At some time or another, most jobs have to adapt (change, evolve, etc.) in order to survive. Indexing is no exception. I do know a few indexers who still work primarily in cards but no longer can they deliver their work to clients in anything other than electronic form. Most of us use specialized indexing software but that’s pure mechanics. The thought and craft that goes into the index, the decisions made about what to cross-reference, where to split into sub-headers, which word is the right one to use – this is all still done the old-fashioned way. By thinking in light of experience.
I’ve been asked more and more how the rise of ebooks will impact indexers. Will indexing go the way of the dodo bird? Will it now be done entirely by computers? The answer is no and no.
Extinction is not an option. Some types of books will always need an index. The format of the index in these books may change – it may not be a list in the back (not sure where the back of an ebook is, anyway). But there will always be a need for the “information map” an index provides.
100% Computer generated. Still, not happening. A concordance can be done entirely by computers. An index cannot. At least, not until you can create a computer that can read and understand as well as see. I know, I know – I say that all the time. Call me a broken record but it remains as true today as it was the first time I said it.
I’m not the only one thinking about these things lately. I came across What About the Worthy Indexer? just today. Indexing is already morphing in the ways touched upon in the article and skills used in indexing can be (and are being) applied to other projects and other mediums (information mapping of digital archives comes to mind).
On an amusing end note, I found this hilarious index (entries like: Monks, as less sociable than priests; “Painting, giants of uninteresting) and must agree with one of the commenters, “It’s a rare index that doesn’t need a book.” But this may well be one of them.
Listened to fantastic interview with Walter Dean Myers this morning. He is our latest ambassador for young people’s literature and he was discussing the importance of re4ading for him as a youth, what he’s seeing out there on the reading landscape and why reading is critical to success in life.
And after a that tasty audio nugget, why not indulge in this equally delightful video treat. This is awesome in ways I cannot even express -a stop motion video of books ‘frolicking’ inside a bookstore after hours.
With the holidays fast approaching and the – OMG! It’s Dec 23rd and I haven’t finished wrapping! Hold on, I’ll be right back.
. . .
Right, done. Let’s begin again.
With the holidays fast approaching and the gifts piling up, I can’t help but recall some of the gifts I’ve gotten in the past – the ones that stood out for good or bad. First the bad – to get them out of the way.
One of the worst was from one of my mom’s friends. A woman who’d never given me anything before this and has never given me anything after. She gave me a cookbook entitled “Cooking for One” because “there’s no reason to be hungry AND alone.” Gee. Thanks. On the bright side, as a running gag, the book has given me and mine something to chuckle over for over 20 years. As gifts go, that’s pretty good value.
One of the best holiday gifts I ever received was the Oxford English Dictionary. Not that “two-volume, teeny-tiny print, comes with a magnifying glass” version. I mean the full “twenty-volume, comes in 5 boxes and takes up two whole shelves” version. As soon as the Press announced (in 1993 as best I recall) they were beginning work on the 3rd edition, copies of the 2nd edition were deeply discounted. I recall making a sort of surprised “whoop” sound when I saw HOW deeply and it was the whoop that attracted my father’s attention. I vaguely recall his look of confusion as I babbled about wanting the OED for ages and the chance to get it so (relatively) inexpensively would be a long time coming again. I imagine he thought to himself, “A dicitonary? Really? Well, OK – if that’s what she wants… could be worse, I suppose.”
And so it was ordered and so it arrived. The day it arrived, I was supposed to go to a friend’s birthday party. But then those 5 boxes showed up (4 volumes per box) and the temptation was too great. I called and reported that I’d come down with sniffles or a sore throat or something. In any case, did my best imitation of someone dying of consumption and very sorry to miss all the fun. Then I hung up, threw myself joyfully on the floor and began opening boxes.
Once they were unpacked, there was nothing I could do but to start perusing them. Each volume took about 30-45 minutes to get onto the shelf and to this day, I can still lose track of time wandering through entries and following my curiosity from word to word, historical example to etymological detail…
So, yes Dad -a dictionary. A dictionary that is currently being revised but hey, 2nd edition was fine with me – and waiting for the new one? Well, a new edition of the OED takes decades – DECADES. The 3rd edition isn’t due to be finished until 2037. By the time it’s done, I will have had almost 45 years with my 2nd edition. Maybe I’ll treat myself when it’s done.
Other books I’ve been given over the years that I keep coming back to:
A complete set of hardcover editions of the Wimsey mysteries. Thank goodness for hardcover. I’ve been reading and re-reading these books for 30 years. I’ve gone through 5 paperback editions of Busman’s Honeymoon alone.
