Description: PBS's 1900 House documented the lives of modern family members who resided in a home without everyday conveniences. The site presents information about the family's struggles, as well as interactive floor plans that let visitors explore the environment.

Great site because:

• The layout is pink and flowery (which is usually only seen on children's sites) but manages to be sophisticated and evoke the feeling of life in the 1900s; the site illustrates how seldom-used schemes can be classy and not overwhelming.
• One of the few areas of the site that uses Flash is the house tour. It loads quickly but is, nonetheless, interactive and informative without detracting from the content.

Almay

Description: The website for Almay, "the pure source for beautiful," places focus on learning about products for skincare, face, eyes, lips, and nails. It does not allow users to shop online, but Almay does provide a store locator tool. The website is Flash-based and includes large, bold photos, but it loads relatively quickly.

Great site because:

• While the website integrates Flash smoothly, it does not focus on the technology; therefore, it illustrates how to use Flash sparingly but cleverly.
• In a reflection of Almay's hypo-allergenic, pure cosmetics, the website is clean, fresh, and simple; the site mirrors the foundation of the company, which can be difficult to do.

City of Weston, FL

Description: The City of Weston, FL's, site is extremely unique for one that introduces both residents and visitors to a community. It is highly Flash-based (which can present an access problem for people with slower connections or little patience) and is designed to immerse visitors in an online environment, unlike other city sites that are laid out more like a phonebook.

Great site because:

• Many sites that use Flash tend to focus on the technology rather than the content. This one places the technology in the background and puts the emphasis on the information.
• By combining soothing sounds, calm colors, simple photos, and a clean layout, this site succeeds in creating a virtual environment that is intriguing and, imaginably, mirrors the environment of Weston.

Discovery.com

Description: Discovery.com is the main portal to Discovery Kids, Discovery Store, Discovery Channel, Discovery Health, Animal Planet, TLC, and related resources. The homepage is simple and uses Flash to introduce users to each section, which has a unique look.

Great site because:

• The use of Flash is unique; it is not overwhelming and presents a sort of user introduction that helps visitors find what they need (and does not get in the way of exploration).
• The various Discovery sites are a wealth of information on dozens of topics, many of which have their own innovative designs. Hours of fun for learning or getting design ideas.

Disney Online

Description: Disney Online is an interactive site to all aspects of the company, such as vacations, the Disney Channel, entertainment, and the Disney Store. The site is simple to navigate, and the homepage features a large map of the site with sounds and navigation bars that appear as each area is rolled over.

Great site because:

• Parts of Disney Online are Flash-based, but the pages load fairly quickly and features images and evoke a sense of interaction and fun. Interactive games are available for children (or adults!).
• The site's homepage is visually geared toward children, but the content includes information on organizing vacations and buying merchandise, so the site truly is for all visitors who like some magic in their lives.

Floris Suite Hotel

Description: The site for Floris Suite Hotel, located in the Dutch Caribbean, has a bold but simple design that includes information about the hotel and making reservations. The colors are bright and complementary, setting the tone of what is imagined to be a relaxing hotel in an exciting area.

Great site because:

• Many hotel sites neglect to include a lot of photos to let potential visitors get a feel for the resort. Floris Suite Hotel offers dozens of photos in a unique Flash design that quickly enlarges thumbnail views.
• The color scheme is fresh and invigorating, and while the site is Flash-based, it loads relatively quickly (a great feature to keep in mind when trying to attract visitors with a variety of technological abilities).

Froguts

Description: Froguts is one of the few online dissection resources that I have seen, and by far the best. The site guides users through a virtual frog dissection with clear graphics and plenty of interaction. Visitors also have an opportunity to purchase the CD version for classroom purposes.

Great site because:

• Animal experimentation is a major debate, and this site does an amazing job of making the virtual process easy to understand and highly interactive.
• Froguts makes learning enjoyable for those who may have trouble stomaching a real dissection but crave interactivity in learning. Great graphics and a fun environment.

The Greeks: Crucible of Civilization

Description: PBS's online resource about the ancient Greek civilization is different from many of the network's other sites in that it is Flash-based and manages to immerse visitors. The website includes interactive timelines, maps, information about the Parthenon, and a guide to speak like Greeks probably did.

Great site because:

• The Greeks is a beautiful website with plenty of ways to explore the parts of the civilization that are most interesting to the visitor. Despite the dependence on Flash, it loads relatively quickly.
• This site seems to embody what Flash is great for creating: an interactive environment that immerses users in a time and culture that might be dry if it were being presented through lectures or textbooks.

