Hypermedia in general, but more so the WEB, are founded on the object oriented paradigm. Object orientated models of computing are nonlinear, nonhiearchical, and very naturalistic. In this paradigm the basic building block is the object, which has certain attributes and ways of behaving. An event, such as a mouse click, triggers a message to an object, once received by the object, the message triggers a specific behavior by the object. Objects build on one-another, an object can inherit the attributes and behaviors of other objects. These composite objects merely need to bridge between the existing attributes and behaviors and those desired. These characteristics can be found in hypermedia and the WEB as a whole.
Beyond the nuts and bolts of the WEB, the object oriented paradigm provides an excellent model for authoring, one that this site uses. One can view the WEB as a vast store of objects to build your site with. Assemble all the relevant objects, then fill in the gap between what they give you and what you want. If HTML does not fully meet the site's needs, write CGI scripts and programs to provide objects with the necessary attributes and behavior. It helps the author develop a more flexible and collaborative mindset. The author sees their work as part of, and composed of, the greater whole.The author sees that, they may unknowingly be collaborating with others who make the work part of a new work.