This week at Adobe MAX, the Google Analytics team unveiled Google Analytics Tracking for Adobe Flash. According to Google:

This feature is a translation of the current Google Analytics tracking code into the ActionScript 3 programming language that dramatically simplifies the ability to track Flash, Flex and AS3 content. This new Flash tracking code provides all the rich features of the current JavaScript-based version, including campaign, pageview and event tracking and can be used to track Flash content such as embedded videos, branded microsites and distributed widgets, such as online games.

Developers have the choice of using a Flash Component or a AnalyticsLibrary Component, for complete control over tracking objects directly in AS3.

For more detailed information, check out the introduction and implementation guide over on Google Code. Then, watch the video demo on YouTube.

Today, I was implementing the Google Maps API for a site I was developing and noticed that you can now use the Google maps API to embed maps in Flash (take that Yahoo!). This may be old news, but it’s new to me:

This API lets Flex developers embed Google Maps in Flash applications. Similar to the JavaScript version, this ActionScript API provides a number of utilities for manipulating and adding content to maps through a variety of services, enabling you to embed robust, interactive maps applications on your website.

More information can be found here.

Slowly but surely, Flash is hacking away at the reasons people hate it. Flash has crossed a big bridge with the recent news that both Google and Yahoo! can now search content in SWF files. Yeah, I’m as suprised as you. Here’s a quick breakdown of the news, based on this article from the Flash team.

Q: Why is this news important?
A: Because all SWF files that may have had relevant and informative content were essentially invisible to all search engines before this announcement.

Q: Why is Adobe doing this?
A: To legitimize Flash sites as a viable, search friendly option and to give the Flash haters one less reason to complain.

Q: Which versions of the SWF file format will benefit from this improved indexing and searching?
A: All of them. Yeah, every single one. Yup, that kind too.

Q: What do content owners and developers need to do to their SWF content to benefit from improved search results?
A: Zip, Zilch, Nada. Now go have a margarita and tell your clients how much of a genius you are.

Q: What technology has Adobe contributed to this effort?
A: A custom Flash Player that returns links and text from within the flash file.

Q: How are Google and Yahoo! using the Adobe Flash technology?
A: To deliver improved web search capabilities for SWF applications.

Q: When will the improved SWF searching solutions go live?
A: Google is rolling them out now and Yahoo! is hot on their heels.

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