Including Multimedia in Your Website

If you are considering including audio, video or animations in your website, there are things to consider. Sometimes your site will do better without multimedia. Sometimes multimedia truly enhances your website. Understanding the different formats and how they work will help you decide.

Does multimedia improve my website? Do just want to add dancing text, because you think the site is boring? You can include animations that are designed in Flash, an animated GIF, or use programming simulate animation. But does this really enhance your site or does it distract viewers from important contents? If you can honestly say that the animation is necessary, then use it. And don't include too many animations on one page. This includes animated banners.

Will my target audience be able to see or hear the multimedia? If you include Flash files, you should include a link to download and install the plugin. Or detect if the user has the plugin. If not, prompt the user to install it. The same applies to other multimedia players. If your user needs a specific media player for video, audio or games, tell the user and make it easy for the user to get it. Remember that not all users use Internet Explorer for a browser or Windows for an operating system.

Which format should be used for my multimedia? Choosing a format that works for all systems is recommended, though not always possible. Giving your user options is nice. Video can be converted to flv to embed in web pages. Besides multimedia, there are other times when you should consider alternative formats. Graphics designers often use Mac computers and send their resumes in PDF format that can be read by Adobe Acrobat by any computer. Mac users do not use Windows and cannot read Microsoft Word files (unless converted to TXT). So have options for PC and Mac users, Windows and nonWindows users.

How will multimedia affect my bandwidth usage? Your bandwidth usage and file sizes will be higher. But you can choose the best options to make the most of your site. If you want music on your site, instead of playing mp3s, you can play wav or swf files. Converting mp3s to swf files will make smaller files that load quicker and play better when looping. Video files converted to swf files will work on all systems and cannot be downloaded (by right-clicking in the browser).

The best thing to do is to decide if you need it. If you do, make comparisons, use a test page to view on different computers and browsers. See if it plays correctly, how fast it loads, and what the quality is. And remember that not all viewers will have the patience or the ability to see or hear your multimedia. The user must have a player and the patience to download the file! Multimedia can be a great tool to enrich your website. Make sure it is worth our while to watch your video or animation or hear your audio (songs, commercial, other).

Yvette Kuhns, Power Pages Web Design, December 16, 2003

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