---
title: "“You know what .chms need? More bling-bling. More flash…”"
date: 2009-02-14
description: "$( document ).ready(function() { // Handler for .ready() called. $("
canonical_url: https://idratherbewriting.com/2009/02/14/you-know-what-chms-need-more-bling-bling-more-flash/
---
# “You know what .chms need? More bling-bling. More flash…”
![Kristi's tweet about the need for help to change](https://s3.us-west-1.wasabisys.com/idbwmedia.com/images/kristileach-400x2091.jpg)

Her tweet expresses what I've been feeling for a long time.  There's a massive rift between content online and content in help files. In most help files, the content is static, old, textual, boring, unhelpful, sometimes obvious, or irrelevant, never packed with eye-candy, video, or any human element. It could exist inside medical packaging. IE's help provides a perfect example:

![Internet Explorer's help -- please, try to contain your excitement about the content here](https://s3.us-west-1.wasabisys.com/idbwmedia.com/images/iehelp21.jpg)

The world online, on the other hand, is more appealing, more full of multimedia, more interactive and eye-catching. Is it any wonder why people first turn to Google rather than an application's help file?

For an example of a website with flash and bling, I refer you to [The Dog Files](http://www.thedogfiles.com/). I'm not a fan of dogs (although after watching *Bolt *at the dollar theater last night, most of us wanted a dog). Instead, I heard about The Dog Files site [on a WordPress podcast with Jeffro (episode 33)](http://www.talkshoe.com/talkshoe/web/talkCast.jsp?masterId=34224&pageNumber=0&pageSize=15), who interviewed the site developer and producer.

The Dog Files is a custom WordPress site that displays rich media in a unique way. The heart of the site is a video screen, similar to a TV that you flip on. Immediately you know the site has an entertainment component as its focal point.

![The Dog Files has a video player as its focal point](https://s3.us-west-1.wasabisys.com/idbwmedia.com/images/doggie1.jpg)

Navigation buttons conveniently span around the video player. When you click the Episodes button, rather than seeing a plain list of titles, you see thumbnails next to each image along with a short summary of the content.

![Episodes have eye-catching thumbnails and are styled attractively](https://s3.us-west-1.wasabisys.com/idbwmedia.com/images/doggyepisodes1.jpg)

The Shop, Blog, and Forum features are directly integrated into the site, making it one seamless experience. The user doesn't have to navigate separate sites linked together.

You can interact with almost every page by commenting on both blog posts and videos -- without having to log in. (However, you can log in directly in the comment form if you want.)