Nigella Lawson’s How to Eat. OK, I don’t spend a lot of time in the kitchen but I do find myself coming back to this particular book time and time again because it’s much more than recipes. It’s more like having a really long chat over coffee about the food you love, recipes you’ve tweaked and eyebrow-waggling giggles over racy comments.
What books have you been given that keep on giving, long after they’ve been unwrapped?
One of the more exciting moments for me every time I go to the UK is that moment when I am filling out the landing card and it asks for ‘occupation.’ Experience tells me that ‘Jill of All Digital Marketing Trades’ is not only likely to raise eyebrows but to result in delay since it comes dangerously close to a joke and people working immigration at airports have been trained to frown on jokes, to view them as not only not funny but as suspect. Either than or the people in working immigration at airports were chosen for that job because they naturally view jokes as not only not funny but as suspect.
Either way, what we are left with is the fact that when asked on the landing card for ‘occupation’ you should put down something definitive – oh and relatively recognizable. So I will, depending on my mood and what types of projects I am working on at the time, put down anything from ‘writer’ to ‘marketing manager, from ‘blogger’ to ‘project manager.’ One thing I don’t put down any more is ‘indexer.’ This isn’t because I have stopped indexing – far from it – but because whenever I put down ‘indexer’ it leads to almost as many questions and delays as when I put down ‘Jill of All Digital Marketing Trades.’
In fact, almost any time I tell people I am an indexer, eyebrows are raised and/or knitted, questions are asked and heads are shaken. It is an unknown to most people – and to some, such as the man I sat next to on my way to Rome a few year back, a myth (“I knew indexers were out there. I’ve just never seen one. I though you all were like unicorns.“)
Nope, we are real. We are not many in number but we are out there. And as a public service to everyone (and in an attempt to save some time next time I have to get through Heathrow), I thought I’d answer some of the questions I frequently get about indexing. It won’t help, as it’s unlikely this page would come to their attention. But it will make me feel better – and you, dear readers, might find it useful or interesting.
Indexer? What’s that?
That’s the person who creates the index in the back of books. You know, that usually alphabetical list of entries somewhere near the bibliography or end notes. If eyebrows are still knit at this point, I clarify “non-fiction books” to see if that helps. Sometimes it does. Other times (“You mean you have to read those books? God, that sounds tedious.“), I despair of humanity.
Someone does that? Isn’t it done by computer?
No it isn’t done by computer. It is done on a computer. Or with index cards – yes, that’s why they are called that – if you are feeling VERY old fashioned and have all day. A computer can give you a list of what page(s) where various words appear (which is not an index but a concordance) but since computers see as opposed to read, computers can’t index concepts.
Here’s an example I’ve given to people. Let’s say you were indexing a biography about – oh, I don’t know – Bill Clinton. Obviously, if you only wanted a list of pages where Chelsea Clinton is mentioned, that would be easy enough to generate automatically. The computer would just search for terms you specify like her name or the word ‘daughter,’ etc. But the computer wouldn’t be able to generate a list of pages where the book addresses the father-daughter relationship between Bill and Chelsea. It might get some of them depending on the search terms you give it but there are times when a concept is being addressed tangentially or indirectly, by implication that the computer won’t understand. So if you want to ensure that the index entry ‘Clinton, William Jefferson, daughter’s relationship with’ is as complete as possible, the book must be read and indexed by a human.
OK, so it’s a human and not a machine. So how does the indexer go about – you know – actually indexing?
Indexers are an independent breed and everyone has their own specific way of working but broadly speaking, this is what happens. The indexer works from page proofs for the book (fairly finalized layouts of the actual pages as they will appear including page numbers). This means the indexing is among the last stages of book production. The indexer reads the page proofs, marking items for inclusion and entering (see, the computer does have a role after all) the headers and sub-headers (with page locators) into whatever indexing software they favor. Please don’t start me on indexing with MS Word. We’ll be here all day. The result is a rough index that will be edited for structure and consistency, then formatted to meet the project specifications. The indexer then proofreads the index and, finding everything in order, submits it to the client.
Is an index really necessary?
I suppose that I ought to say “it depends on the type of books” and strictly speaking that’s true but listen, if you were going on a road trip – someplace you’d never been before or taking a route you’d never taken, would you go without asking directions, taking a map or GPS? No, so why would you wade in to particular books – again, we’re talking about non-fiction here – without an index. Histories, cookbooks, textbooks, reference books, current events, manuals, etc. Indexes are not luxury items in books like this (as I have said before). They are vital to the usability (and re-usability) of such books. One of the first things a potential buyer (an individual or buyer for a bookstore or library) does when deciding between this book and that is to look at the index. Titles without any index are often dismissed as not being nearly as valuable to them as one that includes this vital navigational tool. The absence of an index, or inclusion of a bad one, has been the focus of scathing comments by book reviewers and readers.