Irving Plaza

Description: The Irving Plaza site presents visitors with the events and ambience of the New York entertainment location. While Flash is used in the site, there are also a lot of interesting elements that are simple images and background elements; the resource, therefore, illustrates that Flash can be used sparingly but still have an impact.

Great site because:

• The homepage is fun and inviting; it features a drawing of the Irving Plaza entrance, as well as simple Flash elements that create the sense of excitement that comes with the New York entertainment scene.
• The color scheme and rich patterned backgrounds, which apparently are representative of the interiors of Irving Plaza, let past and potential on-site visitors get a feeling for the environment of the location. At the same time, the site's content does not get lost in the visual aspects.

LEGO

Description: LEGO's official site includes opportunities to purchase merchandise, but the main focus and supporting content makes the site popular for children. In addition to the latest news and information about product lines, the LEGO site includes interactive games and animations.

Great site because:

• Children can browse the LEGO site to locate toys that they would like to have, but it also keeps them occupied by offering games that take some time to download but are worth the wait.
• Visitors can participate in message boards and express their opinions about products, so future users benefit from the information.

Maybelline

Description: Maybelline's homepage is a portal to 11 countries in which Maybelline cosmetics are available. Each of the 11 sites presents information on the newest products, contests, newsletters, and online shopping. The large Flash element on each country's main page is a bold ad that has the feeling of a Maybelline commercial.

Great site because:

• Flash is used in a simple manner that is, nonetheless, impacting; instead of being the basis of the entire site, it is used to create large ads that make the site reminiscent of reading a fashion magazine.
• The entire site is interesting to explore, because each country's main page has a distinctive design that apparently reflects the culture's tastes. It is enlightening to see the unique characteristics that appeal to people in other locations around the world.

Planet Twinkie

Description: Planet Twinkie is a Flash-based resource that lets visitors play games, send e-postcards, and acquire simple recipes. While the site takes a while to load, users are kept interested in the futuristic layout and are rewarded for waiting.

Great site because:

• The homepage exemplifies how Flash can be used to appeal to children; it depicts a city with several buildings, audio rollover elements, and a Twinkie rollercoaster.
• Adults can also be interested in the site with their children thanks to an e-newsletter and online store.

Solemates: The Century in Shoes

Description: The Century in Shoes is an educational site (which seems more like entertainment than learning) that explores the changes in footwear over the past 100 years. The interactive timeline presents not only a description and images of popular shoes in each decade, but it also features photographs and advertisements from each time period.

Great site because:

• This site successfully integrates fashion and history into an educational tour that is reminiscent of a trendy, out-of-the-way museum. A visitor might come to learn about shoes but probably leaves with an interest in the history of each time period.
• The site's design is simple, clean, and easy to navigate, and the Flash introduction sets the tone by presenting a pair of shoes with music from each decade.

Tempus Fugit: Time Flies

Description: Part of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Tempus Fugit explores how humans view and deal with time. Visitors can discover the difference between world times and conservation time and how these concepts have evolved for hundreds of years.

Great site because:

• The site has amazing Flash animations that help to immerse visitors in the different time periods, cultures, and views of time.
• Many of the screens offer related classroom ideas that help instructors or casual learners apply the information to other concepts they may be studying.

What is a Print?

Description: The Museum of Modern Art's exhibit on the characteristics of a print includes four interactive demonstrations of woodcutting, etching, lithographing, and screen printing. The site would provide a wonderful way for beginning art students to understand how each process works before tackling projects in class.

Great site because:

• What is a Print takes what could be a dull subject and makes it exciting by getting visitors involved in the processes. Who knew these projects could be fun to learn about in a virtual environment?
• The use of Flash is innovative in that it lets users simulate each process by painting, blotting, pressing, and cutting with fun tool icons. Despite the interactivity of the site, it loads quickly.

Within These Walls

Description: The Smithsonian Institution's Within these Walls covers the history of a single 200 year-old house and five families that have lived in it. The site is historical but is also a source for visitors to learn how to investigate housing structures and clues to understand aspects of the residences. Users can test their skills to apply what they have learned to different scenarios about various time periods.

Great site because:

• The layout is Flash-based and simple but and uses colors and fonts that remind visitors of various decades; nonetheless, the site is unified and manages to be non-time specific.
• Within these Walls is an innovative way to teach the history of residential architecture to visitors who simply want to peek into the lives of five different families.

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