As a rule of thumb, what would you say should be the maximum file size of a web page? (I mean all included, pics, graphic text ...). Purpose is of course to have the page downloaded in an acceptable time for the visitor.
Less than 100kb is always good, but not always possible. Once you get to half a megabyte though, you way to big.
Rule of thumb -- Keep an eye on where your visitors are comming from & locate yourself as close as possible to the network(s) which serve(s) them best. Other than that it depends on your subject matter. Someone looking for Unreal Tournament III stuff is likely going to have a powerfull system & connection. Someone simply looking to read the daily news may or may not.
I try and keep it very light - less than 70kb including HTML, CSS, images, etc. Sometimes, though, it's just too hard. ... with the exception of Flash because I can create a preloader for that.
100-150kb is the maximum range I aim for, though I will go higher if the page in question warrants it (like a Flash video being used as part of the page content, for instance). Note by "Flash video" I mean something like a video testimonial or a YouTube-esque video (or something educational, like KipKay's videos), not a pointless advertisement.
I wouldn't say video advertisements are pointless. Abused maybe, but not pointless. With video advertisements a single frame is all that should be loaded untill a visitor expresses interest. An example of a good place to use a video advertisement, I think, would be for simple products that nobody really needs, but do have a use. Like a magi-grip soda bottle opener. Show a single frame in the style of a usual advertisement, with a "see it in action" link or button that shows an old lady using it to open a soda bottle.
I see this crap a lot: Insurance or bank site. Big object div in the middle with rest of the page flowing around it. Object is flash with basically fading images in and out of various customers, agents, and the buildings. Waste of bandwith. Why not just a random image from a bank of like 10 that only change on Reload? Sometimes, though, they advertise a few new products that the company really wants to promote and they're these little videos which go along with a current television ad series they're doing too. Damn, it took me like 3 minutes to load Nike's page, and then there's this video of some tard running in a park. BNR Newsradio has this Microsoft video ad that plays at the bottom of the pages... thankfully there's a sound control and is by default off. And the ad's at the bottom, so if it take a year to load, you can still read the news item. The informatics on it look pretty cool though, remind me of a movie Truth is Stranger than Fiction. I think some people just say, Fck it, we're going to build a monster of a page because we can. We're Giant Industrial Corporation, deal with it.