And a note to publishers: yes, I know. I know we don’t live in a world where readership is expanding (anyone planning to use to Kindle argument here should take a deep breath and hold it because that is another discussion). I know the only way to make more money in publishing it to spend less and that paper is expensive. I know that by eliminating that additional signature of paper, you can ensure the price point of the book is a whole level lower but you’re also ensuring that the book’s usefulness is a whole level lower as well.
So who are these indexers?
The index might be taken on wholly – logistics, cost and effort – by the publisher but responsibility (read: cost) for the index often falls to the author even if the publisher handles the logistics of getting it done. That said, authors aren’t generally the ones who do the actual indexing and an indexer is hired by the publisher, and the fee is deducted from the money due the author. I’ll wait while you digest the relative unfairness of that. I digested it years ago, so I understand you may need a moment.
Isn’t the author the obvious person to index the book? Why incur additional costs by using an indexer?
There are, of course, advantages and disadvantages to being the person closest to the work in question. Yes, there is a cost saving aspect to the author-created index. More money = more better, as they say.
The author also has a deep understanding of their subject area, the vocabulary of their fields, and the audience they are writing for. They are, after all that time writing it, the person closest to the text itself and that can be a plus when trying to remember what pages or chapter contain that last mention of a topic. On the down side, that closeness over an extended period of time can result in burn-out. You may feel you never want to see those pages ever again (at least until they are bound and ready for signing).
Another issue worth examining is the difference between being the author and being a reader. They are two very different creatures and each has a different relationship to the book in front of them. The index is a tool for the reader and should be written from the point of view of someone who is looking for ways into the text. The author-created index is often written the other way around―from the inside out. This is perfectly natural considering the time and effort that went into the text. But it’s not right for readers, who are coming to the text and working their way in or – in the case of revisiting the text = coming to it with different purposes at different times.
None of that is to say the author can’t do a perfectly decent or even outstanding job as an indexer. It’s just some of the reasons that they very often aren’t the ones doing the indexing.
I could go on and on about indexing – and I will most likely to do so in the future. But I thought a few explanations were in order since the number of eyebrows raised and knitted of late had grown exponentially. More information on indexing in general, on my indexing experience and the process of indexing can be found on Modern Parlance. And if you are interested in finding out more about indexing, get in touch. Indexers don’t bite. You’ll be fine
I’ve been doing more online shopping lately – what with all this snow that keeps piling up and the fact that most of what I want is actually overseas these days. I’ve always done some online shopping – I’m a big fan of it as opposed to real life shopping which I loathe.
But there’s a trend that’s really getting on my last nerve these days – these requests to participate in surveys or invitations to “chat with a customer assistance.” I don’t mind being asked to participate or invited to chat but I do mind having the invitation SHOVED in front of me with no warning as I am trying to shop.
It’s aggravating. It’s rude. Worst of all, it is bad usability.
By all mean, encourage feedback and interaction with your customers but do it by creating something eye-catching on the side or in along the bottom with an option to minimize or close it. And once it’s closed, don’t come back during that session unless the customer opens it. But these pop ups – basically you are getting right in my face and shouting. Interrupting me as I am trying to make a purchase decision. Getting in my virtual personal space. You know what I’d do if someone did that in real life? Well, online it’s even easier – I just click away.
So think about that before you pop-up in my face and block my view of your products. Repeatedly.
I’m not being snarky or mean. I’m asking a genuine question. I’m interested. What is it for? Go on. You give it a think. I’ll wait.
No. “Because one of the interns told us we should have one” isn’t the answer. Not one you should admit to, anyway.
No. Not “Our competitor had one and so we figured we’d better have one too” either
“We wanted a place to put press releases.” Really? Then what is your “News” or “Media Center” for?
No, your blog is a magnet. It’s meant to draw people in, give them a way to connect to you and your company. It’s a place where you can engage the customers or audience attracted to the information, goods, insights, etc. that you offer there. And once you have attracted them, engaged them – you can build a relationship with them. Please note – the fact that you have a blog does not make you engaged. Engage is an active verb. It involves you taking action. You posted, they clicked. Ball is back in your court. What do you do next?
Keep posting, of course, but keeping in mind what you’ve learned from who came to the blog and what they did there. What were their responses to the content you put up? Let that inform your future content plans. Where did they come from to arrive at your blog? What does that tell you about them? How can you further design content to suit those people? Did they ask questions related to the initial information? Address those questions in the next post. Even if they don’t like the answer, the fact that there was a cause and effect to the posts shows you are responsive. You will get credit for that.
