by Lori Lathrop, Lathrop Media Services [0]
Webmaster note In Part 1 of this two-part series, Lori answers the following questions:
- I need to convince my manager that our documentation needs indexes. Give me some ammunition to do that. [0]
- How big does a book have to be before it requires an index? [0]
- How big should the index be? [0]
- How long does it take to create an index? [0]
- When is the best time to create an index? [0]
- What do you mean by "multiple access points for every useful nugget of information?" [0]
- Is it better to have a skimpy index than to have no index at all? [0]
- Can you recommend an automatic indexing tool? [0]
multiple access points for every useful nugget of information [0].
Tip Indexing as you write allows you to use the index as an editing tool to improve your documentation. By indexing as you write, you can identify inconsistencies in terminology, organizational problems (when information is scattered throughout the text), and imbalances (when two or three topics of equal importance do not receive equal treatment in the index).
http://www.indexingskills.com/ [1]), author of An Indexer's Guide to the Internet, provides indexing services for corporate clients, professional organizations, and publishing houses throughout the U.S. and
Canada. She also delivers her two-day workshops, the "Indexing Skills for Technical Communicators" and the "Advanced Indexing Skills Workshop for Technical Communicators" for corporate clients and writers' organizations.
She is a Past President of the American Society of Indexers and, currently, she is ASI's international representative and ASI's correspondent for The Indexer (the professional journal of the affiliated indexing societies).
Writing and Editing [1]
- Indexing [1]