11 replies to this topic

[Cephas]

Honestly, is there actually any point to a flash screen?

Would you recommend one?

Would it put you off a site?

all answers on a postcard or just in a reply!

[Donna]

If your using flash/html otherwise no point.

[albinoAZN]

I've never been too keen on the idea of a splash page. It's just a distraction in my opinion.

[sq3r]

I think they're mostly just a visually appealing introduction to a website that's focus is to be visually appealing. It's kind of like an intro song on a CD. They kind of ease you into the rest of the album. Not that it's really necessary.

[rc69]

In a computer program that potentially takes a while to load, and could look like nothing's happening while it's loading, yes, a splash screen is esential.

For a website, i find them a pointless waste of bandwidth, and would only stick through one if i had a really good reason. Honestly, why have the user load extra code and cause everything else to take longer to load when 9 times out of 10 the browser lets you know something's loading.

[seraph!m]

In my opinion, splash screens are for those websites out there that are really hard to figure out. So if you make your website with competent navigation and an understandable reason for being on the internet then a splash screen is really just an annoyance.

[Erik Bernskiold]

I wouldn't recommend a splash page to anyone who does not base their site on flash. Then a splash screen serves a purpose where it lets the user choose between the flash version and non flash version of the site.

If you apply a splash page to your site just because it sounds cool, then it doesn't need to be there, and it gets just an annoyance for the visitors and you'll lose them.

[Scythar]

Till now, i only found the splash screen usefull on 2 - 3 sites that i visitred, mostly the "if you dont see the ball bouncing then you know your missing apps to view our site"- kind a splashscreen.

So i would use a splash only to give directions or the make sure viewers can see what's on the site in all his glory.

Unfortenaly, most splash screens only inform you that the owner of the site can make splashscreens... :/

[Dale71]

Well to be fair theres only a few sites that ever use splash pages. :

Illegal/Anti-Social/Pornographic - They obviously need to get some disclaimers across and age restrictions etc for the site for legal issues.

Introductional - Well ya know, just A little intro to kind of say what the site is about, you know, somthing to just tell everything what going on.

Prentation - Ya know, people just do it for a little bit of extra credit, something eyecatching that people can comment on and rate.

Assuming your site does have a splash page, you can tell alot about how the site is going to be by it's splash page.

[cheerio]

It's useful to notify users of changes that might be made to a website, like upgrades or something. Alot of times just posting in a "news & announcements" section might not get the attention from everybody, but a splash screen on the front page would make a huge difference.

[Dale71]

Yeh because the thing is, (revisiting users may goto other page) but new visitors who go on the site are GOING to see that splash page, whether they like it or not, so if there is somthing that you really need to get across to them and don't want to put on some sublink because there isn't a 100% there going to see it put it on the splash screen because there going to have to look at it.

I know somone will reply that people don't bother looking at the splash screens or whatever so my answer to that would be don't put the link to the next page on, make a script that redirects to the page after they have given the time to read the messages or somthing.