The trend today to overuse animation in a websites opening pages only serves to confirm that style often overshadows substance. Sometimes a flash in the pan often courtesy of Macromedia Corp.s web animation program is simply a flash in the pan.

These often-clever animations succeed in doing two things consistently: 1) wasting precious time getting the information to site visitors and 2) delaying delivery of the message that the company or organization wants visitors to see.

Effective web design relies on communicating information and the message in an attractive, efficient manner. The concept of you only get one chance to make a good first impression is jeopardized when a new visitor has to endure the loading message.

Often, the Flash opening has little to do with the reason the visitor typed in the URL or clicked the link in the first place. For example, one marketing firms homepage opens with a Flash montage featuring a boy looking out over the ocean through a telescope, cats playing on a floor, a close-up of a mans lower face covered with powdered sugar and the interior of a cab festooned with mosaic tile. The relevance of all this to the firms capabilities as far as meeting marketing communications needs escapes us.

But dont misunderstand. Using programs that add some spice to your site or your message is a smart use of current technology (see www.zyman.com, for example). Designers just have to make sure that your message We can meet your business needs are part of the Flash effort.

Also, make sure that the Flash introduction includes an opt-out link (Click here to skip intro) and doesnt run for more than 15 seconds or so. The idea is to draw visitors into the site and engage them, not to overwhelm them with cool gimmicks or how much money you spent developing your site.

As non-engineers or non-designers put it, just because you can do something doesnt mean that you should just for the sake of doing so.