Speaking of visitors to your blog – do you know who they are? Do you know what they want? You may well have tracking software that tells you 68% of them are new visitors and 15% are from California, 5% are using Safari and 57% clicked away after 1.5 minutes. But do you know anything about the way they see your company? What they expect? How can you find out?
We’ll touch in that in the next chapter: “This company blog of yours – who’s reading it?
My prediction for the biggest trend in social media for 2011? Questions about ROI.
You spent 2009 convincing the guys upstairs – the suits – that social media and the online space was where things were going. You had graphs, stats, power point presentations – all to show how much your company or organization NEEDED to be online. And it worked. They gave a thumbs up – whether because they “got it” or just didn’t want anyone to suspect they didn’t is another story – and away you ran.
In 2010, you set up Twitter feeds, you created a Facebook page, you put a company profile on LinkedIn and spent hours at a time “engaging potential customers,” “brand evangelizing” and “participating in the social media space.” Well done. You certainly have a lot of text to show for yourself. Anyone can see by the number of posts, tweets and invites that you have been a busy social media bee.
What does 2011 hold? More of the same? Yes but will also involve showing results. No, not the number of tweets. The Powers That Be don’t care about the number of tweets – or if they do, then we KNOW they don’t get it. They are going to ask you what all this posting, tweeting and inviting has done for the company (played in this conversation by THEM) lately. Have potential customers become actual customers? How many? How do you know? Have you developed ongoing, repeat relationships with your audience? How has the demographic of your audience shifted (or not) as a result of new media channel use? Are the results what you expected? If not, why do you think that is and what do you plan to do in response? If so, wonderful – what’s next?
Did you think you were just going to be left along to play in the social media playpen and not be called to make an accounting of yourself and the initiative you pushed? Au contraire, my friend. They are going to ask – and then they do, make sure you have an answer. He who hesitates is lost (and potentially out of a job).
I find lists irresistible. I find books irresistible. I find ‘end of the year’ lists irresistible. So it can’t and shouldn’t come as any surprise that I find “end of the year book lists” as hard to resist as breathing. And so, a list of “end of the year book lists” – both for my own convenience (not having to hunt them up later) and your possible curiosity.
New York Times Sunday Book Review – dear god, what busy little list makers they are!
Newsday, which would like to remind everyone that the New York Times isn’t the ONLY paper in the Big Apple) has their best books of 2010 list to prove it. Not feeling quite as competitive – because they are (or were back in their day) too hip to care about the Times, the Village Voice put out a Best Books of 2010 list.
NPR’s Tell Me More just had to be ever so slightly different and call their list The Best Reads Of 2010
Across the pond, Best Books of 2010 lists are just as popular:
Let’s say you have a house. You like the house but the plumbing is iffy. Water damage has warped floors, created “bubbles” in the walls, peeled the paint. You decide “This looks like crap!” and get someone in to fix the floor, redo the walls and repaint. Gosh it looks SO much better. Only you forgot to fix the plumbing and guess what? Right. Now, let’s say the house is actually a website . . .
Some time back, I was asked by a home decor store owner what he could do to boost his store’s visibility online. He didn’t want to spend a lot of money or bring in a full fledged team at that point, He wanted a sort of DIY plan, a basic 1-2-3 type thing that would do “for now.”
Truth be told, I am not a big fan of “do for now” – it sounds like it is supposed to give you some breathing room to sort things properly but what ends up happening is that it becomes “oh! great – it’s sorted.” and that’s the end of it. The ‘band-aid’ becomes the cure. Only it isn’t really. The problems are still there under the quick fix.
Still, I did put together some quick tips for him and thought others might find them useful “for now” as well. But please, don’t let “for now” be “for good.” Content: What you say, how you say it and where.
Voice, tone: one of the first things to do in the content development for the site will be deciding what “voice” to use and how to infuse the copy with that style and tone. Your copy should say more about your store than where it is and who owns it. Users should get some sense of philosophy behind it or the atmosphere or the place. Photos of the products are a good start but they can’t do it on their own.
Placement: I know your products are beautiful and speak for themselves but don’t make the whole first page just pictures and navigation. If you don’t have any content on the front page, it’s a bit like walking into a store and finding no one there. [read more →]
Personal Parlance is owned and managed by Modern Parlance. Other parts of the Parlance Blog Empire include Greater Gotham, about life in New York, and Fabulous Foodie, wherein we serve up food and food culture a la carte.
But there’s a trend that’s really getting on my last nerve these days – these requests to participate in surveys or invitations to “chat with a customer assistance.” I don’t mind being asked to participate or invited to chat but I do mind having the invitation SHOVED in front of me with no warning as I am trying to shop.