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I'm a huge fan of a good index--and I find far too few of them, unfortunately.
To some extent, you're asking the wrong list--although there are most
definitely many on this list with an interest in indexing, there are
many lists directed specifically at that topic.
Although I'm still a member of INDEX-L, I confess I don't read it very
often these days. In addition to the indexes I created for various
tech docs, at one time I seriously considered becoming an indexer as a
full-time occupation.
Interestingly enough, there is a correspondence course that has been
well regarded through an extension program offered by the U.S.
Department of Agriculture--which I always found quite strange,
actually.
>
> Has anyone seen any literature about the utility of indexing content
> that is primarily destined for online display?
>
> I know that maybe15 years ago (at least) there were articles in the STC
> Technical Communication magazine (and elsewhere) on how much an index
> contributed to user satisfaction. But I'm wondering if there's been any
> more recent research into the topic.
>
> I've convinced my current client to invest in a decent index, but as I
> work on it, I find myself using full-text search to locate my own index
> entries to check their targets, and I'm starting to wonder if maybe my
> end users might not be inclined to do the same.
>
> BTW -- I'm producing documentation for users of a content-management
> system (primarily tech writers). The primary display format is Eclipse
> Help, but users have access to a PDF version of the document.
>
> TIA,
> Mary
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