RE: Placement of index and TOC

[al -dot- geist -at- geistassociates -dot- com]

Dan Goldstein wrote:
> Maybe these are "flaws" are actually techniques to get you to glance at
> advertisements along the way. "Digging through the pages" might increase
> ad readership, and therefore ad prices. Just a thought.
>
In reply to Donna Jones' comments:

>> ...A TOC in a magazine is split apart into tiny chunks over several
>> pages, and I can't find the chunk of it that I need for the article
>> teaser that I saw on the cover...
>>
>> ... I finally find something in a magazine TOC and start digging
>> through the pages only to find that none of the pages are numbered
>> for 10 or 20 pages on either side of the article. Or they have
>> meaningless page numbers in the middle of the magazine --
>> Advertisement page 1, Advertisement page 2 -- and I'm looking for
>> page 119...
>>
Magazines and newspapers are kept alive by advertising revenue. Everything
about a magazine, front and back cover design, inside back cover ad,
article and advertising placement...is meant to get you to pick it up off
the rack, glance through it and buy it.  In most cases, the decision to
purchase a magazine is completed in less than 10 seconds.  The more
magazines that are sold, the more the magazine can charge advertizers and
the more pages it can print, the more color they can use and the more they
can pay contributing editors (freelancers).  If they can convince you to
buy the magazine, and search through more pages of their magazine until
you find the article that piqued your original interest without you
tossing it aside, then there is the possibility you might find something
offered by one of the advertisers, i.e., they have succeeded. Magazine
TOCs are teasers, which is a form of advertising in itself.  They are not
to be confused with TOCs from technical manuals.

Al Geist
Former magazine publisher, which was far more exciting, but not as
lucrative as technical writing.

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