including the prestigious FWA.
Best Flash Websites | Website Design & Development

Flash Based Programme

In our brief we have been specifically asked to produce our websites using the programme 'Flash'. So my next step is to research and find the best Flash websites of this year to give me a clearer understanding of what am i going to produce.

More Top Tips For Designing a Great Website

1. Select a colour scheme and stick to it.

If your company has a logo or preferred colours on its stationery that’s a good start. For those of you starting from scratch, choose two or three complementary colours and stick with them – don’t change colours on every page.

The most common colour schemes include:

- Red, yellow and white
- Blue and white
- Red, grey and white
- Blue, orange and white
- Yellow, grey and white.

If you’re not sure what colour scheme to choose, surf the internet and find a website that you like. You can then model your colour scheme on what already exists.

2. Use templates.

Can’t find a website you really like? Another option is to choose a template. There are many templates or pre-set designs. These come as part of your web design software (such as FrontPage) or you can check out some websites that specialise in designing templates.

Visit:

www.web4business.com.au emplates1.htm
www.newtemps.com
www.website-templates-resale-rights.com
www.123webtemplatesandmore.com

3. Provide an easy to use navigation system.

This is one of the most important issues to consider when designing a website. You need to ensure your visitors can find what they are looking for easily. Most websites either display their navigation bar on the left or at the top. And since most people are used to this type of navigation, it’s best to stick with it.

It also helps to include your navigation bar at the bottom of each page to save your visitors from having to scroll back to the top.

4. Don’t go overboard on special effects

Whilst it is ok to have one or two special effects to jazz up your website, spinning graphics and logos often distract your visitor from the content, not to mention they can take too long to download. Your visitors may click away even before your spinning logo finishes loading.

5. Backgrounds

Ensure your visitors can read the text on the background, ie. no black writing on dark blue background or yellow on white. Also be careful that your links are visible before and after being visited. The default for links in most programs is blue (before being visited) and burgundy (after being visited), so if you have a dark background, ensure your links are light.

6. External Links

It is a good idea to open links to other websites in a new window. That way your visitors can easily return to your site when they are finished browsing the external link

7. Site Map & Search Feature

If you website is more than 15 pages, it is useful to have a site map or a “Search” feature to ensure your visitors can easily find what they’re looking for.

8. Content is King

While it is important that your website looks clean and professional, it is far more important that you concentrate your efforts on the content and promotion.

If you want a professional website, things to stay away from include:

1. Flash intros, revolving globes, bevelled line separators, animated mail boxes
2. Loads of pop up or pop under boxes
3. Autoplay music. Allow your customer to play music only if they choose.
4. Hit counters of the free variety, which say “you are 27th visitor”
5. Date and time stamps, unless your website is updated daily or weekly
6. Busy backgrounds.

http://www.cyberindian.com/web-designing/8-tips-for-great-website.php

Research

After searching on the internet and reviewing these specific tips, i have decided to keep on researching to try and find some more useful tips to help me produce a top professional website.

Top 12 Tips for Creating An Outstanding "About Me" Page

Building trust between you and your audience is all about building credibility and authority. 

Visitors want to know who you are and why they should bother reading what you have to say. One of the most important pages on your website is the “About Me” page (or "About Us" page if there is more than one of you), but most people give it little thought and rarely spend time keeoing the information up to date. 

This is a mistake.

Here are my top 10 tips to help you get create an outstanding About Me page right.

Tip #1 – Get the Page Structure Right

The About Me page should have four distinct parts.

• Part 1: The first paragraph should be a summary of you and your experience. Many readers won’t get beyond the first paragraph, so you must make sure it gives them a good idea of who you are and why you are a credible source of information
• Part 2: The next few paragraphs should put flesh on the bone. They should give the reader more details about your experience and expertise. This could be education, previous jobs, books you have written, people you know, projects you have done, places to which you have traveled, your hobbies, awards you have received, etc.
• Part 3: The third part should provide supporting material that verifies what you have told the reader. This often includes testimonials, links to articles you have written on well-known websites, photos or videos that support your claims, links to your books on Amazon.com, interviews you have done, etc. 
• Part 4: Finally you should provide a way for your reader to contact you

Tip #2 – Write It for Your Audience

Keep the content relevant and interesting for your target audience. Make sure you let them know that you understand what their problems, opportunities and goals are, and that you have the knowledge and experience to help them get results. Your website should have a clear benefit for your reader like help them make money, save money, save time, improve their expertise, etc. Let them know you can deliver on this promise.

Tip #3 – Make It Interesting

This is not a CV for a job interview. It should be entertaining and engaging like everything else on your website. Provide anecdotes and insights into your life and thinking so your audience feel like they know you.

