TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
I'd go with a seat-of-the-pants rule on glossary tabs: if your
doc. is heavy on coined terminology or tech. stuff that will send
a reader scurrying to the glossary for a definition, then a tab
is probably in order. It's the old "know your audience" thing again...
But to ease the user's burden, you might want to consider how you're
presenting terms and definitions in the text. If you find you're sending
the user to the glossary every page or so, maybe you've got another
problem...
And if I'm not mistaken, physical tab pages must still be collated
manually into every copy of a book you send out. Or, you package the tab
pages separately and leave that for the user to do (which many never do).
And tab pages of that sort are quite expensive, both to produce with
labelled edges and to package with the copies (not to deprive sheltered
workshops, etc., of this needed work, but...). Sometimes for naught...
Cheers,
Jack Shaw
(IMHO irrespective of that of...)
Software AG
Darmstadt, Germ.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Post Message: TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU
Get Commands: LISTSERV -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU with "help" in body.
Unsubscribe: LISTSERV -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU with "signoff TECHWR-L"
Listowner: ejray -at- ionet -dot- net