With the advent of broadband allowing faster download speeds of more data than ever before, and the Web 2.0 movement making social networking and sharing of information and ideas an everyday thing, the modern business has a number of decisions to make about exactly what type of content is to be featured on the company website.

In this article, we will take a look at three of the current trends in the arena of rich media content, and how these may or may not apply to your business.

Flash

Flash is the name of a piece of software developed in the mid-90s by a company called Macromedia. The concept behind flash is simple - to bring a degree of animation/interactivity to the Internet. It also allowed designers to create functional websites, without the need for a background in programming. Whenever you see a website with some moving (non video) content, then there is a strong chance that this is accomplished by using Flash.

Typically, Flash is used in the header of a page, or within banner adverts - anywhere that will benefit from catching the eye. If you want your website to have a high visual impact, then Flash is certainly something worth considering. However, you should avoid using Flash for anything other than 'garnish' on your website. Stay away from including your content or navigation menu within the Flash file, as this will render this information invisible to search engines (damaging your search engine results position) and also to some visitors who may not have the Flash plugin installed.

Video

Now that increased download speeds have made streaming video a possibility, the world has been taken over by self-published video clips. Sites such as YouTube make it incredibly simple to publish your own video to millions of viewers across the globe. They also make it very easy to include video within your own website too.

For example, if you sell a product that requires instructions to operate or assemble, then you could consider creating a video to show people how things are done. You have a whole range of options available at different cost levels to creating this video, from doing it yourself and recording on your own webcam, to hiring professional actors and filming in a studio. Once the video is complete, the simplest way to incorporate it on your website is to upload it to YouTube and then use the 'embed' code to include it on your website.

Podcasts

Podcasts can be a great way to generate repeat visitors to your site, and more importantly, to have people take a bit of your site away with them! The term podcast stems from Apple's iPod portable audio player, but it essentially refers to any audio clip stored in MP3 format on the Internet which can be downloaded and played later on a PC or portable audio player.

"Why would I want to do this", you might ask? Well, it very much depends on the nature of your organisation, but if you operate in an industry where news or opinion plays an important role (charity sector, marketing, finance, religion - the list goes on!), then by putting together a short podcast of your thoughts, or recent developments in your business, and making it available on your website it gives your customers a bit more of an insight in to what your business offers. This can help establish your company as an authority voice in your industry, and people trust authority!

Resource Box: If you are interested in hiring a Flash Designer to work on your company website, take a look at PeoplePerHour.com, an online freelance marketplace.