Tip #4 – Make Sure It Is Accurate and Honest

A survey conducted by a recruitment company in London revealed that there was inaccurate information on a staggering 76% of the CVs they received. Don’t be tempted to lie about your background and achievements on the Internet. There is a good chance you will be found out and your credibility will be blown to pieces. Assume that everything you publish on the Internet is there forever, so make sure it is accurate and honest. 

Tip #5 – Include a Photo

You wouldn’t try to sell something on eBay without including a photo of what you're selling, so don’t try to sell yourself to your audience without letting them see what they’re “buying.” A photo shows you’re not trying to hide behind your website and that you are happy to let your readers know who you are. Make the photo fit the subject e.g. if your site is about sailing get a picture of you on a boat

Tip #6 – Make It Personal

Your readers want to know who you are, not how well your PR agency can write web copy. Write the About Me page as if you were sitting face-to-face with one of your website visitors, explaining to them who you are and how you can help them.

Tip #7 – Use Subheadings

Internet users scan content rather than read it word for word. On your About Me page, turn points you want to highlight into subheadings on the page. For example:

•    Best-selling Amazon Author
•    Ten Years at IBM
•    Designed More Than 100 Websites
•    Cycled Across Australia

Tip #8 – Let Your Readers Contact You

In the real world, more than 90% of communication occurs via body language and tone of voice. In the online world, these two forms of communication are not present, so it is much harder to build trust and relationships. It is therefore very important that you allow people to contact you and that you respond to their questions so that a bond is formed. This gets harder as a website grows, but certainly in the early days it is essential to building your online credibility and brand.

Tip #9 – Short vs. Long

One of the most common questions I’m asked about the About Me page is how long it should be. 

My answer is that the first paragraph should be a short and punchy overview that provides a snapshot of you, your website and your experience. This will be the only thing many visitors read, so get your points across.

Other readers, particularly those about to spend some money on your website, will want further assurance about who you are. These readers will want some detail, so give it to them. There is no recommended length, so say all you have to—just make sure it stays relevant and interesting to your audience.

Tip #10 – Video Intro

I like the idea of having a video clip on your About Me page so that people can watch you explain who you are. This is now simple to do and is a great way of engaging your visitors on a much more personal level. A few tips:

• If you are going to do a video, make sure it looks professional. This does not necessarily mean it has to be expensive, but it does mean you need to plan and prepare what you are going to say and where you are going to film it
• Write down what you want to say, but don’t read from a script. Your talk should come across as natural, original and personal
• Make the video relevant to your subject. If you have a website about fly-fishing, include some clips of you fly-fishing. Remember: It’s all about building your credibility
• Keep it short. Three minutes is about the most you can expect your audience to sit through

Note: Don’t replace the written version of your About Me with the video. Have both. This is important for the search engines and for those who aren’t able to view online videos.

Tip #11 – PR People and Press Pack

One of the most likely groups of people to visit your About Me page is the press. Therefore, it is a good idea to create a press pack for them to download. I suggest that this include a printable version of your bio, possibly a CV and a choice of downloadable photos. Journalists want an easy life, so if you give them what they want without hassle, they are more likely to use you in their story than someone they have to chase for information.

Tip #12 – Keep It Up to Date

Put a note in your diary to take a look at your About Me page at least once every quarter. Keep it updated and fresh. Add new photos and new information about what you have been doing. It should always be a work in progress.

Plus, one tip for luck…

Tip For Luck (not #13!) – What Not to Do

Your About Me page is like the rest of your website. It should NOT have music or whizzy, twirly, blinking gizmos. The text should be clear and easy to read, which means it should be dark color text on a white background, with plenty of space between paragraphs, headings and photos.

Conclusion

Invest some time and thought in your About Me page. It is important. It is who you are on the Internet and one of the few opportunities you have to build a relationship with your audience in the faceless online world.


http://www.subhub.com/articles/about_me_page_creation_tips

Wider Online Presence

A presence on networking and community sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Deviant Art, DesignersNetwork etc. can also be an important way of making professional contacts, showcasing work, generating
interest, providing information and generating traffic to my website. I may already have such a
presence. I should consider and develop a strategy for my wider online presence, in which my
website will play a part. I will Evidence this in my blog, with links to my various online presences.

Personal Website

First aim is to create a website to promote myself in a creative professional capacity. This will form the centrepiece of my online presence. It should reflect and inform about my attitude to creativity and design. It may take the form of a straightforward portfolio of work, but maybe there are other approaches? I will have to consider who i am targeting and why. The website must be designed and built from scratch and published online.
I should be able to show my research, development and thinking in the form of a blog (which i am doing on here).

Extended Computing B

The aim of this brief is, as a graduating student or professional designer, i will need to promote my skills to various people :
potential clients, employers, work partners or academic staff if intending to go on to further study. The web
is now one of the primary mediums used for this purpose, in the form of self-promotional websites, blogs
and membership of larger networking and design community websites.
My task is to consider and develop my own professional online presence.