As browsers add the ability to execute files directly in a wider variety of media, "helper" applications with their intrusive controls will become less common. Controls are likely to be integrated into the browser interface, and various media displayed within the browser window itself. This should allow a much more seamless design of the different media components into a coherent Web page. For the present, strive to minimize the intrusion caused by the pop-up windows and controls of helper applications.
1. Give viewers something to look at while audio files are loading and playing.
You can distract attention from the pop-up controls of Sound Machine and other audio players, and tie the audio in to the general concept of your page, by using a related image as the graphical link anchor to launch the audio file. The cover of a piece of sheet music, a photograph of a composer or performer, a drawing of a historical instrument--these and similar images can help preserve the unity of the viewer's (and hearer's) experience of your page while enriching the meaning of the sound.
2. Try using "freeze-frames" to anchor movies in your pages.
Using a still (preferably the opening or closing frame) from an MPEG, Quicktime, Director, or other motion video clip as a graphical link anchor yields several advantages. As with sound, it helps unify the experience of the page. Here the effect is even more thorough, because the still can be designed into the overall page composition and then, when the video is played, the page will seem to "come to life." The still helps viewers decide whether to view the clip or not, and provides a visual cue if they want to skip over it at first and then return to play it at another time.
3. Let people know how big sound and video files are in advance.
Viewers with limited time to spend may want to know the file size of media files before launching them, in order to estimate how long the download will take. It's courteous to note the file size, perhaps in brackets or parentheses, in small print near the file's link anchor.
4. Consider integrating Acrobat files into your page and site strategy.
Adobe's Acrobat technology (soon to be incorporated in Netscape Navigator) offers several strengths to Web publishers. It permits efficient conversion of existing word processor or page layout program files to portable form. It can retain all the design control of the authoring software, and offers high-fidelity printing from the viewer's local printer. These traits make it a good choice for maintaining a consistent house style or identity across online and print publications, and for achieving maximum readability for material to be distributed via the Web but intended to be printed out and read on paper.
While Acrobat documents allow viewers to zoom in and see sharp text and graphics, they're not always easy to navigate for extended online reading. Acrobat files, though compact compared to PostScript or application files, still require time to load on the Web, as do graphics or audio files. The software needed to produce high-quality Acrobat files is not free, although the software required to read Acrobat files is free. Acrobat files are not searchable by standard Web search tools; however, Acrobat files can embed links to outside URLs.
Viewers with text-only browsers cannot read Acrobat files, unless they can transfer the file via FTP to a desktop computer equipped with the Acrobat reader software.
Acrobat is an effective way to use the Web as a document distribution system (rather than an online viewing system) for electronic versions of existing documents to be printed on demand. For newly-created documents that require extensive formatting or exacting graphic quality it is also superior to working directly in HTML. For new documents that are heavily linked, Acrobat has not proven efficient thus far.
If you wish to offer high-quality versions of a document both for online reading and for demand printing, consider coding a well-designed HTML page that includes a thumbnail graphic of a page from the "fancy" version as a link anchor for an Acrobat file. This gives viewers the best of both worlds. Don't forget to note the file size of the Acrobat file next to the graphic.
Many Web publishers are urging Adobe, Netscape, and the World Wide Web standards bodies to build on the Acrobat PDF format and HTML to create a "super language" that offers equal control of document structure, appearance, and interactivity. If the Adobe-Netscape partnership takes steps to integrate Acrobat tightly into the browser's functions, some of Acrobat's current limitations for Web publishers may be overcome, at least for Netscape users.
