There are entire books about how media and content merge and the 'medium is the message', so I won't go into a lot of that in this article, but I'm sure there will be more about this in future articles. For now, we will concern ourselves with the image we portray on our websites, the importance of well-designed sites and the flexibility you have with ImpressCMS and XOOPS themes.

I have said before that "Content is King", but there are some important considerations for how your site looks. The web has moved from a literal, sequential media (as print is) to a graphic, non-linear media. This gets more complicated by the fact that the web is not just viewed in computer browser, but also on cell phones and by other web sites. Learning about the medium and design helps you understand the non-verbal aspect of web technologies.

The goal is not a site that is the visual equivalent of being hit in the head with a rock wrapped in a message. The goal is to understand how the visual presentation of your site alters your message. Your theme should complement your content, effectively highlight it and reflect your ministry, not be a distraction. For a short video about how redesigning newspapers affected readership and circulation, visit TED.com.

Next, we'll examine the fundamental building blocks for any web site and how it impacts your visitors.