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RE: TOC article in INTERCOM -- things that made me go "HUH??"
Subject:RE: TOC article in INTERCOM -- things that made me go "HUH??" From:John Posada <JPosada -at- book -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Fri, 13 Dec 2002 12:34:55 -0500
Sometimes, it's hard to see the point for the trees...huh?
Let me try to address my feelings about this TOC issue...
I don't think a TOC MUST be word for word since the content of the TOC must
stand alone and understanding the heading it reflects may be helped by the
content that immediately precedes and follows. If the wording of the TOC can
be adjusted so that it gives a better understanding, then I don't have a
problem with it. At the same time, it must be close enought to the
information it reflects so that when someone goes to the page, they don't
think they are in the wrong section.
Let me see if I can come up with examples to illustrate what I mean...note:
I'm making this up as I go along and it does not mean that I use any of this
in actual documentation):
Section Heading: Configure an eGate Server Prior to Application Installation
TOC: eGate Server Configuration
OTOH, my TOC always match the headings word for word becuase it's such a
pain in the butt to manually change something that is so easy to automate.
-----Original Message-----
From: David Downing [mailto:DavidDowning -at- users -dot- com]
Sent: Friday, December 13, 2002 12:16 PM
To: TECHWR-L
Subject: RE: TOC article in INTERCOM -- things that made me go "HUH??"
I am inclined to agree that the value of a TOC in an online environment is
questionable. However, the article dealt with printed as well as online
material. Plus, the points I was making dealt with *how* a TOC should be
constructed, as opposed to *whether* one should be constructed in a specific
situation.
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