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Subject:Re: Indexing: how to test an index From:Sandy Harris <sharris -at- dkl -dot- com> To:TECHWR-L <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Wed, 19 Jan 2000 10:16:27 -0500
Rene Stephenson wrote:
>Another idea is to sit down with a couple of SMEs and users to
>brainstorm for synonyms. "What else do they call this widget in the
>field?" is the way I usually approach it.
In particular, I always try to have index entries for terms from
other technical subcultures. e.g. documenting a microcomputer product
for an audience that includes IBM mainframers, I'd have:
DASD: see disk drives
since one of their terms is DASD (direct access storage device). Note
that I want this index entry even though I never use the term DASD; I
just want people who do use it to find something if they look it up.
Similarly, Windows programmers talk about DLLs while Unix folk have
shared libraries. Methinks the index should have both terms so both
groups find the info.
