The Future is Flash

At Beaconfire, we are constantly scanning the horizon for new technologies to help our clients make the most of their investment in the Web. However we’ve come to realize that sometimes the best and most elegant solutions are the ones that have withstood the test of time. That is why we are excited to kick off our newest project with the National Foundation for Cute Animal Rights.

During the NFCAR discovery process, we evaluated 8 well-known content management systems in order to best house and leverage their wealth of adorable animal photography and accompanying snarky, yet educational commentary. However, while each CMS offered a solution to fit some of the organization’s needs, none of them truly had the ability to make NFCAR’s impactful imagery the centerpiece of an immersive and interactive user experience. That is when we realized that the most compelling–some would say radical–solution was right under our noses. We decided to redesign their entire Web site to be an interactive Flash showcase.

There were, to be sure, some initial concerns about doing an entire site in Flash. Would search engines be able to index it? How would we be able to easily and accurately measure site traffic? But NFCAR assured us that they were not worried about these issues because their compelling stories and high-traffic partner sites would lead people to the site, and the innovative concept would lead to it becoming a viral sensation. Furthermore, their belief that analytic data does not truly capture the essence of success helped free Beaconfire from the time-consuming effort of placing tracking code on each site page and setting up dashboard reports.

While the final design is yet to be approved, we are proud to report that we have been able to acquire the rights to the song “You Are My Sunshine,” which will be recorded exclusively for NFCAR’s use by last season’s American Idol winner Adam Lambert. This music will provide a continual cheery backdrop for the stunning high-resolution photography of kittens, bunnies, hamsters, and puppies. NFCAR has also purchased the rights to the Archie’s version of “Sugar, Sugar,” which will serve dual purposes–being a prelude to the “meat” of the site, and providing visitors with toe-tapping entertainment during the estimated 7-minute load time.

Keep your eyes on Beaconfire Wire for news of the site launch, which we anticipate to be some time around September. And stay tuned for next week, when we tell you about our forthcoming strategic partnership to help ensure that Internet Explorer 6 remains the gold standard of all Web browsers!

* Photo of cute kitten from Flickr user clevergrrl, adapted under a Creative Commons license.

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