flash navigation menu

how can I allow spiders to crawl the site?

[ppg]

I wonder if anyone has suggestions for the following - I'm updating a site and adding a flash menu (well its better than the applet they've got now) which will be on every page and provides links to most of the static content.

I assume this means that visiting spiders won't index anything past the first page.
Is there a good way to ensure that they do and still keep the flash menu in the pages? Perhaps by adding commented out html links at the start of each page?

thanks.

[Macguru]

AFAIK, only Google will follow flash links. How about making a HTML site map linked from the home page?

[DaveN]

create a site map

DaveN

edit
that was only second faster mac

[Macguru]

Yup! but I typed more words!

Wich PROVES Macs are faster! :)

[DaveN]

LOL :)

[cfel2000]

Not true. I have a P166 32Mb RAM running Win2K Server which when logged in can shut down, reboot and get to the login prompt in under 80 seconds.

Mac lovers beat that.

P.S. There is no other software installed and most of the services are switched off. But what the hay.

Anyway, back to the issue (if I was ever on it). I have built a ASP page which automatically scans the folder the website is in and lists the files as a sort of site map. This may not be perfect as it isn't completely optimised but it doesn't require any maintenance.

[Eric_Jarvis]

cfel 2000...that sort of speed is no use to me...I'm still running HumanBrain 3.1 and I can't switch focus from the keyboard to the screen in less than 5 minutes

[ppg]

hehe, there is a site map, but the link to it is yep, you guessed it, in the flash menu!

Thanks for the suggestions, I'll see if I can find a way round it.

[Macguru]

Is there a way to put an image map link to the sitemap somewhere on the homepage?

[ppg]

yeah, I think I'll do something like that. I take it that search engines won't follow links in commented out HTML then?

Damn, I didn't know you could get such speed out of humanbrain 3.1, I might have to upgrade!

[DaveN]

frames?

create a frameset 0,100%
use the noframes for your links

DaveN

[ppg]

thanks Dave. Much as I try to stay away from frames that sounds like a good solution too.

[kris]

Can't you back-up those links with text links in the body of the page? Or at least add a text link to the sitemap.

Seems a little too easy, am I missing something?

[AlbinoRhyno]

How about text links on the bottom of the page. Not only useful for search engines, but screen readers, non-flashed browsers, and possibly the color-blind.

[ppg]

thanks guys, good suggestions. The original design which for the moment I have to work within is giving me very little screenspace to work with. Also the menu is a series of dropdown lists which total over 40 links so its a bit difficult to squeeze onto the page any other way. Sorry, I should have made that clear.

from what I've read here I think the best approach is going to be to add an html link to the site map.

Thanks all :)

[glengara]

Macromedia Flash MX simplifies the creation of accessible user experiences by enabling the addition of descriptive text to rich Internet applications and content.

Came across that quote in an article on Flash and accessibility,
[macromedia.com...]

I'n not a Flashista, but could MX be a solution to this problem?

[beasscr]

I have the same problem. Can you simply make the Home Page static and keep the rest of the site flash?

Will this have any effect on spidering?