| |
Microsoft Word :: Index This!
By Eric Roberts
If you're not using an index in your publication - you're probably leaving your readers in the dark and passing up the opportunity to get a "rave" review.
If you are creating a manual, book or longer publication in Microsoft Word - you should include a table of contents and an index to allow your readers to quickly find and refer to information. The Table of Contents usually appears at the star of a document, and the Index typically at the end.
At the most basic level, if you're publishing a reference manual or some other reference materials - nothing is more important than having a really, really good index. The good news about indexes is that In most cases a good index is one of the most-used sections of a book.
Why? It's simple. People who bought or downloaded your publication are looking for information. The index serves as a way to help people find that information - in the way that they think about the information - not necessarily in the way (or order) that you wrote it in.
Let's say you wrote an informational booklet or publication on the Internet. Some of your headings might be:
Choosing a domain name
Web Hosting
Creating your site
Maintaining your site
This is all well and good - until it comes down to the person reading the publication whose looking for information. Because you're the author - the content makes perfect sense to you - but it's a good idea to "get into the head" of your potential reader when creating the index.
What if your reader remembers a particularly good section of your book about getting a domain name and wants to be able to find what web sites you recommend. They may be thinking "domain registration" and you might have been thinking "registrars" and indexed that term. Your reader will then have to pour over the document again to be able to find the section where you list the registrar web sites.
Putting yourself in the place of your potential reader will not only help you to create a better publication - but it will also help you create a "killer" index! To get more detailed information, tips and instructions on how to create an index in Microsoft Word - check out the free articles at http://www.1clicktraining.com.
About the Author
Eric Roberts is an internet entrepreneur that has founded a number of sites helping people get more done in less time including http://www.1clicktraining.com. Check out his blog at http://newbienerds.blogspot.com.
Article Source: http://www.simplysearch4it.com/article/20100.html
| If you wish to add the above article to your website or newsletters then please include the "Article Source: http://www.simplysearch4it.com/article/20100.html" as shown above and make it hyperlinked. |
| Some other articles by Eric Roberts | |
| |
|
|
|
