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My approach has been to categorize the glossary in three areas:
-Technical terms: I'm doing doc for a web-based financial application that
uses a mainframe host system as the backend. The last version of the
front-end was Windows based, so my technical terms will focus on basic
browser terminology, since most of the users are "green screeners" or maybe
Windows savvy.
-Industry terms: terms specific to the part of the financial services
industry this application serves. This assists new employees at our client
companies, as well as employees here who are not industry SME's.
-Product terms: anything unique to my company or the specific product I'm
documenting. Tends to be jargony, and sort of marketing-oriented, but not
always.,
I tend to look for a specific term, rather than random browsing.
If the term is defined in the manual, it's a sure sign it needs to go in the
glossary--the glossary won't change as much as the application and its doc
will. As a matter of fact, our glossary is a separate pub as well as an
appendix to various manuals. Each product's help file contains the
glossary, and the three types of terms are color-coded and bookmarked
extensively.
HTH
Connie Giordano
-----Original Message-----
From: angela pollak [mailto:angela -dot- pollak -at- sybase -dot- com]
Sent: Thursday, April 13, 2000 4:28 PM
To: TECHWR-L
Subject: Creating content for a glossary
[snip]
appreciate any opinions on any/all of the following subjects (or other
glossary-related subjects if you have an urgent desire to share):
1. How do you (as a user) use the glossary of a book... (word look-up?
browsing? some other way?)
2. How do you (as a writer) determine the criteria by which words gain
admission to the glossary?
3. Some technical terms are discussed and defined in the text of the
manuals... how does this fit into the glossary issue? Should these
definitions be in both places or just one?
4. Are there any other resources I can consult on the subject?
