February 2011

Recently, while perusing Freelancer.com gigs I noticed a project poster who wanted a WordPress expert to convert his web site to that environment.

The thing is-- his site was really very nice. The problem? It was entirely Flash. If he wanted to add a page-- he needed a Flash developer. If he wanted to change a menu item-- he needed a Flash developer

Yes, Flash can add some really neat effects. And media players developed using Flash are some of the best on the web.

I have seen a lot of requests on Freelancer.com like the one I referenced above. The project posters want something they can easily change if they have to-- without hiring a Flash or ColdFusion developer.

WordPress does make it easy for a site owner to add a page or change a menu item-- if the right template is selected.

Using animated gifs, JavaScript, DHMTL or JQuery functions-- can add special effects to a web page-- that are easier to change than Flash. That said, my caution-- JQuery has some very nice features-- however many are not supported with older platforms [i.e., Browsers/Operating Systems]. Browsers even two years old may not work with some JQuery functions-- and unless you purchase new hardware and operating systems often-- and hope those visiting your sites do as well-- JQuery may not always be the best solution.

Media Players? Flash is still the one to beat-- but these players are really Java players that hook into the Flash Player download that most web surfers use.

Think carefully before signing up to have a site developed that you cannot maintain yourself.

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