The FlashCanon

AWESOME!! (I know it’s a mistake, but I just had to share) Here’s the link if you have $122.72 for a book.

While Amazon still has it marked as a pre-order, my book, Hands-On Guide To Creating Flash Advertising, has been published and I’ve got my first copy in hand. And while the title may make some people cringe at the thought of another annoying banner with lots of blinking fluorescent colors, the true purpose of the book is to teach its readers a better, more likable way to advertise online with Flash. And it’s not just about banner ads, it’s about microsites as well. With chapters covering everything from advertising examples to sample code to topics such as design and preparation for advertising with both banners and microsites, I hope you’ll enjoy reading the book just as much as I hope you’ll gain some bit of new knowledge from it.

I’ve been using Flex and AIR lately to create a couple of apps for internal use at the office and I’ve got to say that (at least for now) I’m hooked. Since I’m enjoying it so much, I thought I’d enter an app in the AIR Developer Derby and with the deadline drawing closer every day, I’ve been wondering just how many people might be entering as well (my guess is that it’s going to be a huge number).

While I won’t ask what you’re developing because you don’t want to show your hand too soon, I would love to hear how many of you are making something for the derby. Take a second to chime in and good luck to everyone in advance.

I was digging around some old files and found this little mini arcade that I built back at the beginning of 2006 for a contest that was being held by the nice folks over at PlayStation (which explains the heavy PlayStation branding in the games). The winner of the contest got a free trip to E3, but that winner wasn’t me (oh well). The mini arcade consists of 3 very simple games: “Game Box Memory”, “Sony Says” and “Mega Shooting Gallery”. I had fun making the games and I hope you have a couple of minutes of fun playing them.

Check it out here.

With the publish date for the book only a month away (August 24), I went ahead and pushed the website live last night. Not all aspects of the site are fully functional at this time and that’s intentional. While I wanted visitors to be able to do a couple of things like read about the book (or the author), I’m holding off on some other features like downloads and questions/comments for individual chapters until the book is released. Anyway, check it out when you get a chance and feel free to order a copy if you like.

Today I received word that my book (Hands-On Guide To Creating Flash Advertising) is going to press a bit ahead of schedule and that the expected publication date is now August 24th. The book can be pre-ordered from several places online including Amazon and the Elsevier/Focal Press website. In addition, you can find a sample chapters section on the right side of the Elsevier/Focal Press website.

I have 4 Pownce invites. If you’re interested, be one of the first 4 people to email me (use the email link in the side bar on the right). I’ll post a comment here once I’ve received the 4 emails.

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If you’re interested, you can find me on Pownce under the name FlashCanon
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On Thursday, July 05, Mark Berghausen wrote a post to the Official Google Webmaster Central Blog with the title of “Best uses of Flash” and today I’ve read a few posts in response.

I understand all of the points that are being made in the Google post when it comes to search and I don’t entirely disagree with them. However, Mr. Berghausen’s post came across (in my opinion) as stating that they are Google and they know best. That if they say these rules set forth by them are the “Best uses of Flash”, then the rest of us should simply accept and adhere to them.

Now, I DO know that search is VERY important to many, many sites out there. However, as Benny asks in the comments, “Isn’t it time to accept that there are sites (e.g. depending on audiences) for which it perfectly make sense to offer full flash sites?”

The question I pose is this: Are these REALLY the “Best uses of Flash” simply because a giant like Google says so or is this more along the lines of Google simply trying to persuade developers to do things the way Google wants them done?

A couple of days ago we launched the Patrón Social Club site for Patrón Spirits. The Patrón Social Club is a place where members can read (and contribute) the latest info about what’s happening with different topics ranging from cars to nightlife to technology. The site itself was built with Flash and Ruby On Rails and 99% of the content is dynamic. Once you’re in, the concierge (video) will let you know where you are as you browse through the site. Want to know the story of Patrón? Check out “The Patrón Story”. Have a bottle of Patrón at home (or maybe in your desk at work)? Look for the handwritten ID number on the back and enter it in the “ID Your Bottle” section to learn more about it.

Anyway, check it out when you get a few extra minutes in your day and I’d love to hear what you think.

Due to the fact that so many companies see the importance of having (and maintaining) an online presence, we’ve been very busy and busy is always good. One personal result of having plenty of work to do is that it’s been nearly a full month since I posted anything here. So I thought I’d take a quick break, grab a coke, and write something up real quick.

The biggest thing I’ve been doing at work is a new site for The Patrón Spirits Company. I’m not sure how much I can say about it, but if you like SimplyPerfect.com, which I posted about at the time it launched, you will like the new site as well. Obviously the two sites are different, but the clean and simple feel remains.

The biggest thing I’ve been doing outside of work is getting prepared for our new arrival who is expected to join us any day now and make our son a big brother. As you can imagine, I’ll be spending time with my family and probably won’t be posting much for a little bit after that day comes.

Finally, for those who may be wondering, the book is going great and is staying right on track to ship on time.

And now, back to work. Have a great day, week, and month (just incase it takes me a while to post again).