Any communication can be separated into the message (the content of the communication) and the medium (plural of media ,including such items as a newspaper, a compact disc, word of mouth, or a Web site). In the previous module, you were introduced to the "message" elements of a Web site, the first three layers of the Web Interaction Model: Signs and Metaphors, where the user interprets the message of a Web site; Information Architecture, the architecture that structures the navigation through the message; and Software, applications that enable the design and support the storage of files necessary to the site.
In this module, you will continue to use the Web Interaction Model as a framework for understanding the two remaining layers of the model: Networks and the Internet, and Hardware. These layers are the media over which the message is sent and the physical components required to send and store the message and associated data.
You will also learn about some of the protocols by which networks communicate, as well as how businesses are using the Internet to leverage the power of Web-based applications.