But there are a number of new technologies — with more arriving every day! — that can add dramatic functionality to your site. There are some downsides, though, that you should consider...
- These technologies don’t work well (sometimes not at all) with every browser. Therefore, if the possibility of a browser conflict exists, your site needs to contain functionality to make sure your user’s browser can display your site’s features. This can certainly be done — but it adds to your site’s complexity and therefore to development and maintenance costs.
- Visitors to your site who are not using state-of-the-art computing equipment may experience slowdowns and/or system problems when trying to use some of these technologies. This can be very frustrating to the user!
- Some of these technologies may require that the user download special software. Even though the software is usually free, your visitors may be unwilling or perhaps lack the expertise to make modifications to their Internet setup.
Your INFTEK Account Manager will be happy to discuss the the pluses and minus of adding this functionality to your site. LET’S TALK! Here’s a brief introduction to the more popular of these technologies. To get more information, just click on the link....but don’t forget to come back here by clicking the “Back” button on your browser toolbar. Sound can be a very effective addition to your site — especially if it augments your sales story directly. But not all users have sound capability and sound files can be quite large and take a long time to download — which can be a real turnoff. RealAudio can bring CD-quality sound (and now even video) to your site without the necessity to download large audio files. It requires the user to download and install the (free) software, and, again, not all users have sound capability. QuickTime brings the movies to your site! Requires (free) software download and installation, the files are VERY large (requiring long download times) and development costs can be high. But can be EXTREMELY effective! Shockwave is a powerful environment for adding animation and other special effects to your site. Requires (free) software download. Development can be expensive. Active Server is a new Web methodology developed and actively promoted by Microsoft. Enables dynamic manipulation of site content based on user interaction. Site must be hosted on a Microsoft server platform (which we can do if this technology appeals to you) and there is a possibility of browser conflict. However, can provide functionality that is very difficult (or impossible) to obtain using other methods. One or more of these tools may be — or, equally importantly, may NOT be! — just the thing for YOUR site. And more come down the road by the minute! We at INFTEK want to keep you in the picture, so LET’S TALK !!! |
