What is Flashturbation?

Its the excessive, unnecessary and often poorly implemented use of Flash which is forcing people to actually disable or uninstall the Flash player. The defintion:

quote:

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Flashturbation n. The practice of using Macromedia Flash on Web sites for nothing more than demonstrating its cool "whiz-bang" features.

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Source of definition

So rather than an anti-Flash rant it is more a call for designers to be more responsible with their usage of Flash as they are spoiling things for everyone. So when you are designing think about the usability aspects of

Oh and it makes you go blind (and get warts).

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Relevant FAQs:

How do I completely disable or uninstall the Flash player/plugin?

Can you give me tips for making Flash more usable?

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Relevant links:

Down with Flashturbators - a newspaper article on the problem of Flash ads - the latest example of Flashturbation.

Flashturbation - The Wrong Way to a Sticky Site

flashturbation rant

Google Directory: Flash: Criticism

Flashzoom has a section on Developing User-Friendly Flash Content as well as a number of interesting articles on responsible Flash usage:

Are You Designing For Your Eyes Only?

The Keys to Improving Flash Usability

Making Sure Usability 'Fitts' Flash

Hey Flasher, Stop Abusing your Visitors

A Cancer on the Web called Flash

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Although some people seem to take less as a term of abuse:

Flashturbation - Vector Pleasure

Flashturbation.org - less excessive that it has been

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Relevant notes:

At the time of writing this FAQ was ranked number 5 at Google for a search with the term flashturbation.

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Emperor

(Added by: Emperor on Thu 17-Oct-2002)

(Edited by: Emperor on Wed 11-Dec-2002)