Flash Splash for a Sponsor Site

I need to do up a sponsor program website, and need to find out who is out there that can knock together those flash vids on the intro page. ... fancy display of the site name with some program specs type thing. Anyone?

is this for an embed video? I can help with that. But if its for a full animated flash header/banner type thing, I will have to pass you on to the next available teller

the flash header type thing, like a banner, sort of ... I don't work with flash, and i can't draw for shit ... need an animated something or other flashed together for a site.

i actually dont like flash on affiliate websites i think it just doesnt do anything but make the program look funky most of the time

Jakob Nielsen (user-web usability expert) once wrote an essay titled, "Flash: 99% bad". His gist was that it slowed loading of the page while adding virtually nothing of substance to the user.

He thought Flash worked great for product information -- for example, seeing a sweater in the different colors for which it is available. Or better yet, allowing you to mix-and-match clothing from an online clothes store so you can see how that shirt looks with those pants. Then allowing you to rotate them around on a virtual model so you can see them from the side and back.

But generally speaking, Flash offers little to users of affiliate programs. Usually lots of "zoom zoom zoom!" noises or awful dance music while various nude or scantily clad people float around the screen. Maybe a few bit of promo information about the affiliate program.

It would be far more appropriate for the webmaster to make the same information available to the user in such a way he can easily navigate to find the information without having to watch the boring animation (that he usually tunes out). It's far faster to click on "payout information" than it is to sit through a 30 seconds Flash animation to find out when I'm getting paid.

--Aaron

I agree with Aaron on this, personally, if i could go back 4 years and do the Condom Cash design again id not have flash but instead opt to have a .jpg or animated .gif created on the main page.

The same is true with one of our other affiliate program designs.

Because of this, all of our new programs we're going to be launching over the course of the next 12-18 months we're totally avoiding flash on the program pages and instead opting to for static jpg or animated gif files that will make it much easier to swap out and provide information to our affiliates when they hit these program sites.

With a goodphp include, there is no reason why program owners can setup a section of their main page to display a much wider range of information every time an affiliate hits the main program page.

Of course, if you have something in a flash intro, you either have to get a new flash animation created every time you want to run a promo or remove an old program feature, whereas with an image, you simply remove and replace... Which is a lot more cost effective.

Regards,

Lee

So you all are saying that there isn't some subliminal ... "this program has good sites because the sponsor site is really cool?"

What do you look for when you hit a program site? Any ideas about what makes you join one over another if the content is similiar?

Being a review site, I work with tons on tons of affiliate programs. So for me, I like...

- Programs that pay via CCBill, Epoch, Verotel, Webmaster Checks, etc. (All payment processors with good track records)

- If not with those processors, programs with a fairly low minimum payout, even if it's not very often (ie; I'd take a lower payout at monthly than a higher one and weekly).

- Programs that offer non-explicit content for affiliates. (Damn 2257 laws!). Putting non-explicit shots in hosted galleries is fine, as I can grab what I need from there, even if the hosted gallery is mixed explicit-nonexplicit.

- Programs with stats programs that don't require you use a specific short time period when retrieving stats. (I'm looking at you, Epoch!) I love that I can select "all time" with Nats so easily.

- Programs that keep good payment records online. (Ie; a payment report that specifically indicates which sales led to that particular payment).

- Programs where the staff is reachable by phone (which I rarely use), ICQ (which I use often), and a direct e-mail address. I dislike having to enter my comment in a form, click "submit", and hope it gets there.

- Programs which adhere to the sensibilities of a gay audience. While I understand that a program with 20 straight sites and 1 gay site probably won't bother making a specific affiliate page for gay webmasters, it's nice to be able to look at the affiliate program pages without a lot of tits in my face.

Good example: Platinum Bucks. It's got a lot of women on the page, but by clicking on a nice little rainbow graphic the page instantly transforms into one that is specifically tailored to my needs as a gay webmaster.

Bad example: Silver Cash. Craploads of irrelevant (to me) straight stuff and their gay sites listed as a "niche". Makes me feel like my business doesn't matter.

- Affiliate programs that promote a 5% (or whatever) webmaster referral option. I don't refer webmasters often, but I like to be able to.


Obviously not all this stuff (especially the stats reports) aren't immediately obvious on the outside, but if I see them as selling points then it definitely appeals to me.

--Aaron

Wow ... thanks for the detailed response!! You actually listed just about everything I look around for when I hit a sponsor site. And I do recommend a lot of sites/programs, and really appreciate when I can pick up 5-10% for bothering to do so!