They say a picture paints a thousand words. If so, then a Flash video probably paints a hundred thousand words! Flash banners and slideshows, when used sparingly and strategically, help convey one's message better and more effectively than mere words.
The problem is when people overdo it. Just remember, the search engines do not recognize text on an image or text that appears as a graphic in a Flash movie. So if your site is written entirely in Flash, then you can kiss your SEO goodbye, at least for now.
We use flash to catch the visitor's attention, to get a point across, to encourage the visitor to explore the site some more. In short, we use Flash strategically, not just aesthetically.
If a certain concept can be explained in a few words, then why slow down your website unnecessarily with a slow-loading Flash movie?
