THE GLOSSARY IS DEAD LONG LIVE THE GLOSSARY

THE GLOSSARY IS DEAD! LONG LIVE THE GLOSSARY! Holli Hamilton TCUK 17

Glossaries in the searchable world

Glossary use in web-based help

Search-centric documentation sites

Unable to find a clean definition

Still search-centric

Also includes a glossary in the “Basics” guide

“We are becoming symbiotic with our computer tools, growing into interconnected systems that remember less by knowing information than by knowing where the information can be found. This gives us the advantage of access to a vast range of information, although the disadvantages of being constantly “wired” are still being debated. ” (http: //scholar. harvard. edu/files/dwegner/files/sparrow_et_al. _2011. pdf) Over 6 billion searches per day. Global internet traffic dropped 40% when google went down for 5 minutes in 2013.

Topic-based authoring REFEREN CE ? TASK REFEREN CE ? CONCEPT TAS K Creating modules of information can make it hard for authors to identify gaps in coverage ? REFEREN CE CONCEPT ? ? How can you make sure you’ve covered all areas without a linear document structure?

Glossary-based authoring Glossary Concept topics Task topics Referenc e topics

Building the source glossary Term Definition Example The term you need to define A concise, one sentence, definition. A real world example to ground the definition User A user is a person who has log-in credentials enabling them to access the site. For example, the site administrator is a user with the ability to manage users and groups. Group A group is a set of users who have access to the same resources. For example, you could create a group for employees working in finance to enable them to access all your company’s financial resources.

Converting each row into a concept topic Term Definition Example

Concept title Introductory paragraph Term Definition and Example

Concept title Introductory paragraph Hyperlinks to task topics Term Definition and Example Task links

Concept title Introductory paragraph Hyperlinks to task topics Topic content Term Definition and Example Task links Conceptual material

Concept title Introductory paragraph Hyperlinks to task topics Topic content Hyperlinks to reference topics Term Definition and Example Task links Conceptual material Reference links

Term Definition and example Task links Conceptual material Reference links

Term Definition and example Task links Conceptual material Reference links

Create task topics with hyperlinks Task Title Introductory Sentence inc. concept links Task Steps Inc. reference links

Concept Link Task Title Introduction Task Steps Reference Links

Create reference topics with hyperlinks Reference Title Introductory Sentence inc. concept links Task list Reference tables

Concept Link Reference Title Introduction Task List Reference Tables Task Links

Thanks for listening!